On this day in history in 1915, Hill 60 on the Ypres salient, held by the Germans since November 1914, was retaken.
Hill 60 and its neighbours The Caterpillar and The Dump were in fact piles of spoil created by the excavation of earth when building the railway connecting Ypres and Comines which opened in 1854.
Hill 60 was in German hands when the British took over this part of the line in February 1915.
Holding the high ground around Ypres was an enormous advantage for the Germans as their artillery observers could see for miles and direct fire down onto the French and then British dug in around Ypres.
The British decision to take Hill 60 was made in part because of upcoming offensives which were expected to be 'war winning', therefore possession of Hill 60 was considered necessary in order to gain the advantage of the high ground on the Ypres salient.
The unenviable task of taking the hill fell to the 13th Brigade of the 5th Infantry Division. But, the British had a surprise in store for the German defenders which could well turn the tide of the attack in their favour. In the months preceding the assault on the dreaded Hill 60, French and British miners tunnelled under No Man's Land and dug out chambers large enough to hold several thousand kilos of explosives.
At 7pm on the 17th April, 1915, all 6 mines were detonated at 10 second intervals and the 1st Battalion Royal West Kents assaulted the hill, reaching the massive mine craters and the German positions in very quick order.
The war diaries of the time tell us that “severe fighting ensued all night. The enemy kept up a constant and heavy artillery fire and attacked incessantly, using hand grenades freely and with great effect”.
Over the course of the next few hours and into the 18th April 1915, units were relieved and fresh men sent in to hold the newly captured crest of the hill. German forces however, continued to engage in savage close quarter combat, slowly inching British troops back down.
The fighting for Hill 60 would presage the opening of the Second Battle of Ypres which would commence 5 days later. Hill 60 would once again be lost to the Germans by early May and the dawn of a new era of chemical warfare had begun.
Today, Hill 60 still bears many scars of this fighting in 1915 and the mining activity of that year and 1917 too.
There are so many stories to tell and Sophie’s Great War Tours would be delighted to share them with you on location.
