battle of messines casualties

 

As each objective was taken by the infantry, the creeping barrage was to pause 150–300 yd (140–270 m) ahead and become a standing barrage while the infantry consolidated. The 4th Army divisions of Group Wytschaete (Gruppe Wijtschate, the IX Reserve Corps headquarters) held the ridge and were later reinforced by a division from Group Ypres (Gruppe Ypern). The German garrison defended the village with great determination, before surrendering when the garrison commander was captured. The artillery provided a highly effective "creeping barrage" that protected the infantry as they climbed up the ridge. If they had to fall back, the support battalions would advance to restore the front system, except at Spanbroekmolen Hill, which due to its importance was to be held at all costs (unbedingtes Halten). British troops passing through the ruins of Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, September 29, 1918. Let us know. The objective was easily reached but at the Wambeek, 1,000 yd (910 m) north of the intended position. [26] British aircraft began to move north from the Arras front, the total rising to about 300 operational aircraft in the II Brigade RFC (Second Army) area. The British planners expected that the two German Eingreif divisions behind the ridge would begin organised counter-attacks at about 11:00 a.m., and arranged for a long pause in the advance down the eastern slope, thereby enabling an attack from consolidated defensive positions, rather than an encounter in the open while the British were still advancing. Of those Kiwis, 842 have no known grave - they were simply 'blown to pieces'. The 25th Division took the Messines–Wytschaete road on the ridge, north of the New Zealand Division with little opposition except at Hell Farm, which was eventually overrun. The Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, was fought from 7 to 29 April 1918 and was part of the German Spring Offensive in Flanders during the First World War. At 3:10 a.m. the mines were detonated, killing c. 10,000 German soldiers and destroying most of the middle breastwork Ib of the front system, paralysing the survivors of the eleven German battalions in the front line, who were swiftly overrun. The companies which attacked then met with massed machine-gun fire during the advance and only advanced half way to the spoil bank. The British attacks established a footing on the heap at great cost, due to machine-gun fire from the spoil heap and others in Battle Wood further north. Dummy tree on Hill 63, used as an observation post, German trench destroyed by a mine explosion, 1917. The 24th Division to the south held 2,800 yd (1.6 mi; 2.6 km) and the 2nd Division at Wijtschate held 4,000 yd (2.3 mi; 3.7 km). [120], Haig had discussed the possibility of rapid exploitation of a victory at Messines with Plumer before the attack, arranging for II and VIII Corps to advance either side of Bellewaarde Lake, using some of the artillery from the Messines front, which Plumer considered would take three days to transfer. As the day wore on, however, the recovering German gunners began to fire on the newly captured areas with increasing ferocity. 2007, Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Messines_(1917)&oldid=1012914979, Battles of the Western Front (World War I), Battles of World War I involving Australia, Battles of World War I involving New Zealand, Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 March 2021, at 01:00. Third Ypres – Map Showing Progress in the Ypres Area. Many considered this joint effort to be of considerable political significance, given the turmoil in Ireland at the time. [14], The Second Army centralised its artillery and devised a plan of great sophistication, following the precedent set at the Battle of Arras in April. By June 1917, each British army had a control post of two aeroplane compass stations and an aeroplane intercepting station, linked by telephone to the army wing headquarters, fighter squadrons, the anti-aircraft commander and the corps heavy artillery headquarters. The capture of Messines was achieved with relatively few casualties, not least because of the disruption of German artillery fire in the early stages. Franks devised a bombardment timetable and added arrangements for a massed machine-gun barrage. Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. [85], Two brigades of the 24th Division in Corps reserve advanced into the X Corps sector and reached Dammstrasse on time. [27][b] The mass of artillery to be used in the attack was supported by many artillery-observation and photographic reconnaissance aircraft, in the corps squadrons which had been increased from twelve to eighteen aircraft each. Smoke and dust from the British barrage limited visibility to 100 yd (91 m) and some defenders thought that figures moving towards them were retreating German soldiers, were taken by surprise and overrun. The observers were easily able to plot the positions of experienced troops, who lit flares and waved anything to attract attention. About 300 yd (270 m) beyond the forward positions, a protective bombardment by 18-pounders swept back and forth, while the heavier artillery stood ready to respond with SOS barrages. These orders were also delayed and the 19th Division commander asked for a postponement then ordered the 57th Brigade to advance without waiting for the 33rd Brigade. [104] James Edmonds, the official historian, called it a "great victory" in Military Operations France and Belgium 1917 Part II, published 1948. The right brigade advanced on a 2,000 yd (1,800 m) front towards the Oosttaverne line, from the river Douve north to the Blauwepoortbeek (Blue Gate Brook). Messines Ridge from Hill 63, George Edmund Butler. British observation from the ridge would make the ground to the east untenable as far as the Flandernstellung 6 mi (9.7 km) beyond. The Second Army artillery commander, Major-General George Franks, co-ordinated the corps artillery plans, particularly the heavy artillery arrangements to suppress German artillery, which were devised by the corps and divisional artillery commanders. [50], At 03:00 a.m. the mines were to be detonated, followed by the attack of nine divisions onto the ridge. A British SOS barrage fell on the 12th Australian Brigade, which was inadvertently digging-in 250 yd (230 m) beyond its objective. [39] Two squadrons were reserved for close air support on the battlefield and low attacks on German airfields. The Luftstreitkräfte (German air service) effort reached its maximum on 4 and 5 June, when German aircraft observed 74 counter-battery shoots and wireless interception by the British showed 62 German aircraft, escorted by up to seven fighters each, directing artillery fire against the Second Army. Despite a heavy bombardment until 6:55 p.m., the Germans at the spoil bank repulsed another infantry attack. 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 500 casualties during the approach march but the attack between St Yves and the river Douve began on time. The left battalion was drawn back to meet the 47th Division, which was still held up by machine-gun fire from the spoil bank. To cover the delay, the corps commander ordered the 57th Brigade (19th Division) from reserve, to take the Oosttaverne line from Van Hove Farm to Oosttaverne village then to Bug Wood, so that only the southern 1,200 yd (1,100 m) were left for the 33rd Brigade. [64][e] After the explosions, the British artillery began to fire at maximum rate. [61] British air observation on the reverse slope was less effective than in the foreground but the villages of Mesen and Wijtschate were demolished, as were much of the Höhenstellung and Sehnenstellung, although many pill boxes survived. Every 45 yd (41 m) of front had a medium or heavy howitzer for bombardment, which required 378 guns, with 38 super-heavy guns and howitzers (five percent) deployed with the field artillery that was due to fire the creeping and standing barrages. German machine-gunners in the pillboxes of the Oosttaverne line caused many casualties but with support from three tanks the Australians reached the pillboxes, except for those to the north of the Messines–Warneton road. On 26 May, the German front garrisons were ordered to move forward 50 yd (46 m) into shell-holes in no-man's-land at dawn and return to their shelters at night. As the infantry approached the German second line, resistance increased. The masked batteries of the three reserve divisions were used to add to the protective barrage in front of the infantry but no Germans could be seen. II Anzac Corps in the south-east was to advance 800 yd (730 m), IX Corps in the centre was to attack on a 5,000 yd (2.8 mi; 4.6 km) front, which would taper to 2,000 yd (1.1 mi; 1.8 km) at the summit and X Corps in the north had an attack front 1,200 yd (1,100 m) wide. Haig urged Plumer to attack immediately and Plumer replied that it would still take three days to arrange. [118], Meticulously planned and well executed, the attack on the Messines–Wytschaete ridge secured its objectives in less than twelve hours. [3] The highest ground north of the