Pillars of fire : the Battle of Messines Ridge, June 1917 / Ian Passingham ; foreword by Peter Simkins

Passingham, Ian, active (1998-2008)

ISBN 10: 075092540X / ISBN 13: 9780750925402

Published by Stroud : Sutton, 2000

About this Item

Signed. Fine paperback copy. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Physical description; xxviii, 223 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm. Subjects; Great Britain. Army. British Expeditionary Force. Messines Ridge (Belgium), Battle of, 1917. World War, 1914-1918 Campaigns France. World War, 1914-1918 Campaigns Belgium Mesen. First World War, 1914-1918. 3 Kg.

Seller Inventory # 349249

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Pillars of fire : the Battle of Messines Ridge, June 1917 / Ian Passingham ; foreword by Peter Simkins
• Publisher: Stroud : Sutton
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 075092540X
• ISBN 13: 9780750925402
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Weight: 3 kilograms
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

'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 positions 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? General Sir Herbert Plumer, perhaps the most meticulous, resourceful and respected British general of WW1, is also unfamiliar to many. This book examines the battle for the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge from the British, ANZAC and German perspectives. It reassesses the reasons for Plumer's success on that day, the implications of Haig's failure to exploit that success, and finally, the legacy of the battle for the maturing of the BEF in 1918. Illustrated with archive photographs and maps, it is a major contribution to our understanding of one of the seminal battles of WW1.