Battle of Messines
Messines (Mesen), West Flanders, Belgium
What happened
The British Second Army under General Herbert Plumer, including Irish, New Zealand and Australian divisions, fought the German army under Sixt von Armin. For months, British tunnellers dug long tunnels under the German lines on the Messines Ridge and packed them with explosives. At 3:10 in the morning on 7 June 1917, nineteen huge mines were set off at once. Soldiers then advanced behind a moving wall of artillery fire and captured the ridge in less than a day.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a model of careful planning and is studied as one of the most successful attacks of the First World War. It prepared the way for the larger Third Battle of Ypres.
What came next
The larger Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) followed.
Did you know?
Mesen is said to be the smallest city in Belgium.
Timeline
- Before June 1917Tunnellers dig mines under the Messines Ridge.
- 7 June 1917Nineteen mines explode, and the ridge is taken.
- 14 June 1917The battle ends.
- After June 1917The Third Battle of Ypres begins.