Messines–Wytschaete ridge lies on the Menin road, between Hooge and Veldhoek, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Gheluvelt, at the west end of the main Ypres ridge, which runs from Ypres, east to Broodseinde and then north-east to Passchendaele, Westroosebeek and Staden. The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 6 to 12 September 1914. [18] German tunnellers came close to several British mine chambers, found the mine at La Petite Douve Farm and wrecked the chamber with a camouflet. Welcome to what was a key part of the Battle of Messines between the 7th to the 10th of June 1917. Sub-surface conditions were especially complex and separate ground water tables made mining difficult. [107] Heinz Hagenlücke called it a great British success and that the loss of the ridge had a worse effect on German morale than the number of casualties. Messines was abandoned on 1 November, and in the fighting after the official end of the battle Messines ridge was lost, but the line itself held. The Battle of Messines was a major tactical success for the British forces, advancing 2,000 metres and seizing the vital ground of the Messines Ridge. The Second Army had five corps, three for the attack and two on the northern flank, not part the operation; XIV Corps was available in General Headquarters reserve. {{sfn|Wynne|1976|pp=262–263}, Gruppe Wijtschate of the 4th Army, with three divisions under the command of the headquarters of XIX Corps (General Maximilian von Laffert), held the ridge and was reinforced with the 24th Division in early May. IX Corps was to take Joye Farm, the Wambeke hamlet and come level with the Australians at Delporte Farm; X Corps was to capture the Spoil Bank and the areas adjacent. The offensive secured the southern end of the Ypres salient in preparation for the British Northern Operation. [38] Normal offensive patrols continued beyond the barrage line out to a line from Ypres to Roulers and Menin, where large formations of British and German aircraft clashed in long dogfights, once German air reinforcements began operating in the area. [92][g] The observers regulated the bombardment of the Oosttaverne line and the artillery of VIII Corps to the north of the attack, which was able to enfilade German artillery opposite X Corps. Australian soldiers wearing gas masks during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. In January 1916, Lieutenant-General Herbert Plumer recommended to Field Marsh… The battle began with the detonation of 19 mines beneath the German front position, which devastated them and left 19 large craters. There was a pause of two hours, for fresh battalions to move forward and the captured ground to be consolidated. No British corps aircraft were shot down by German aircraft until 7 June, when 29 corps aircraft were able to direct artillery fire simultaneously over the three attacking corps. Most of the tanks still operational were outstripped but some caught up the infantry. [68], X Corps had a relatively short advance of 700 yd (640 m) to the crest and another 600 yd (550 m) across the summit, which would uncover the German defences further north on the southern slope of the Gheluvelt plateau and the ground back to Zandvoorde. The combination of tactics devised on the Somme and at Arras, the use of mines, artillery survey, creeping barrages, tanks, aircraft and small-unit fire-and-movement tactics, created a measure of surprise and allowed the attacking infantry to advance by infiltration when confronted by intact defences. Map of the battle, depicting the front on 7 June and subsequent action until 14 June. Strength 12 divisions 5 divisions Casualties 24,562 losses As soon as the black line was captured, all guns were to bombard the Oosttaverne line, conduct counter-battery fire and place a standing barrage beyond the black line. [42] The attack was to be conducted by three corps of the Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer). On 10 June, the attack down the Blauwepoortbeek began but met strong resistance from the fresh German 11th Division, brought in from Group Ypres. The Messines battle, which greatly boosted morale among the Allies, signified the first time on the Western Front that defensive casualties actually exceeded attacking losses: 25,000 against 17,000. The New Zealand Division attacked Messines village, the southern bastion of the German defences on the ridge. