North of the canal, the city of Lille, Tourcoing and Roubaix formed a manufacturing complex, with outlying industries at Armentières, Comines, Halluin and Menin, along the Lys river. The, Battle of Messines, 12 October – 2 November 1914 at historyofwar.org, Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Messines_(1914)&oldid=995649904, Battles of the Western Front (World War I), Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 December 2020, at 04:14. [14], To safeguard their retirement, the British shelled Messines to prevent the Germans maintaining close contact. The capture of Messines Ridge was a preliminary operation that took place just prior to the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres). …British mining operation under the Messines Ridge in Belgium that literally blew up the ridge, inflicting 17,000 casualties at one blow; the advance failed to carry beyond the ridge.…. Omissions? The 6th Cavalry Brigade and the 7th Division moved to cover the gap that threatened the left flank. First World War. In the aftermath of the first battle of the Marne, it was decided to move the BEF back north to Flanders, to shorten its supply lines back to the channel ports. Men of the No. The attack was resumed on 18 October, when the cavalry attacked from Deûlémont to Tenbrielen but made no progress against a strong and well-organised German defence, ending the day opposite Deûlémont in the south to the railway at Tenbrielen to the north. Lieutenant-General Gustav von Hollen, given command of the Cavalry Corps after his performance commanding German IV Cavalry Corps on 20 October, was dismissed and replaced by General Georg von der Marwitz. The French used Belgian and captured German rail wagons and the domestic telephone and telegraph systems. The Battle of Messines Ridge had been a great success, though the Ypres Offensive it enabled was less so. 1 / 5. The plain was almost flat, apart from a line of low hills from Cassel, east to Mont des Cats, Mont Noir, Mont Rouge, Scherpenberg and Mont Kemmel. In France, the roads were closed by the local authorities during thaws, to preserve the surface and marked by Barrières fermėes signs, which were ignored by British lorry drivers. [3], By 6 October the French needed British reinforcements to withstand German attacks around Lille. The leading German units were less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from Ypres but pushed no further. By the next day French attacks north of the Aisne, led to Falkenhayn ordering the 6th Army to repulse French forces to secure the flank. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Inland the ground was mainly meadow, cut by canals, dykes, drainage ditches and roads built up on causeways. [5], The rest of the Flanders Plain was woods and small fields, divided by hedgerows planted with trees and cultivated from small villages and farms. Confusion over the orders, meant the units interpreted the order from Gough to retreat to this new line as an order for a general retreat beyond Hollebeke Château. The Battle of Messines was the most successful local operation of the first world war on the the Western Front. Furthermore, the battle was the first time since the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 that the Australians and New Zealanders h… The objective was to force the Germans from the ridges around Messines and then enable British forces, including Ulst… Gough only had 1,500 men and ten guns of the 10,000 men and fifty guns deemed necessary to defend such a position and the troops were spread over 4 miles (6.4 km). [15], The French had been able to use the undamaged railways behind their front, to move troops more quickly than the Germans, who had to take long detours, wait for repairs to damaged tracks and replace rolling stock. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had begun to move from the Aisne to Flanders on 5 October and reinforcements from England assembled on the left flank of the Tenth Army, which had been formed from the left flank units of the Second Army on 4 October. [18], Topography of the Arras–Lens area showing ridge lines, Modern map, vicinity of Hazbrouck–Flêtre (commune FR insee code 59237), Modern map of Deulemont and vicinity (commune FR insee code 59173), French counter-attack at Messines, 2 November, Outline of the Noyon Salient, formed from September–October 1914, According to the Battles Nomenclature Committee of 9 July 1920, four battles occurred simultaneously during October and November 1914. After years of suffering heavy casualties in … Australian soldiers wearing gas masks during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. [a], From 17 September – 17 October the belligerents had made reciprocal attempts to turn the northern flank of their opponent. With isolated sugar beet and alcohol refineries and a steel works near Aire-sur-la-Lys, the intervening areas were agricultural, with wide roads on shallow foundations and unpaved mud tracks in France, narrow pavé roads along the frontier and in Belgium. To the south-east, canals ran between Lens, Lille, Roubaix and Courtrai, the Lys river from Courtrai to Ghent and to the north-west lay the sea. Battle of Messines. The French IV Corps moved from Lorraine on 2 September in 109 trains and assembled by 6 September. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Follow in the footsteps of Irish soldiers on this remarkable 4-day tour as we commemorate the Battle of Messines 7 – 14 June 1917. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 211 085. Despite heavy shelling by German guns from 6:00 a.m., no infantry assault took place until 2:45 p.m., due to the advance of II Corps on the right (south) of the 2nd Cavalry Division into the Bavarian flank. Foch, the Commander in Chief of French forces in the north, sent eight battalions from French XVI Corps to Hollebeke and the French 32nd Division to St Eloi as reinforcements. Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. Counter-Attack and Retreat The Lincolns and the Northumberlands lost about 30 percent of their strength trying to recapture the ridge. Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. Plumer was well aware of the siege-warfare nature of fighting on the Western Front; he planned his offensives with meticulous detail, and his cautious approach saved lives and earned him the affectionate respect of his soldiers. The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an offensive conducted by the British Second Army, under the command of General Sir Herbert Plumer, on the Western Front near the village of Messines in Belgian West Flanders during the First World War. © IWM (Q 2323) On June 14, 1917, the Battle of Messines came to an end. [7], On 15 October, the cavalry was ordered to reconnoitre the Lys from Estaires to Menin. The British conducted a house-to-house fight, retreating out of the town and then around noon, the 9th and 13th brigades of II Corps arrived and conducted an advance to the Messines road. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen (Messines) in West Flanders, Belgium. The use of mines and a shorter intense bombardment achieved an element of surprise that was almost … A coastal strip about 10 miles (16 km) wide was near sea level and fringed by sand dunes. Erich von Falkenhayn, Chief of Oberste Heeresleitung (German General Staff) ordered the German 6th Army to move from the German-French border to the northern flank on 17 September. Let us know. June, 7 1917. 3 New Zealand Field Ambulance and German medical orderlies with the wounded. Views: 205 126. From 9–18 October, the Cavalry Corps had c. 175 casualties. The British were exhausted and most divisions had been reduced to a shadow. Carried out by the British Second... Battle of Messines Ridge. See more » Battle of La Bassée The Battle of La Bassée was fought by German and Franco-British forces in northern France in October 1914, during reciprocal attempts by the contending armies to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, which has been called the Race to the Sea. The Lys, Yser and upper Scheldt had been canalised and between them the water level underground was close to the surface, rose further in the autumn and filled any dip, the sides of which then collapsed. YouTube Encyclopedic. German outposts were pushed back but the crossings were well-defended and dismounted cavalry attacks were not able to dislodge the German defenders. Once the ridge was in British hands, field artillery pieces were brought forward to help deal with the inevitable German counterattacks, which, in the event, were repulsed fairly easily. 2 talking about this. Questions or concerns? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). West of a line between Arras and Calais in the north-west, lay chalk downlands, covered with soil sufficient for arable farming. The Battle of Messines was perhaps the first clear-cut British victory in the Great War. East of the line, the land declines in a series of spurs into the Flanders plain, bounded by canals linking Douai, Béthune, St. Omer and Calais. [3] The Allies and the Germans, attempted to take more ground after the "open" northern flank had disappeared, the Franco-British attacks towards Lille in October, being followed up by attempts to advance between the BEF and the Belgian army by a new French Eighth Army. High-explosive mines placed under the German lines were used to devastating effect, and the blast from the explosions could be heard in London some 130 miles (209 km) distant. The British, aiming to take the Germans by surprise, deployed special ‘Tunnelling Companies’. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. RFC aircraft were also busy, attacking German ground forces and harassing advancing columns. Monash was ably assisted by another Major-General, William Holmes. The 3rd Pomeranian Division was brought up to drive the British back out of Wytschaete. The idea for the larger offensive had been to capture the German U-Boat pens on the Belgian coast, but the openings at Messines Ridge didn’t eliminate the German defenses further on. The time between the Battle of Messines (7–14 June) and the first Allied attack (the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, 31 July), the extent to which the internal troubles of the French armies influenced the British, the effect of the exceptional weather, the decision to continue the offensive in October and the human costs of the campaign are also debated. The river was a muddy stream 45–60 feet (14–18 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) deep at that point, flanked by water meadows. The difficulty of movement after the end of summer absorbed much of the local labour on road maintenance, leaving field defences to be built by front-line soldiers. In January 1916, Lieutenant-General Herbert Plumer recommended to Field Marsh… The artillery provided a highly effective "creeping barrage" that protected the infantry as they climbed up the ridge. 7-14 June 1917. [4], The North-west of France and the south-west Belgium were known as Flanders. [10], To the south of the 7th Division and 3rd Cavalry Division, the 2nd Cavalry Division was not troubled by the II Bavarian Corps but German artillery caused some difficulty, when it shelled Hollebeke. The village of Wytschaete was captured on 7 June 1917 by the 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) Divisions. Battle of Messines, 1917 (Geographx) The plan for the assault on Messines Ridge provided for three corps to advance, each with three divisions in the front line and one in reserve, on a 16-km front. At 03h10 the New-Zealand forces go over the top and attack their objective: the village of Messines. Information on German troop movements from wireless interception, enabled the French to forestall German moves but the Germans had to rely on reports from spies, which were frequently wrong. The Germans made their last effort against Ypres on 10 November. Battle of Messines, 8 June 1917 German prisoners taken during the Battle of Messines, near Wytschaete, Belgium, Friday 8 June 1917. