December 2005    

Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers' War, 1914-18 Author: Peter Baron…et al Publisher: McGill-Queens University Press $49.95 Cloth (304 p.) ISBN: 067003407X B&T         YBP Most people, if they know anything about World War I, know that it was largely fought out of and between lines of trenches that developed early in the war after the initial German advances into France turned into a stalemate. What many people are unaware of is the claustrophobic struggle that went on underneath those trenches as both sides desperately sought ways to break the enemy’s lines by blowing up sections of trench to open pathways for attacks. Beneath Flanders’ Fields is a superb history of this struggle from both the German and the Allies’ point of view. Mining in warfare goes back to the earliest of times when one army found itself faced with otherwise impregnable walls behind which their enemy sought safety. Before sophisticated siege machinery or cannons were developed to batter down these walls, sieges were often ended by miners who tunneled under the wall which then collapsed into the mine when the supporting timbers were burned, opening a space through which an attack was made. While gunpowder made this sort of thing largely unnecessary, when the American Civil War took on aspects of trench warfare, mines again were used to gain access under the enemy’s position which was then packed with explosives to blow a hole in the defensive line. If you’ve read or seen the film adaptation of Cold Mountain you are familiar with one of the most famous of such attempts. After a history of mining in general and of the inception of mining in World War I, Beneath Flanders’ Fields then goes on to describe the mining operations in the Ypres Salient. Though the book covers only this one particular segment of the trenches, it is nonetheless a microcosm of what transpired up and down the whole line. The work took an amazing physical and psychological toll on the miners as there was always the danger inherent in any mining operation which in these circumstances was compounded by the threat of countermines which were dug for the express purpose of blowing up the other side’s work. The geology of the area is described in moderate detail, to be of interest to the expert but not overly so to put off the non-engineering audience. The book then goes through the entire four years of both German and British work which culminated in huge explosions which did often allow the front to slowly be moved back toward Germany as the British had the larger amount of success in this region. There is a final chapter which describes the fascinating aftermath of all this digging which is seen in the occasional cow or tractor disappearing into an old mine along with more serious experiences where roads and even houses fall prey to the subsidence of nearly 100 year old tunnels and dugouts. One of the authors is something of an expert in the extremely hazardous hobby of exploring the old works where he sometimes finds perfectly preserved equipment, clothing, weapons, and even unexploded dynamite. As late as 1955 lightning apparently set off a long forgotten mine and blew open a crater twenty-five feet deep and dozens of feet in diameter in an otherwise empty farm field. Beneath Flanders’ Fields is wonderfully illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, maps and diagrams that complement the excellent writing, all of which combine to tell of a largely unknown struggle that will make any reader wonder at the drive and motivation of men at war and will appeal to the military historian of course, but also to the geologist or engineer and to anyone who appreciates a history of quiet heroism and duty under the most severe of circumstances. -- Rob Norton Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.