Book description
Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly
change the geography.' So said General Plumer the day before 600 tons of
explosives were detonated under the German position on Messines Ridge.
The explosion was heard by Lloyd George in Downing Street, and as far
away as Dublin. Until 1918, Messines was the only clear cut Allied
victory on the Western Front, coming at a time when Britain and her
allies needed it most: boosting Allied morale and shattering that of the
Germans. Precisely orchestrated, Messines was the first true all-arms
modern battle which brought together artillery, engineers, infantry,
tanks, aircraft and administrative units from a commonwealth of nations
to defeat the common enemy. so why is its name not as familiar as the
Somme, Passchendaele or Verdun? This book examines the battle for the
Messines-Wytschaete Ridge from the British, ANZAC and German
perspectives. Illustrated with archive photographs and maps, it is a
major contribution to our understanding of one of the seminal battles of
the First World War.
Ian Passingham was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
and Keele University, serving in the British Army fo 18 years before
leaving as a major to pursue a career as a professional historian and
defence analyst.
