Image Gallery: July 2010
21 July 2010
Private Alan James Mather - Battle Of Messines
On 7 June 1917, 19 mines, containing over a million pounds of ammonal between them, were exploded under the German lines south of the Belgian village of Messines and heralded the beginning of a new offensive on the Western front, the battle of Messines. The mine explosions, which created huge craters, some still clearly visible today, destroyed the German lines and enabled the assaulting British and Empire troops to rapidly occupy the enemy lines with minimal loss in what was described as one of the most complete tactical victories seen to that point in World War I.
The Battle of Messines was an ‘enabler’ battle. It was fought to prepare the ground for the much more strategically important battle of Passchendaele later in the year. The battle had one purpose, to clear the Germans from the high ground that overlooked parts of the future battleground. Consequently, the Messines battle had limited objectives, only a short distance from the starting point, which enabled the British artillery to provide effective and uninterrupted support during the attack. The comparatively ‘light’ initial casualty rate inflicted on the assaulting troops was due almost entirely to the impact of the mines and the effectiveness of the allied artillery. The heavier casualties experienced late in the battle were due to the attacking formations advancing over the Messines Ridge onto the forward slopes where they were visible to German defenders in the German rear defence lines and subjected to heavy enemy bombardment.
Portrait Photo Private Mather2 |
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