The Reconstruction of Destruction: No. 6 Squadron R.F.C. Aerial Reconnaissance of the Battle of Messines, 1917

Major Arthur "Boffee" Ludlow-Hewitt.

Published by Printed In The Field by No 2. Advanced Section, Army Printing and Stationery, London, 1917

About this Item

An exceptional and rare original bound volume of First World War aerial reconnaissance photographs meticulously documenting the catastrophic landscape transformation during the Battle of Messines June 1917 Produced by No 2 Advanced Section Army Printing and Stationery Services AP amp SS this dossier contains 43 printed pages each featuring a Before and After pair of silver gelatinstyle prints 86 photographs in total These photographs were captured by the Royal Flying Corps No 6 Squadron likely operating RE8 reconnaissance aircraft The volume serves as a chilling primary source of the British Bite and Hold tactics showing the German defensive lines in the spring of 1917 compared to the utter lunarization of the same terrain following the massive preliminary bombardments and the detonation of 19 deepcrust mines on June 7thnbspThe White Chateau Detailed sequences showing the total erasure of the chateau and its formal grounds a critical German strongpoint Shrewsbury Forest Remarkable captures of the forests transition from woodland to a pockmarked wasteland of overlapping shell craters Strategic Infrastructure Clear documentation of the YpresComines Canal the Dammstrasse and the complex German trench systems identifiable by the white chalk upturnTechnical Markings Each page includes precise Military Grid Map Refeences eg Sheet 28 altitudes and dates ranging from April to late June 1917Historical SignificanceThe Battle of Messines was a masterpiece of military planning by General Sir Herbert Plumer This volume was not a commercial publication but a highly restricted tactical record used for damage assessment and intelligence debriefing The clarity of the prints allows for the identification of individual shell holes communication trenches and the devastating efficiency of the British artillery barrage full brown cloth binding Contents 43 pages complete as issuedCondition Pages are crisp with excellent tonal contrast Minimal silvering consistent with age Binding remains secure showing authentic fielduse wear that adds to its historical character.

Seller Inventory # 123313

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Reconstruction of Destruction: No. 6 Squadron R.F.C. Aerial Reconnaissance of the Battle of Messines, 1917
• Publisher: Printed In The Field by No 2. Advanced Section, Army Printing and Stationery, London
• Publication Date: 1917
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Book Type: book