EXHAUSTED GERMAN PRISONER CAPTURED DURING THE BATTLE OF MESSINES,

 Exhausted German prisoner captured during the Battle of Messines, June 8, 1917.

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Today 107 years ago, on June 7, 1917, the Battle of Messines began.

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The Messines Ridge was located in Flanders south of Ypres, from where the Germans constantly bombarded the city itself, holding the tactically important defensive high-ground.

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In the summer of 1917, the British sought to end the war in Flanders for good by pushing the Germans back and reaching the Belgian coast on the North Sea, to destroy submarine bases, from which German submarines were sent out and crippling British imports. 

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In order to achieve this, they deemed the conquering of the Messines Ridge a necessity, as well as the Passchendaele Ridge east of Ypres. The British would use tactics to capture the Messines Ridge which had been used to take the Vimy Ridge in April 1917 by the Canadian Corps. 

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These tactics included a mass bombardment of the German trenches using accurate maps, new sound-ranging equipment to locate the German artillery and machine-gun positions, and leap-frogging by the infantry. The British had also formed units with very specific tasks and objectives, making the planning even more thorough.

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In addition, the British had dug 19 tunnels under the German trenches at Messines Ridge with 26 large mines inside of them; 454 tons of high explosives.

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On May 31, 1917, the British commenced a week-long bombardment of the German trenches, firing 3,5 million shells, the biggest bombardment of the war at that point. The bombardment completely destroyed the German trenches, cut the barbed wire and eliminated German artillery spots.

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At exactly 3:10 AM on June 7, 1917, the British detonated the mines under the Messines Ridge. It's said that the explosion could be heard all the way to London. An estimated 10,000 German soldiers were blown to bits, their bodies never found. Another 7,000 Germans had been completely paralyzed and were soon taken prisoner as the British infantry attacked.

The British, Australian and New Zealand infantry advanced quickly and had captured Messines Ridge by nightfall. On June 8, the Allies forces began to push the Germans back further and captured the so-called Oosterverne Line, but it was a costly success. The Germans had withdrawn further back by June 14, ending the battle.

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In the Battle of Messines, the British, Australian and New Zealanders had suffered a combined 25,000 casualties, but had been very successful in capturing the ridge. The Germans had suffered 25,000 casualties, including 10,000 missing and 7,300 prisoners.

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Following the defeat at Messines Ridge, the Germans quickly fortified their defensive positions on the Passchendaele Ridge further east, anticipating an imminent British assault there.

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But that assault didn't come immediately, as the British needed more preparation time for the attack - which only came 7 weeks later. This gave the Germans time to prepare for the assault, which would have a huge impact in the Third Battle of Ypres.

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