<– Part 150 – June 3, 1917  | Part 151 – June 10, 1917 |  Part 152 – June 17, 1917 –>

The Battle of Messines

The British assault at Messines, an attempt to crush a large German salient, began the morning of June 4 with 19 large mines detonated beneath the ridge, killing 10,000 German soldiers, and the sound reportedly heard in London and Dublin. Weeks of miners laying miles of tunnels beneath the site have paid off, as the nearly 10-mile front has begun its assault. British planes buzzed the German defenses, masking the sound of tanks moving into position, as the Allies have followed-up on the mine detonation with a rolling artillery barrage just in front of 80,000 soldiers. The Allies reached their second objectives one-half mile behind the front lines in only 35 minutes. By 8:40, the British had achieved their early objectives, and due to lower than expected casualties (estimates were 50-60%), the higher than expected number of surviving troops clustered into the same area led to a seven-hour delay. Attacks and counter-attacks continue, although the British have held their positions without serious issue.

Earlier today, the Italian Sixth Army attack Austro-Hungarian defenders on Mount Ortigara, in southern Trentino, to secure the strategic position. Although the peak was captured, Austrian counter-attacks are imminent.

At the Isonzo, fighting has ceased, with both sides suffering 225,000 casualties, of a total of 600,000 soldiers engaged.

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