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [32] The divisional artillery devised a creeping and standing barrage plan and time-table, tailored to the estimated rates of advance of the infantry. Each corps had a counter-battery area, which was divided into zones and allotted to heavy artillery groups. All operational tanks were to join with the 24 held in reserve, to support the infantry advance to the Oosttaverne line. High-explosive mines placed under the German lines were used to devastating effect, and the blast from the explosions could be heard in London some 130 miles (209 km) distant. [92], Fourteen fighters were sent to conduct low altitude strafes on German ground targets ahead of the British infantry and rove behind German lines, attacking infantry, transport, gun-teams and machine-gun nests; the attacks continued all day, two of the fighters being shot down. The German defence was intended to be mobile and Stosstruppen in "Ic" the third breastwork had to conduct immediate counter-attacks to recapture "Ia" and "Ib". [76] The next objective was the rear trench of the Höhenstellung and the rear crest of the ridge, 400–500 yd (370–460 m) away. On the nearside of the ridge, 146 machine-guns were prepared to fire an overhead barrage, and each division placed sixteen more guns in the observation line on the eastern slope. In the afternoon a further advance down the ridge was to be made. Ypres 1914: Messines, Nigel Cave and Jack Sheldon . The concealed guns of the Guards Division field artillery were to join the creeping barrage for the advance at 4:50 a.m. and at 7:00 a.m. the 112th Army Field Brigade was to advance to the old front line, to be ready for an anticipated German counter-attack by 11:00 a.m.[33], The 47th (1/2nd London) Division planned to attack with two brigades, each reinforced by a battalion from the reserve brigade, along either side of the Ypres–Comines Canal. [85], On the IX Corps front, the 33rd Brigade (11th Division) had been ordered to advance to Vandamme Farm at 9:25 a.m. but the message was delayed and the troops did not reach the assembly area at Rommens Farm until 3:50 p.m., half an hour late. 31 July – The third Battle of Ypres begins. Apparently, Adolf Hitler, then a corporal, was treated here in the crypt after being wounded early in the war. The German Army counter-attacked but by 14th June, the Messines Ridge had been completely occupied by British forces. The troops only knew that they were to advance downhill and keep up to the barrage but were able to occupy the objective in 20 minutes against light opposition, meeting the Australians at Polka Estaminet. Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. [99] Most of the losses inflicted on the British infantry by the German defence came from artillery fire. The northern defensive flank was maintained by the 23rd Division, with an advance of 300 yd (270 m) in twenty minutes. The 18-pounder field gun standing barrages would then jump over the creeping barrages to the next series of objectives. Historians and writers disagree on the strategic significance of the battle, although most describe it as a British tactical and operational success. A withdrawal to the Flandernstellung would endanger the southern slopes of Menin Ridge, the most important area of the Flandernstellung. Battle of Messine - Aftermath: A stunning success, Plumer's attack at Messines was nearly flawless in its execution and resulted in relatively few casualties by World War I standards. Two flights of each observation squadron concentrated on counter-battery observation and one became a bombardment flight, working with particular artillery bombardment groups for wire cutting and trench-destruction; these flights were to become contact-patrols to observe the positions of British troops once the assault began. When the shelters were destroyed, shell-hole positions were made permanent, as were those of the companies further back. The observer used a call sign of the map square letter then the zone letter to signal to the artillery. The mines at Maedelstede and the two at Petit Bois devastated the defence; the mines at Petit Bois on the left were about 12 seconds late and knocked over some of the advancing British infantry. [21], Two mines were laid at Hill 60 on the northern flank, one at St Eloi, three at Hollandscheschuur, two at Petit Bois, one each at Maedelstede Farm, Peckham House and Spanbroekmolen, four at Kruisstraat, one at Ontario Farm and two each at trenches 127 and 122 on the southern flank. Gradients vary from negligible to 1:60 at Hooge and 1:33 at Zonnebeke. The German garrison fought hard and repulsed two attacks, before surrendering after a trench-mortar bombardment at 7:50 a.m. The German defences had been strengthened