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Sappers and miners at work, Ypres salient, Belgium, World War I, c1915-c1917. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
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Sappers and miners at work, Ypres salient, Belgium, World War I, c1915-c1917. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Sappers and miners at work, Ypres salient, Belgium, World War I, c1915-c1917. Digging a tunnel under Hill 60. Hill 60 was a strategically important high point on the southern edge of the Ypres salient that had been captured by the Germans in 1914 as they advanced towards the sea. The Germans were dislodged from the hill in April 1915 after British engineers detonated exposives placed in tunnels dug into the hill, but recaptured it following a gas attack the following month. Australian troops took over mining operations at Hill 60 in November 1916 and on 7 June 1917, at the beginning of the Battle of Messines, they set off 450, 000 kg of explosives in 19 tunnels. A large part of the hill was destroyed and 10, 000 Germans killed in their trenches in an explosion that was said to have been heard and felt as far away as London and even Dublin. Stereoscopic card. Detail
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Media ID 14956070
© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images
Battle Of Messines Ridge British Army Coal Miner Digging Explosives Infantry Military Engineering Miner Mining Realistic Travels Publishers Sapper Sappers Shovel Spade Stereoscopic Stereoscopic Card Trench Trench Warfare Trenches Tunnel Western Front Ypres 1st World War Battlefield Stereoscopic Photography
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print captures the intense and dangerous work of sappers and miners during World War I in the Ypres salient, Belgium. The image showcases a group of determined men digging a tunnel under Hill 60, a strategically important high point that had been captured by the Germans in 1914. The significance of this hill is highlighted by its recapture from the Germans after British engineers detonated explosives placed in tunnels dug into it. However, their victory was short-lived as the Germans regained control following a gas attack. Australian troops later took over mining operations at Hill 60, leading to an extraordinary event on June 7th, 1917. At the beginning of the Battle of Messines, these brave soldiers set off an astonishing amount of explosives - approximately 450,000 kg - in 19 tunnels beneath Hill 60. The resulting explosion not only destroyed a large part of the hill but also claimed the lives of around 10,000 German soldiers who were caught unaware in their trenches. The impact was so immense that it was said to have been heard and felt as far away as London and Dublin. This powerful stereoscopic card offers us a glimpse into this pivotal moment in history when military engineering played such a crucial role on the Western Front. With monochrome tones emphasizing both bravery and sacrifice, this print serves as a poignant reminder of those who fought valiantly during World War I and sheds light on one specific episode that forever changed Hill 60's landscape.
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