FREE MESSINES 1917: THE ZENITH OF SIEGE WARFARE PDF Alexander Turner,Peter Dennis | 96 pages | 24 Aug 2010 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781846038457 | English | Oxford, England, United Kingdom !Messines | The zenith of siege warfare | OSPREY BOOKS Spanbroekmolen is a small group of farms in Heuvellanda municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The hamlet is sited on one of the highest points of the Messines Ridge, in between the villages of KemmelWijtschate and Wulvergem. Spanbroekmolen was named after a windmill that stood on the site for three centuries until it was ruined by the Germans on 1 November In World War Ithe area was the site of intense and sustained fighting between German and British forces. Between andthe Western Front ran through the area, and the original buildings were completely destroyed. Because of its strategic position on the Messines Ridge south of the Ypres Salientthe Germans used the site for a front-line fortification. As the Allied attacks along the Western Front Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare more formidable, the Germans added further defences and trench positions at Spanbroekmolen and connected their original lines with the neighbouring strongpoints, which were code-named Peckham and Kruisstraat by the British. On 12 MarchLieutenant C. Martin volunteered to lead a small bombing party against a section of the enemy trenches at Spanbroekmolen which was holding up the advance. Before he started he was wounded, but, taking no notice, he carried on with the attack which was completely successful. He and his small party held the trench against all counter-attacks for two and a half hours until a general withdrawal was ordered [1] and Martin was awarded the Victoria Cross. In springthe Germans conducted two gas attacks on Wulverghem from their Spanbroekmolen position. These gas attacks were part of the sporadic fighting which took place between battles in the Ypres Salient. From 21—23 April, British artillery-fire exploded several gas cylinders in the German lines around Spanbroekmolen, which released greenish-yellow clouds of gas. A gas alert was given on 25 April, when the wind began to blow from the north-east and routine work was suspended; on 29 April, two German soldiers deserted and warned that an attack was imminent. The first German attack began just after midnight on 30 April and a cloud of a chlorine Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare phosgene mixture moved on the wind through Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare man's land. A second gas attack was launched on 17 June but the British managed to repulse the German patrols. In the Battle of Messines 7—14 Junea major attack on Spanbroekmolen and the neighbouring strongpoints Peckham and Kruisstraat was planned by the British. It was known that, due to its importance, the Germans intended to hold the hill at Spanbroekmolen at all costs unbedingtes Halten. Other operating changes — including a brief tenure of th Tunnelling Company at Spanbroekmolen in April [3] — occurred until st Tunnelling Company took over and extended the work to the German lines, driving the tunnel forward for seven months [4] until it was beneath the powerful German position. The British decided to abandon the branch gallery because aggressive counter-mining would likely have alerted the Germans to the presence of a deep-mining scheme. The Spanbroekmolen mine exploded 15 seconds late, by which time soldiers of the 36th Ulster Division had already been ordered to go over the tophad left their trenches and begun to move across no-man's land. In addition to obliterating the German fortifications, falling debris from the blast also killed a number of British soldiers, some of whom are buried at Lone Tree CWGC Cemetery nearby. The mine crater was acquired in by the Toc H foundation in Poperinge. Sometimes also called "Lone Tree Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare, it is today recognised as peace memorial [8] [9] [4] and Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare as "Pool of Peace". From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Diagram showing the area affected by the German cloud gas attack on 30 April Green dots: cattle deaths, heavy shading: seriously affected, helmets worn, light shading: lightly affected. Spanbroekmolen crater in November Spanbroekmolen mine crater. View from Spanbroekmolen crater towards the Kruisstraat craters. World War I portal. The London Gazette Supplement. Retrieved 16 February Books Barrie, Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare. War Underground. War in the Twentieth Century Star ed. London: Frederick Muller. Edmonds, J. London: HMSO. Holt, Tonie; Holt, Valmai []. Underground Warfare Lampaert, Roger De Mijnenoorlog in Vlaanderen — in Dutch. Roesbrugge, Belgium: Drukkerij Schoonaert. Passingham, I. