Buy used:
$7.32
FREE delivery June 4 - 20. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by Reuseaworld
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: This book is in good condition with some minor wear to the spine and/or cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Will Davies
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Beneath Hill 60: The Extraordinary True Story of the Secret War Being Waged Beneath the Trenches of the Western Front Paperback – International Edition, April 4, 2011

by Will Davies (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 64 ratings
See all formats and editions
The extraordinary little-known true story of the cat-and-mouse war waged beneath the trenches of the Western Front and the subject of a major new film.

"Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one -- fire! Down goes the firing switch. At first, nothing. Then from deep down there comes a low rumble, and it is as if the world is splitting apart."

On June 7th, 1917, nineteen massive mines exploded beneath Messines Ridge near Ypres. The largest man-made explosion in history up until that point shattered the landscape and smashed open the German lines. Ten thousand German soldiers died. Two of the mines -- at Hill 60 and the Caterpillar -- were fired by men of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, comprising miners and engineers rather than parade-ground soldiers. Drawing on the diaries of one of the key combatants, Beneath Hill 60 tells the little-known, devastatingly brutal true story of this subterranean war waged beneath the Western Front -- a stygian battle-ground where men drowned in viscous chalk, suffocated in the blue gray clay, choked on poisonous air or died in the darkness, caught up in vicious hand-to-hand fighting.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    300 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bantam
  4. Publication date
    April 4, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.06 x 0.75 x 7.81 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    085750049X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0857500496
  8. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

WILL DAVIES is an historian and film-maker. He edited the war diaries of E P F Lynch into the acclaimed and bestselling memoir Somme Mud, and wrote its companion volume, In the Footsteps of Private Lynch. He lives in Sydney

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (April 4, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 085750049X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857500496
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.06 x 0.75 x 7.81 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Will Davies

Will Davies

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
64 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Big Col
5.0 out of 5 stars Direct Hit
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2012
Verified Purchase
Beneath Hill 60 details the brave exploits of WWI Diggers. It is a factual exploration of the events of WWI and really puts the phrase Diggers in perspective. No Australian would be able to read this without feeling some sort of debt to these men who put their necks on the line with no thought of glory or reward. The five starts for this book is more about content than style, however, it must be noted that the manner in which the facts of the events that shaped these Diggers' lives was recounted in such a way that the reader felt the effort behind each metre of the kilometres of tunnel these boys dug. Not easy to do with a book that does go into the numbers a bit to prove the point that what these soldiers were asked to do, and did without fail, was a tremendous feat.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ron Restivo
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
I spent six weeks in Down Under last year and attended a series of lectures on WWII from the Australian perspective. It's always an eye opener to hear world history a seen through through someone elses eyes. While down there, I saw movie promos for this story from WWI and got interested. Book is a great read and a very interesting story of an aspect of WWI history most of us were unaware of, the war underground, litterly.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Manly Reading
4.0 out of 5 stars The underground war on the Western Front
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2012
A few years back I was really impressed by the movie "Beneath Hill 60", and wondered why Australian films can't all be that good. But that's a discussion for another day. Anyway, when I saw the book I decided to pick it up, even knowing that it was not a "novelisation" but rather the big picture of tunnelling in WWI, at least up until the blowing of the mines at the Battle of Messines.

I'd advise you to see the movie and read the book, as they really do complement each other well. The book is military history, focusing on tunnelling in the area, and also on Capt Oliver Woodward and the 1st ATF - made up of antipodean miners, a combination not noted for inspiring confidence in British generals. Still, they did a job: defending the mines by countermining German approaches and also going over the top on raids armed with explosives to clear out troublesome German positions. This is a part of the War I knew nothing of, and I am glad to have remedied that lack.

