The Allies Crafted the Largest Non-Nuclear Explosion to Win the Battle of Messines

The origin of mine warfare dates back all the way to the mid-19th century, during the American Civil War. In December 1861, Confederate officer Maj. Gen. Leonidas K. Polk oversaw several men as they loaded explosives into iron containers and buried them along two routes leading into Columbus, Ohio.

Luckily, the Union soldiers discovered the cache of explosives and dismantled them before they were detonated, but Polk and others had become infatuated with the idea of using mines to sway the outcome of the conflict in their favor. Half a century later, landmines took on a whole new level of lethality during the First World War and, in particular, the Battle of Messines.

Planting Allied landmines along Messines Ridge

Sappers and miners digging under Hill 60, south of Ypres, Belgium. (Photo Credit: The Print Collector / Getty Images)

The area of Ypres, Belgium saw some of the most prolific battles of the First World War. and it’s where mining really took shape. The Germans first captured Messines Ridge in 1914, which afforded them a high-point to clearly observe Allied movements. After suffering heavy casualties, the Allies began mining against German-held areas in West Flanders. Explosives were placed 15-20 feet below the surface, beneath the enemy territory.

German forces came within meters of Allied mines

Two women check an Electric Contact (EC) mine, 1918. (Photo Credit: G.P. Lewis / Imperial War Museums / Getty Images)

The Germans were also digging their own network of tunnels – in fact, one came within meters of the British mine chambers. They also unearthed a mine at La Petite Douve Farm well before the Battle of Messines began.

The Germans weren’t totally oblivious to the Allies’ mine plans, as spies and air-based reconnaissance had picked up on the heavy activity around Messines Ridge. They were also aware that the Allies were planning to use the mines as part of a ground-level attack. After debating leaving the area lined with mines, they decided an assault wasn’t imminent. If one happened to occur, they were confident enough in their defenses, even though some officers wanted to retire to a safer location.

Battle of Messines and the boom heard across Europe

Forty-five-meter-deep crater created by the explosions at the Battle of Messines, 1917. (Photo Credit: Fernand Cuville / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Just before dawn on June 7, 1917, British artillery halted as the sound of nightingales singing broke through the silence of the battlefield. At 3:10 AM, the mines along the Messines were all fired within 20 seconds of each other, creating a massive boom as the largest non-nuclear explosion tore through German territory.

Some even suggested it was the loudest man-made sound in history, supposedly heard as far as London and Dublin.