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. Messines The Zenith of Siege Warfare. Campaign Series. Oxford: Osprey. Cambridge: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 26 May Journals Cleland, H. Economic Geology. XIII 2 : — The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 February World War I. U-boat Campaign North Atlantic Mediterranean. Civilian impact Atrocities. Category Portal. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare Commons. Add links. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mines in the Battle of Messines Messines The zenith of siege warfare - PDF Free Download Herbert Plumer Lord Plumer Plumer. After commanding V Corps at the Second Battle of Ypres in Aprilhe took command of the Second Army in May and in June won an overwhelming victory over the German Army at the Battle of Messines, which started with the simultaneous explosion of a series of mines placed by the Royal Engineers' tunnelling companies beneath German lines, which created 19 large craters and was described as the loudest explosion in human history. The battle began with the detonation of 19 mines beneath the German front position, which devastated these German defences and left 19 large craters. Passchendaele Third Battle of Ypres Ypres The Battle of Messines was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, the preliminary bombardment for which began on 11 July The time between the Battle of Messines 7—14 June and the first Allied attack the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, 31 Julythe extent to which the internal troubles of the French armies influenced the British, the effect of the exceptional weather, the decision to continue the offensive in October and the human costs of the campaign, are also debated. The Nivelle Offensive in April and May had failed to achieve its Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare ambitious aims, had led to the demoralisation of French troops and dislocated the Anglo-French strategy for When it became apparent that the Second Battle of the Aisne the main part of the Nivelle Offensive 16 April — 9 May had failed to achieve its most ambitious objectives, Haig instructed the Second Army to capture the Messines—Wytschaete Ridge as soon as possible. The British remained on the offensive for the Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare of the year fighting the battles of Messines, 3rd Ypres and Cambrai. The effectiveness of the British mines, barrages and bombardments was improved by advances in artillery survey, flash spotting and centralised control of artillery from the Second Army headquarters. The largest mining operations were conducted in the Battle of Messines, where specialist Royal Engineer tunnelling companies placed 22 mines under German lines. From the spring of the whole war became more mobile, with grand offensives at Arras, Messines and Passchendaele. Chemin des Dames the Aisne Aisne. Western Front France France and Flanders — The offensive began on 7 June, with a British attack on Messines Ridge, south of Ypres, to retake the ground lost in the First and Second battles in The 25th Division made its preparations on a front from the Wulverghem— Messines road to the Wulverghem—Wytschaete road, facing yd of the German front line, which tapered to the final objective yd wide at the near crest of the ridge, yd distant, behind nine German defensive lines. Messines Messines, Belgium Abbey of Messines. In May, the 4th Australian Division, 11th Northern Division and the 24th Division were moved north from Arras, to become reserve divisions for those corps in the Second Army which were preparing to attack Messines Ridge. The next major attack it took part in came in June, when it participated in the Battle of Messines, in Flanders, Belgium. Passchendaele salient Ypres Ypres Salient actions. Several of the mines in the Battle of Messines contained 30, lbs over The 3rd Australian Division on the right, had been disorganised by a German gas bombardment on Ploegsteert Plugstreet to the British Wood around midnight, which caused casualties during the approach march but the attack between St. Yves and the river Douve began on time. Two mines were laid at Hill 60 on the northern flank, one at St Eloi, three at Hollandscheschuur, two at Petit Bois, single mines were laid at Maedelstede Farm, Peckham House and Spanbroekmolen, four at Kruisstraat, one at Ontario Farm and two each at Trenches and on the southern flank. In the Battle of Messines 7—14 Junea major attack on Spanbroekmolen and the neighbouring strongpoints Peckham and Kruisstraat was planned by the British. II Anzac Corps in the south-east was to advance yd, IX Corps Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare the centre was to attack on a yd front, which would taper to yd at the summit and X Corps in the north had an attack front yd wide. The 4. During advances such as at Messines in Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfarethe gun was Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare employed in "standing barrages" of HE on the enemy forward positions ahead of the pounders' creeping barrage, and gas shelling following bombardments.