Messines - Overview
DRAFT ONLY - NOT YET COMPLETED OR REFERENCED
Messines
The battle of Messiness was a a limited offensive designed to capture the Messines Ridge and thus secure the high ground on the right flank of the main offensive at Ypres. .
The offensive was extremely successful, the objectives being secured with relatively few losses; at least in first world war terms.
Sources
Messines is often written about in books on 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele) and thus there are a reasonable number of secondary sources available. The author has used the Official history as the main source for background information. Some survivor accounts also appear in the secondary sources, Martin Marix Evan's book contains excerpts from Corporal Lees description of events (S76.p54) as well as some interesting photos. Chapter 5 of "The Boiler plate War" also contains survivors accounts.
The tanks actions at Messines are well documented in the Primary Sources. The second tank brigade's war diary contains all six battle graphs which list the OICs, crew numbers and tank's serial numbers. "A" Battalion's war diary, transcript from Bovington Tank museum, contains detailed accounts of almost all the battalion's tank's actions written by the OICs, section and company commanders. Some mistakes were made on the battlegraphs and in the reports, wherever possible these have been corrected in the respective narratives on this site. "B" Battalion's records are more limited but there is some detailed information available in the PRO.
We are thus able to identify every tank that was supposed to fight at Messines by serial number and also determine their fates during the battle.
The Tanks at Messines
Messines was the baptism of fire for the MkIV; 2nd Tank Brigade, 72 tanks from "A" and "B" Battalions was committed.
The tanks were only sent into action on the first Day, 7th June, three tanks that had become ditched in the new no mans land did help repulse a counter attack on the 8th.
In a few cases the tanks gave valuable support to the infantry helping them to overcome enemy strong-points. Unfortunately, in an ominous foretaste of what was to come most of the tanks ditched in the badly shelled ground and thus didn't perform any useful function. As the attack was generally successful very few tanks were lost as almost all of the ditched tanks were recovered.
As a result of the problems experienced with ditching and bellying all the operational tanks were fitted with unditching rails in June and July 1917. Messines is thus the only action in which the MkIV fought without these rails; this makes it relatively easy to identify photographs at Messines.
Tactics
Artillery - The attack was proceeded with a seventeen day bombardment; this was of limited effectiveness, the wire was well cut but few strong-points were destroyed (S38.p102) and the cratered ground was difficult for the tanks to cross.
On the morning of the attack the artillery laid a creeping barrage and several standing barrages in front of the infantry; they also fired counter battery fire that successfully silenced most of the German guns.
Mines - Famously 19 mines were exploded beneath the German positions at Zero, these disrupted the German front line and made the infantry advance relatively easy in the initial stages of the battle.
Infantry - 9 Divisions attacked in the first wave, 3 more were in support.
Infantry platoons were now organised into 4 sections; a Lewis gun section and a rifle grenade section which were to suppress the target; a bomber section which was to close with the target and destroy it and a reserve rifle section.
Tanks - The tank sections were split amongst the attacking divisions.
Four companies were to attack with the first wave, one section form each being kept a as a reserve. The non- reserve tanks were to advance with the first waves of infantry at Zero.
One company from each battalion was held in reserve, these were committed during the second phase of the operation after the first objectives had been captured.
The tanks operated in pairs, if they encountered a strong point they split up and went around either side of it. (S76.p54)
Sources
S30 - The Boiler Plate War (1963) John Foley
S76 - Passcendaele (1997) Martin Marix Evans.