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? The 39th Division attack failed and the 32nd Division and the remaining British were pushed out of Wytschaete, by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division of II Bavarian Corps; the Germans suffering many casualties attacking the French 32nd Division. Wytschaete had fallen at 2:45 a.m. but German infantry struggled to secure the ridge and did not succeed until 7:35 a.m. 52 682. Not only was it the first time that Australian troops had seen action in a large-scale campaign in Belgium, but it was also the first time that the 3rd Australian Division, led by Major-General John Monash, had seen service on the Western Front. Battle of Messines, (7–14 June 1917), British victory during World War I. A foothold was gained at Warneton and German outposts at Houthen and Hollebeke, west of the Ypres–Comines canal, were pushed back to the far side. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 11th June 1917. The battle of Messines fought on 7 June 1917 was the first large-scale action involving Australian troops in Belgium and it also marked the entry of the 3rd Division into a major battle. They failed at the ridge but the Lancers recaptured the town. On 12 October, the British cavalry advanced and found the Germans dug in on Mont des Cats and at Flêtre, on the road from Cassel to Bailleul. [8], The cavalry advanced towards the Lys between Houplines and Comines at 6:00 a.m. in fog, which grounded Royal Flying Corps (RFC) reconnaissance aircraft and made artillery support impossible. Among his many publications are. Messines Ridge, located south of Ypres, was captured by German forces in 1914. The ridge between the town and Messines was held by 600 men of the 6th Dragoon Guards and survivors of the London Scottish Regiments, against six German battalions, odds of 12:1. Once this was realised, Gough ordered an immediate counter-thrust to recapture lost ground. Corrections? 1.3 The Battle of the Mines What the British know as the Battle of the Mines or the Battle of Messines (Ridge) and the Germans as ‘der Schlacht am Wytschaetebogen’ began on 7 June and ended on 14 June 1917. The battle for the Messines Ridge was an attempt by the Allies to capture land to the southeast of Ypres to gain control of the higher land in the Ypres Salient. Official First World War photographer, Henry Armytage Sanders, took this photograph on 26 June 1917. Estaires was captured by French cavalry but German defences prevented an advance beyond Comines, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) west of Menin, where advanced guards of the German XIX and XIII Corps had arrived during the night. In the morning a German attack attempted to push between Messines and the Comines Canal held by the Cavalry Corps. Under the direction of Major-General John Monash (who, after the war, went on to become a distinguished Australian in many fields and even had a university named after him), the Australian 3rdDivision was successful in the attack at Messines. From Kemmel, a low ridge lay to the north-east, declining in elevation past Ypres, through Wytschaete, Gheluvelt and Passchendaele, curving north and then north-west to Dixmude, where it merged with the plain. Both were steadily forced back from their positions at the towns and ridge lines by 4:00 a.m. At 6:00 a.m. another German infantry attack developed. Commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Messines. The battle of Messines, 12 October-2 November 1914, was part of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the western front. [8] The banks of the Lys were cut by boggy streams and dykes which kept the cavalry on the roads. The Battle of Messines was fought in October 1914 between the armies of the German and British empires, as part of the Race to the Sea, between the river Douve and the Comines–Ypres canal. The BEF was ordered to make a general advance on 16 October, as the German forces were falling back, except for III Reserve Corps, which was advancing westwards from Antwerp. British troops passing through the ruins of Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, September 29, 1918. Messines was an important success for the British Army leading up to the beginning of the Third Battle of Ypres several weeks later. As many as … These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. The Battle of Messines was fought from 7 to 14 June 1917 on the Western Front of World War I when the British launched an offensive against the Imperial German Army amid the Nivelle Offensive. To the north of Messines, the 2nd Cavalry Division was engaged by elements of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division and all of the 3rd Bavarian Division. Fabeck moved the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division and the 26th Division of the II Bavarian Corps up, to begin the assault during the evening of 30 October. English: Media relating to the Battle of Messines in Flanders, 7 - 14 June 1917. The aim was to approach the South of La Bassée Canal around Lens and Béthune was a coal-mining district full of slag heaps, pit-heads (fosses) and miners' houses (corons). Messines had limited, realistic objectives, and these were met. The standout features of the battle was the successful co-ordination of various parts of the Army – artillery, infantry and engineering tactics and consequently the sheer speed of the successful Allied assault on the Messines Ridge. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Messines, Firstworldwar.com - The Battle of Messines, 1917, The History Learning Site - The Battle for Messines Ridge. On 14 October, the cavalry advanced north-eastwards, occupied Dranoutre and Kemmel against slight opposition and then reached a line from Dranoutre to Wytschaete, linking with the 3rd Cavalry Division of IV Corps, which had been operating in Belgium since early October. The Battle of Messines during the First World War was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres − better known as Passchendaele − which began on 31 July 1917. 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