Passchendaele was one of the most infamous battles in History. When the Canadians arrived in Flanders, fresh from their great successes at Vimy, Arleux, Fresnoy and Hill 70, they found a devastated battlefield, and the stench of death permeated the air. Their task was to carry-on the fight, and although the Offensive was hopelessly mired down and had cost 200,000 men, they had to take Passchendaele. Against the mud and the Germans the Canadians fought a tenacious battle, driving the enemy out of the village and maybe more miraculously, holding on. Two weeks in the mud of Flanders cost the Canadians 16,000 men. It was a fantastic, but hopeless victory.