Hill 60 Chapter I

Hill 60 had been captured from the French by the German 30th Division late 1914. Initial French preparations to raid the hill were continued by the British who took over the line in Febiaiary 1915. An unfinished French mine gallery was extended by the 173rd Tunnelling Company and three tunnels …

1915-04-17

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Hill 60 had been captured from the French by the German 30th Division late 1914. Initial French preparations to raid the hill were continued by the British who took over the line in Febiaiary 1915. An unfinished French mine gallery was extended by the 173rd Tunnelling Company and three tunnels were dug towards the German line. By the time the work was finished, the tunnels stretched more than 100 yd (91 m). Two mines in the north were charged with 2,000 lb (907 kg) of explosives each, two mines in the centre had 2,700 lb (1 t) charges and in the south one mine was packed with 500 lb (227 kg) of guncotton, although work on it had been stopped when it ran close to a German tunnel. Tlie British attack began on 17 April 1915 just after the miners were blown at 19:05 pm. The hill was captured quickly but then it was found that the salient which had been created, made occupation of the hill very costly.

Hill 60, Belgium

The Battle of Hill 60 (17 April – 7 May 1915) took place near Hill 60 south of Ypres on the Western Front, during the First World War. Hill 60 had been captured by the German 30th Division on 11 November 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November 1914). Initial French preparations to raid the hill were continued by the British 28th Division, which took over the line in February 1915 and then by the 5th Division. The plan was expanded into an ambitious attempt to capture the hill, despite advice that Hill 60 could not be held unless the nearby Caterpillar ridge was also occupied. It was found that Hill 60 was the only place in the area not waterlogged and a French 3 ft × 2 ft (0.91 m × 0.61 m) mine gallery was extended.

Wikipedia: Battle of Hill 60 (Western_Front)

German

British