Messines Ridge

General Herbert Plumer’s Second Army, on 7 June 1917, attacked Messines Ridge, a natural stronghold southeast of Ypres and a German salient since late 1914. Plumer had begun plans to take the position a year earlier and authorized the laying …

1917-06-07

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General Herbert Plumer’s Second Army, on 7 June 1917, attacked Messines Ridge, a natural stronghold southeast of Ypres and a German salient since late 1914. Plumer had begun plans to take the position a year earlier and authorized the laying of 22 mine shafts underneath German lines all along the ridge. Prior to the attack, a fourteen day bombardment of the German lines was followed by the detonation of 19 mine explosions, which dazed the German defenders.

Messines Ridge, France

The Battle of Messines was an attack by the British Second Army, on the Western Front near the village of Messines in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War. The Nivelle Offensive in April and May had failed to achieve its more grandiose aims, had led to the demoralisation of French troops and confounded the Anglo-French strategy for 1917. The attack forced the Germans to move reserves to Flanders from the Arras and Aisne fronts, relieving pressure on the French.

Wikipedia: Battle of Messines (1917)

German

British