A great new video from the Australian War Memorial.

After the third battle of Ypres in September 1917 the Australians were put in to hold the Messines Wytschaete sector and to prepare defences against the expected German spring offensive. The German offensive was launched opposite Amiens and the Australians were sent to meet it.

The heaviest fighting was around Villers Bretonneux which was retaken by the Australians. In May General Monash took command of the Australian Corps from General Birdwood. On 4th July the Battle of Hamel was fought by Australians and Americans under Australian command. On 8 August the Allied offensive took place with tanks and cavalry used on a large scale. General Monash knighted by King George V at Corps HQ Bertangles.

The capture of Mont St Quentin by the 2nd Division; Peronne captured at the same time. At Chuignes the 3rd Battalion captured their largest trophy ever, a 15 inch naval gun weighing over 500 tons. Prime Minister Hughes visited the front and met the AIF at Peronne. The AIF broke through the Hindenburg Line after the Americans were checked at Gillemont Farm. On 21 September 1918 the 53rd Battalion held a memorial parade at Quinconce.

Enjoy!

Glenn and the Regimental Books Team

A total of 331,814 Australians went to war during World War 1 and another 600,000 served during World War 2 – did a family member of yours fight for King and Country?

Many Australians today are interested in the hard fought campaigns of their descendants. Are you looking to discover the military service of a relative or uncover the details of a hard fought battle?

Are you planning on becoming a battlefield tourist and follow in the footsteps of a relative who fought in a major battle in Europe, New Guinea, Turkey or North Africa?

As an ex-soldier and military history enthusiast, I’m really excited to announce that we have started to stock a great range of ‘Battleground Europe’ titles which include affordable titles on nearly all the major World War One battles and many of the World War Two battles. A few will no doubt end up in my own library – they really are quite well written.

In true Battleground style, the dramatic story of each battle is told through the actions of those involved in the fighting. Places and points of interest are highlighted and for those fortunate enough to visit the area there are excellent directions and hints on how to best capture the atmosphere.

If you are researching a particular battle or want a great guide during a battlefield tour, we highly recommend these series of books.

Available now from the World War One Battle section in the online shop. More titles will be stocked as they arrive over the next few weeks and months.

Glenn and the Regimental Books Team

G’Day Guys,

Following our blog post about the new book ‘Beyond Hill 60’ by Will Davies, we have received a few pictures and great information from several of our customers – thank you to everyone who emailed us!

I thought I’d do a blog post on the Battle for Hill 60 and include these great pictures for everyone.

The Battle of Hill 60 was a British assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.

Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. The hill had been captured by the Germans on December 10, 1914 from the French forces. After the Race for the Sea, it was obvious the Hill had to be retaken. A great deal of the fighting around Hill 60 was underground. The British immediately began tunneling a number of mines beneath the hill. By April 1915 twenty one mines had been completed. At 19:00 on April 17, 1915 the mines were detonated, demolishing a large part of the hill and killing many German soldiers occupying the trenches. The British battalions suffered only 7 casualties in capturing the hill.

Entrance to Hill 60 – November, 2008
Courtesy: Graham O’Brien

A German counter-attack succeeded in recapturing the hill but the British regained possession on April 18. Fighting continued until April 22.

Hill 60 was eventually taken by the Germans following a gas attack on 5 May 1915. The results were devastating. The front trenches were overrun when the forward companies were almost wiped out. Only 2 officers and 70 men from one battalion remained.

Summit of Hill 60 – November, 2008
Courtesy: Graham O’Brien

It was due to a stout defence by a platoon of the Devon and Dorsets and the Battalion Headquarter Staff of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment that a major breakthrough was prevented.

It is due to the heavy fighting for Hill 60 that 4 VCs were won during one night when the Germans attempted a re-capture.

The 1st Australian Tunneling Division took over mining operations in November 1916. At 03:10 on 7 June 1917, at the start of the Battle of Messines, 19 mines were detonated under the German lines.

The crater made was huge as evidenced by this photo. Jeff (photographer) stated that “Not sure how deep the water is in the crater but our guide said possibly 10 metres or more if I recall correctly”.

Close-in shot of the plaque on the Hill 60 Australian Memorial
Courtesy: Jeff Radcliffe

A memorial to the Australian troops killed here during the course of the war was later placed at the site.

Hill 60 Australian Memorial
Courtesy: Graham O’Brien

You can zoom in on the memorial to read the words and see a couple of bullet marks from World War 2.

Close-in shot of the plaque on the Hill 60 Australian Memorial
Courtesy: Jeff Radcliffe

There is also a movie coming out about Hill 60 this year (around April at a guess) called ‘Beneath Hill 60′.  The Facebook fan page for the movie can be found here.

Good Reading,

Glenn and the Regimental Books Team

Hi Folks,

I have some exciting news – Beneath Hill 60 by Will Davies is now out. I for one am looking forward to have a good read of this one.

The story of the Australian miners and soldiers who tunneled under Hill 60 near Ypres and eventually broke through to create a new front line and enable the march to Berlin.

We all remember images from WWI of massive artillery barrages and soldiers crossing shattered landscapes towards certain slaughter. Beneath these killing fields of the Western Front, another war was taking place, a deadly game 30 metres down, played between thousands of troops. These were not infantrymen… but miners. Their mutual goal was to tunnel beneath ‘no man’s land’, under the opposing lines and destroy the German enemy from below. Unfortunately, the Germans had the same idea and were digging in from the other side.

Over 4585 Australian miners took part in this secret subterranean war, fighting under stress and conditions that terrified even the most hardened infantryman on the surface.

To coincide with ANZAC Day, the action packed story of Australia’s cat-and-mouse underground mine warfare – one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented, and mystifying conflicts of WW I will be told onscreen. This film tie-in book will tell the story not only of this secret struggle beneath the Western Front that combined daring engineering, technology and science, but also share the exhilarating and horrific adventures of other soldiers and miners working along the front line.

Few on the surface knew of the brave, claustrophobic and sometimes barbaric work of these tunnellers.

The 1st Australian Tunneling Division was responsible for the mines set under ‘Hill 60′, a high point that dominated that part of the killing fields of Belgium. They were led by Captain Oliver Woodward who had started his mining career in Charters Towers, Queensland and went on to head BHP in Australia. His bravery and that of his men in guarding those underground mines and their subsequent massive explosions broke the gridlocked trench warfare that had continued for 3 years.

Through exhaustive research, Will Davies, has uncovered first-hand accounts of life for the tunnellers and soldiers at the front. In sharing their hopes, dreams, victories and disappointments he tells the broad story of day after day in the mud at the front line and uncovers the glorious spirit of these men who fought and died for their countries.

BENEATH HILL 60 is an unforgettable story.

Available for sale in our online shop: Click Here!

Also, the author Will Davies was on the radio (ABC Radio) discussing the book this week and his previous works.

Click here to listen to the podcast (mp3 format).

Good Reading,

Glenn and the Regimental Books Team