Hill 60: Ypres (Paperback)

A mound three miles southeast of the fiercely contested town of Ypres, Hill 60 was the scene of intense fighting throughout most of World War 1. Hill 60 was not a natural feature but had been produced by the dirt excavated in a nearby railroad cut. Neither the British nor the Germans could permit the other to occupy the hill, with its commanding view of the town of Ypres. The first German gas attack against the British in 1915 was here and the hill eventually became honeycombed with an unusually complex system of tunnels and trenches.

Nigel Cave continues in Hill 60: Ypres the highly-acclaimed tradition of the Battleground Europe series. The volume features over two dozen maps and over 75 photographs, covering the battlefield both then and now. Everything of interest to the battlefield visitor is covered, including all memorials, cemeteries, local churches and villages, accommodations, and the scenes of all important events in the battle.

For those doing research on the battle, the volume contains a wealth of detail on troop movements and actions, the feats of all Victoria Cross winners and other significant individuals in the sector, and diagrams of trenches and emplacements. For the general reader, following the history of a World War I battle is a sombre and thought-provoking experience, as the narrative progresses through the almost unimaginable tragedy of the war itself, the organizing of cemeteries and building of monuments immediately after the war, the long years of neglect by most private citizens, and the revival of interest in recent times.