Miners' war
Archaeologists are beginning the most detailed ever study of a Western Front battlefield, an untouched site where 28 British tunnellers lie entombed after dying during brutal underground warfare. For WWI historians, it's the "holy grail".
When military historian Jeremy Banning stepped on to a patch of rough scrubland in northern France four months ago, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
The privately owned land in the sleepy rural village of La Boisselle had been practically untouched since fighting ceased in 1918, remaining one of the most poignant sites of the Battle of the Somme.
In his hand was a selection of grainy photographs of some of the British tunnellers killed in bloody subterranean battles there, and who lay permanently entombed directly under his feet.
When most people think of WWI, they think of trench warfare interrupted by occasional offensives, with men charging between the lines. But with the static nature of the war, military mining played a big part in the tactics on both sides.
The idea of digging underneath fortifications in order to undermine them goes back to classical times at least. But the use of high explosive in WWI gave it a new dimension.
One of the most notable episodes was at the Battle of Messines in 1917 where 455 tons of explosive placed in 21 tunnels that had taken more than a year to prepare created a huge explosion that killed an estimated 10,000 Germans.
Tunnelling was mainly done by professional miners, sent from the collieries of Britain to the Western Front.
28 Sep 1914 - German advance on Amiens halted by French forces. Fierce fighting over the cemetery and farm buildings Dec 1914 - French begin mining to retake the farm. Intense struggle above and below ground Aug 1915 - British take over the sector from the French with tunnels now at a depth of 40ft (12m) 1 July 1916 - British launch disastrous Battle of Somme with village on main axis of attack.Trench Warfare In Ww1 - News
When most people think of WWI, they think of trench warfare interrupted by occasional offensives, with men charging between the lines. But with the static nature of the war, military mining played a big part in the tactics on both sides.
“In 1918, Marines straight out of intense training at Quantico came to fight in WWI with gusto and a somewhat naïve sense of trench warfare,” Camp explained to the Marines. “Gusto was just what the tired French needed to motivate them to continue the
I mean, when you really nerd out to the history of it- trench warfare was intense ya'll. Mustard gas? No thank you. The miniseries will be based on the British book series Parade's End. So far, Rebecca Hall and Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, that is a real
Trench warfare, mustard gas, pointy helmets – WWI has got it all. And the suits over at Home Box Office must agree, because they've given a miniseries about WWI called “Parade's End.” It's set to star the fantastically named Benedict Cumberbatch and
His emphasis on “swift attack” instead of outdated “trench warfare” was ignored by the French, but adopted by their foe, Hitler. As a Brigadier, De Gaulle was commanding French tank brigade when German attacked his homeland in World War II.
Unearthing WWI's hidden tunnel war
10 June 2011 Last updated at 04:27 GMT By Peter Jackson BBC News Continue reading the main story The yellow boxed area above, on the edge of the village of La Boisselle, is where the excavation will take place. Beneath the ground here lies a network of tunnels and trenches that have lain untouched since the war ended. As many as 28 British tunnellers remain entombed underground. Fighting in World War I was dominated by trench warfare. Dug by hand, they stretched right across northern France. The excavation area has both German and British trenches. Historian Peter Barton, says the excavation site contains the “complete evolution of trench warfare”. Fighting took place above and below ground. The tunnel networks, seen here extending far from the trench system to reach enemy territory were complex and extensive. Though they could not see each other, in places the two sides were just metres apart. This cross section shows the depth and distance of the tunnels, some over 100m long. They needed to be deep enough so that the enemy did not detect the tunnellers. The underground chambers were packed with explosives which, when detonated, were capable of destroying the enemy’s trenches above. This military map of the area dates from the time of the war. Clearly marked are the craters blasted into the earth by the tunnellers’ explosions. The German trenches are in blue, the British lines in red. The latter include names such as Fairmaid St, Scone St and Tay St.BACK {current} of {total} NEXT Archaeologists are beginning the most detailed ever study of a Western Front battlefield, an untouched site where 28 British tunnellers lie entombed after dying during brutal underground warfare. For WWI historians, it’s the “holy grail”.
When military historian Jeremy Banning stepped on to a patch of rough scrubland in northern France four months ago, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
The privately owned land in the sleepy rural village of La Boisselle had been practically untouched since fighting ceased in 1918, remaining one of the most poignant sites of the Battle of the Somme.
In his hand was a selection of grainy photographs of some of the British tunnellers killed in bloody subterranean battles there, and who lay permanently entombed directly under his feet.
When most people think of WWI, they think of trench warfare interrupted by occasional offensives, with men charging between the lines. But with the static nature of the war, military mining played a big part in the tactics on both sides.
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