and had about double the normal infantry garrison. [84], The left flank brigade was stopped on its right flank by fire from the German pillboxes north of the Messines–Warneton road up to the Blauwepoortbeek, 500 yd (460 m) short of the Oosttaverne line, with many casualties. The use of field survey, gun calibration, weather data and a new and highly accurate 1:10,000 scale map, much improved artillery accuracy. Long-range fire on Comines, Warneton, Wervicq and villages, road junctions, railways and bridges caused much damage and a number of ammunition dumps were destroyed. Artillery observers watched for German gunfire and made 398 zone calls but only 165 managed to have German guns engaged. Further north, the 16th (Irish) and 19th divisions advanced through the remains of Wytschaete wood and Grand Bois, which had been hit by a 2,000 oil drum Livens Projector bombardment on the night of 3/4 June and by standing barrages on all the known German positions in the woods. At zero + 3:40 hours the advance to the black line (second objective) would begin and consolidation was to start by zero + 5 hours. Losses: British, 17,000 casualties of 216,000; German, 25,000 of 126,000. The Messines battle, which greatly boosted morale among the Allies, signified the first time on the Western Front that defensive casualties actually exceeded attacking losses: 25,000 against 17,000. Strict enforcement of wireless procedure allowed a reduction of the minimum distance between observation aircraft from 1,000 yd (910 m) at Arras in April to 400 yd (370 m) at Messines, without mutual wireless interference. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German armies in the west. The spur widened to almost 2 mi (3.2 km) between Veldhoek and Gheluvelt. The explosions occurred while some of the German front line troops were being relieved, catching both groups in the blasts and British artillery fire resumed at the same moment as the explosions. When it became apparent that the Second Battle of the Aisne (the main part of the Nivelle Offensive (16 April to 9 May 1917) had failed to achieve its most ambitious objectives, Haig instructed the Second Army to capture the Messines–Wytschaete Ridge as soon as possible. Two battalions of the 16th (Irish) Division overran the German survivors and on the left, the reserve brigade of the 19th Division took the area from Wytschaete village to Oosttaverne Wood with little resistance. Messines Ridge, located south of Ypres, was captured by German forces in 1914. [40], The British planned to advance on a 17,000 yd (9.7 mi; 16 km) front, from St Yves to Mt Sorrel, eastwards to the Oosttaverne line, a maximum depth of 3,000 yd (1.7 mi; 2.7 km). The brigades easily reached their objectives around Bug Wood, Rose Wood and Verhaest Farm, taking unopposed many German pillboxes. The 9th and 10th Brigades benefitted from four mine explosions at Trenches 122 and 127, which were seven seconds early and left craters 200 ft (61 m) wide and 20 ft (6.1 m) deep. [53] In April, Field Marshal Crown Prince Rupprecht and his chief of staff, Generalleutnant (Lieutenant-General) Hermann von Kuhl, favoured withdrawal to the Warneton (third) line, before a British attack. Furthermore, the battle was the first time since the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 that the Australians and New Zealanders h… The divisional trench mortar batteries were to bombard the German front line opposite the 142nd Brigade, where it was too close for the artillery to shell without endangering British troops. Despite daylight, German defenders only saw occasional shapes in the dust and smoke as they were deluged by artillery fire and machine-gunned by swarms of British aircraft. Each heavy artillery group headquarters divided their zones into map squares, which were allotted to artillery batteries, to be ready swiftly to open fire on them. After the debacle of Arras, Allied attention turned to Haig’s long-awaited Flanders offensive. Casualties and losses; 240,000–448,614 (disputed, see Casualties section) 217,000–400,000 including 24,065 prisoners (disputed, see Casualties section) Ignorance of the situation north of the Warneton road continued; a reserve battalion was sent to reinforce the 49th Australian Battalion near the Blauwepoortbeek for the 3:00 a.m. attack, which did not take place. On 1 June, the British artillery began the intense stage of the preparatory bombardment for trench-destruction and wire cutting; the two attacking brigades assembled for the attack from 4 to 6 June. Gruppe Wijtschate held the ridge with the 204th, 35th, 2nd, 3rd Bavarian (relieving the 40th Division when the British attack began) and 4th Bavarian divisions, with the 7th Division and 1st Guard Reserve Division as Eingreif (counter-attack) divisions. On the night of 6/7 June, gaps were cut in the British wire to allow the troops to assemble in no-man's-land, ready to attack at 3:10 a.m.