Ypres east of the town. The first gas attack occurred against Canadian, British, and French soldiers, including both metropolitan French soldiers as well as Senegalese and Algerian tirailleurs (light infantry) from French Africa. The gas used was chlorine. Mustard gas, also called Yperite from the name of this town, was also used for the first time near Ypres, in the autumn of 1917. Of the battles, the largest, best-known, and most costly in human suffering was the Third Battle of Ypres (31 July to 6 November 1917, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele), in which the British, Canadian, ANZAC, and
Actions of 30 September – 4 October 1917 Theses Actions of 30 September – 4 October 1917 The Actions of 30 September – 4 October 1917 were German methodical counter-attacks ("Gegenangriffe") during the Third Battle of Ypres in Flanders, during the First World War. Hasty counter-attacks () by the German 4th Army during the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge on 20 September and the Battle of Polygon Wood on 26 September, had been costly failures. On 29 September, a review was held at Roulers by Erich Ludendorff the (Quartermaster-General of the German Army, equivalent to the British Chief of the General Staff) with the commanders of "Heeresgruppe