Its also amusing to compare the book to the movie: a lot of the moments of high tension in the movie are clearly there for dramatic licence, or at least, are not corroborated by the histories. But this detracts from neither, as they have different purposes and different mediums. This is a story, and history, that should be more widely known.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My grandfather my inspiration
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book gives an insight into the courage, tenacity and determination to succeed, to members of the 1st Aust. Mining corp. Knowing that my grandfather Sapper, George Hudson Morris, gave his all + some, Without this book, Georg's story may never have been told. It's with pride & humility that I write this review, and commend this book to anyone interested in our history and our forefathers shear bravery.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
j-l B
5.0 out of 5 stars Hill 60- Colline 60- !
Reviewed in France on August 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
« facette » de la Grande Guerre assez méconnue car la GG ce n’est pas que des tranchées, de la boue, des cadavres qui se décomposent à l’air, l'artillerie, le bruit assourdissant … Très vite, on a ressorti des tiroirs du passé, les tactiques de la guerre des mines- voir "les  Les Taupes de la Grande Guerre : Combats et combattants souterrains "-. Cela consiste à creuser une galerie en profondeur - 10-20 mètres même plus-de sa ligne, d' arriver sous les tranchées ennemies, puis de faire exploser des mines avant l’attaque de sa propre infanterie en profitant du chaos. Les « mineurs-soldats » travaillaient dans des conditions effroyables : chaleur, manque d’air, « silence relatif obligatoire  », appréhension , crises de claustrophobie, dans les Flandres –les galeries sont remplies d’eau, il faut pomper à la main jour et nuit , danger d’ une explosion prématurée de la mine -pour toutes ces raisons les fantassins les plaignaient… Les Australiens ( surnom: diggers: "creuseurs")et les Néo-Zélandais étaient les spécialistes ( nombreux mineurs et mines dans leur pays). La bataille de Messines se caractérise par l’emploi massif - du jamais vu-de ces mines (24) avec un tonnage d’ammonal énorme , le général Harington déclare à la veille des explosions : « je ne sais pas si nous modifierons l’histoire demain, mais la géographie certainement », pour la petite histoire toutes n’explosèrent pas, une seulement en 1955 touchée par la foudre (pas de victimes) et une autre est toujours enfuie (on ne retrouve plus les plans pour la localiser- la menace d'explosion est toujours latente ). Écrit comme un roman, c’est passionnant du début à la dernière page, un petit crédit photo permet de donner un visage aux noms ! Les Britanniques prennent la crête de Messines avec cette bataille mais les Allemands la reprennent quelques mois plus tard ! Le sol de cette région est ensemencé par des litres de sang australien, néo-zélandais , anglais et allemand  !
Film tiré de ce livre : " COMMANDOS DE L'OMBRE (LES) " exceptionnel film d'un réalisme saisissant , claustrophobes s’abstenir !
One person found this helpful
 Report
Brian Conway
4.0 out of 5 stars The Buried War
Reviewed in Australia on April 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book was clear in it's scope, and presented the underground battle simply but with concision. It is clear in showing the horror and importance of mining underground warfare, whilst maintaining the human face of this horrendous war. The fear, bravery and skill of the men involved remains at the fore.
Report
David I. Howells
5.0 out of 5 stars The war beneath the trenches!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book is based on the true exploits of Captain Oliver Woodward, MC and two bars, of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company of the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) in World War One, which has also been turned into a major feature film. The book retraces the remarkable service of Capt Woodward and centres around the huge allied tunnelling operation that led to nineteen massive mines being set off beneath Messines Ridge near Ypres on the morning of the 7th June 1917. This resulted in the largest man-made explosion in history up until that point leaving ten thousand German dead amongst a shattered landscape that smashed open the German lines to the allied advance.

Capt Woodward and his men were responsible for two of the mines at Hill 60, men who were miners and engineers rather than parade ground soldiers. The book highlights the training, service and lives of the men involved as well as amply describing the horrors of living in the trenches during World War One. The book is very descriptive of the industrialised scale of the slaughter of this first truly mechanised war of the twentieth century as well as the more personalised accounts of Capt Woodward and his men. The book is simply littered with accounts of bravery, savagery and suffering beyond comprehension and you wonder how soldiers endured and performed in such horrific conditions.

One must never forget that the key tenet of the book is the story of the tunnelling war beneath the trenches. Drawing on the diaries of Capt Woodward, "Beneath Hill 60" highlights the little known but terribly brutal true story of the subterranean war waged beneath the trenches of the western front. A hell on earth where men drowned in viscous chalk, suffocated in the blue grey clay, choked on poisonous air and died often alone in the darkness. All this they did whilst battling the Germans in vicious hand-to-hand fighting and counter mining offensive operations.

All told it is an amazing story of a little known combat arena of World War One. A gripping and remarkable story that is well written and an excellent read.
6 people found this helpful
 Report
Stephen Paul Tolley
5.0 out of 5 stars Mud, sweat and courage!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical gem. We all I think appreciate that the Aussies were and are a tough lot. Oliver Woodward was a modest guy with huge shoulders. His men must have loved him to so deservingly trust him. Full of fascinating facts from many that were there I highly recommend this well written offering into an aspect of WW1 that is rarely shared. Thanks Will, much appreciated.
Report
john
3.0 out of 5 stars miners in the 1st world
Reviewed in Australia on May 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ok read
too much detail could have been better written
Report