The Anzac soldiers became quite familiar with this region covering part of Norther France and Southern Belgium The area near Armentieres was known as the "Nursery" where many new trops were first introduced to trench warfare. The Australian 5th Division participated in the Disasterous Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 and all Anzac Divisions were involved in the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917. This included the Battles of: Messines, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde and Passchendaele.
The Flanders area is a flat, wet, windy, closely-settled and intensively farmed area. There are low hills around the Ypres (now known as Ieper) salient, and this is where many of the battles were fought. The important town of Ypres in the salient was destroyed but not captured by the Germans. It has now been completely rebuilt to how it might have been before the War. It is one of the prettiest towns in the region. Completed virtual immersive tours include:
Battle of Fromelles Northern France (5 panoramas) This was the first battle fought by Australian troops in France on 19th July 1916. It was intended to distract the Germans from the Battle of the Somme, but was completely unsuccessful for the loss of 5533 men.