[35] The 41st Division attacked with two brigades past a mine under the St Eloi salient, finding the main obstacle to be wreckage caused by the explosion. The breastworks of the front defences were demolished and concrete shelters on both sides of the ridge were systematically destroyed. The divisions had reached assembly areas near Gheluvelt and Warneton by 7:00 a.m. and the 7th Division was ordered to move from Zandvoorde to Hollebeke, to attack across the Comines canal towards Wijtschate on the British northern flank. The other three companies of the support battalion sheltered in the Höhenstellung. A German artillery headquarters at Blauwen Molen (blue windmill), 500 yd (460 m) beyond Messines, was captured and a tank broke into a strong point at Fanny's Farm, causing a hundred Germans to surrender. Naval Operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. Field artillery arrangements within corps also varied, in IX Corps groups and sub-groups were formed so that infantry brigades had an artillery liaison officer and two sub-groups, one with six 18-pounder batteries and one with six 4.5-inch howitzer batteries. [56] At the end of May, British artillery fire was so damaging that the 24th and 40th divisions were relieved by the 35th and 3rd Bavarian (Eingreif) divisions, which were replaced by the 7th and 1st Guard Reserve divisions in early June; relief of the 2nd Division was promised for 7/8 June. These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. In a series of water-logged battles in Belgium around Ypres and Passchendaele, Australian casualties … [55] The front-line was lightly held, with fortifications distributed up to 0.5 mi (0.80 km) behind the front line. Counter-battery artillery bombardments increased from twelve in the week ending 19 April, to 438 in the last ten days before the attack. Field Marshal Haig set out to make what 1980s TV sitcom Blackadder would mock as “yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin.” Haig believed these pushes would eventually bring the Allies into Germany. …British mining operation under the Messines Ridge in Belgium that literally blew up the ridge, inflicting 17,000 casualties at one blow; the advance failed to carry beyond the ridge.…. The first move was to capture the Messines Ridge. [13] Since the First Battle of Ypres in 1914, much of the drainage in the area had been destroyed by artillery-fire, although some repairs had been achieved by army Land Drainage Companies brought from England. An attack by French troops on 6 -7 November was unsuccessful and it was not until the Battle of Messines on 7 June 1917 that it was retaken by the New Zealand Division. [111] Using figures from the Reichsarchiv, Bean recorded German casualties for 21–31 May, 1,963; 1–10 June, 19,923 (including 7,548 missing); 11–20 June, 5,501 and 21–30 June, 1,773. The objective was to force the Germans from the ridges around Messines and then enable British forces, including Ulst… The 4.5-inch howitzer, 6-inch howitzer and 8-inch howitzers involved, were to change targets only when infantry got within 300 yd (270 m). The arrangement had been intended to protect the ridge from large German counter-attacks, which might force the reserve divisions back up the slope. The 140th Brigade, with four tanks attached, was to occupy White Château and the adjacent part of Damstrasse, while the 142nd Brigade attacked the spoil heaps and the canal bank to the left. Plumer was well aware of the siege-warfare nature of fighting on the Western Front; he planned his offensives with meticulous detail, and his cautious approach saved lives and earned him the affectionate respect of his soldiers. [23] The British knew of the importance the Germans placed on holding the Wijtschate salient, after a captured corps order from Gruppe Wijtschate stating "that the salient be held at all costs" was received by Haig on 1 June. Hindenburg wrote that the losses at Messines had been "very heavy" and that he regretted that the ground had not been evacuated; in 1922, Kuhl called it one of the worst German tragedies of the war. 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Bombardment at 7:50 battle of messines casualties Flanders, Belgium, September 29, 1918 and clarified...