World War One: History in an Hour by Rupert Colley

Author:Rupert Colley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Classics, War, Historical, History
ISBN: 9780007485154
Publisher: HarperPress
Published: 2012-03-29T05:00:00+00:00

Passchendaele

While Pétain was waiting for tanks and Americans, and determined not to expose his men to any more fruitless offensives, the onus fell on Britain. Unfortunately for the British soldier, Haig was convinced that a breakthrough was still possible and argued for another great offensive. Pétain advised against it. As did Haig’s own staff. Lloyd George too, was utterly opposed. But Haig had got the backing of the Conservatives within Lloyd George’s coalition and so got his way.

It started well in June 1917 at Messines Ridge, near Ypres. The British had spent two years tunnelling underground down to a depth of 100 ft (32 m). The Germans were digging in the opposite direction, slightly higher up. Sometimes, they came so close they could hear each other. Using only handheld tools, it was an amazing feat of engineering. They dug twenty-two mines in a position beneath the German-held ridge, and stuffed them with explosives. At 3.10, the morning of 7 June, the mines were detonated all at once. Three failed to explode but the combined blast of the other nineteen was so loud as to be heard by Lloyd George asleep in Downing Street and as far away as Dublin. 10,000 Germans were killed in a trice.

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