The breastworks of the front defences were demolished and concrete shelters on both sides of the ridge were systematically destroyed. Gradients vary from negligible to 1:60 at Hooge and 1:33 at Zonnebeke. About 32 machine-gun posts per regimental sector were dispersed around the defensive zone. All guns and howitzers up to 6 in (150 mm) able to bear on the target, opened rapid fire using corrections of aim from the air observer. The situation at the north end of the II Anzac Corps front was descovered by air reconnaissance at dawn on 8 June. The capture of Messines Ridge would give the British control of the tactically important ground on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient, shorten the front and deprive the Germans of observation over British positions further north. Battle of Messines, (7–14 June 1917), British victory during World War I. [70], In the II Anzac Corps area, the 3rd Australian Division consolidated the southern defensive flank of the attack, digging-in astride the river Douve with its right in the new craters at Trench 122, defeating several hasty German counter-attacks; the left flank of the division was anchored by a captured German strongpoint. The 4th Army divisions of Group Wytschaete (Gruppe Wijtschate, the IX Reserve Corps headquarters) held the ridge and were later reinforced by a division from Group Ypres (Gruppe Ypern). Fresh troops from the unengaged brigades of the attacking divisions or from the reserve divisions would then pass through, to attack the Oosttaverne line at zero + 10 hours. [29], The 25th Division made its preparations on a front from the Wulverghem–Messines road to the Wulverghem–Wytschaete road, facing 1,200 yd (1,100 m) of the German front line, which tapered to the final objective, 700 yd (640 m) wide, at the near crest of the ridge, 3,000 yd (1.7 mi; 2.7 km) distant, behind nine German defensive lines. The offensive secured the southern end of the Ypres salient in preparation for the British Northern Operation. The British attacks established a footing on the heap at great cost, due to machine-gun fire from the spoil heap and others in Battle Wood further north. The bombardment fell on the rest of the Australians, who withdrew with many casualties, leaving the southern part of the Oosttaverne line unoccupied, as well as the gap around the Blauwepoortbeek. There was a thunderstorm in the evening of 6 June but by midnight the sky had cleared and at 2:00 a.m., British aircraft cruised over the German lines to camouflage the sound of tanks as they drove to their starting points. [121] On 13 June, German aircraft began daylight attacks on London and the south-east of England, leading to the diversion of British aircraft from the concentration of air forces for the Northern Operation.[122]. Three field companies of engineers with a pioneer battalion were kept in reserve, to follow up the attacking infantry, rebuild roads and work on defensive positions as ground was consolidated. [67], On the right of IX Corps, the 36th (Ulster) Division attack on the front of the 107th Brigade, was supported by three mines at Kruisstraat and the big mine at Spanbroekmolen, 800 yd (730 m) further north. The area was deluged with artillery fire from both sides for two hours, causing many casualties and the attack was postponed until 9 June. [76] The next objective was the rear trench of the Höhenstellung and the rear crest of the ridge, 400–500 yd (370–460 m) away. For the week before the attack, the barrage line was patrolled all day by fighters at 15,000 ft (4,600 m) with more aircraft at 12,000 ft (3,700 m) in the centre of the attack front. Fighting a brilliant rearguard action, German army units crept back from their narrowing front toward the beaches of the Straits of Messina. [90] Reports and maps were dropped at divisional headquarters and corps report centres, allowing the progress of the infantry to be followed. Roads and tracks converged on the Menin road at this point (Clapham Junction to the British). The amount of actual fighting was relatively small. The northern defensive flank was maintained by the 23rd Division, with an advance of 300 yd (270 m) in twenty minutes. [52], The Messines defences were on a forward slope and could be overlooked from Haubourdin Hill (Hill 63), the south end of the Douve Valley and Kemmel Hill, 5,000 yd (2.8 mi; 4.6 km) west of Wijtschate, an arrangement which the experience of 1916 showed to be obsolete. [57], The German front line regiments held areas 700–1,200 yd (640–1,100 m) wide with one (Kampf) battalion forward, one (Bereitschaft) battalion in support and the third in reserve 3–4 mi (4.8–6.4 km) back. [94], At 2:50 a.m. on 7 June, the British artillery bombardment ceased; expecting an immediate infantry assault, the German defenders returned to their forward positions. [83], The 4th Australian Division continued the attack on the II Anzac Corps front, the right hand brigade reaching the assembly areas by 11:30 a.m., before learning of the postponement. There, German and Italian ships waited to ferry troops and equipment across the two-mile passage to the Italian mainland. To the south, British forces captured Adrano andfinallyCatania. Two machine-gun posts on the edge of the village were rushed but fire from Swayne's Farm 400 yd (370 m) north held up the advance, until a tank drove through it and caused 30 German troops to surrender. Most of the tanks still operational were outstripped but some caught up the infantry. [66], The II Anzac Corps objective was the southern part of the ridge and Messines village. [59] Some German troops on the ridge were convinced of the mine danger and their morale was depressed further by the statement of a prisoner taken on 6 June, that the attack would be synchronised with mine explosions. Field artillery arrangements within corps also varied, in IX Corps groups and sub-groups were formed so that infantry brigades had an artillery liaison officer and two sub-groups, one with six 18-pounder batteries and one with six 4.5-inch howitzer batteries. The Battle of Messana in 264 BC was the first military clash between the Roman Republic and Carthage.It marked the start of the First Punic War.In that period, and after the recent successes in southern Italy, Sicily became of increasing strategic importance to Rome. As darkness fell and being under the impression that all the Australians had retired, New Zealand artillery observers called for the barrage to be brought closer to the observation line, when they feared a German counter-attack. On 10 June, the attack down the Blauwepoortbeek began but met strong resistance from the fresh German 11th Division, brought in from Group Ypres. Surplus field artillery brigade headquarters planned forward moves for the guns and were kept ready to replace casualties. The troops only knew that they were to advance downhill and keep up to the barrage but were able to occupy the objective in 20 minutes against light opposition, meeting the Australians at Polka Estaminet. [12] Underneath the soil is London clay, sand and silt. German terms and spellings from the time have been used in the sections referring to German army dispositions and operations, in order to avoid Anglo-centric bias. A German force at the head of the Zwarteleen re-entrant, south of Mt Sorrel where the two attacking brigades met, held out until forced to surrender by volleys of rifle-grenades. [92], Fourteen fighters were sent to conduct low altitude strafes on German ground targets ahead of the British infantry and rove behind German lines, attacking infantry, transport, gun-teams and machine-gun nests; the attacks continued all day, two of the fighters being shot down.