{"product_id":"ridge-must-not-fall","title":"Ridge Must Not Fall","description":"\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e.cs97DFFCB{12pt;font-weight:normal;color:#000000;font-style:normal;Times New Roman;} .cs3270F94{margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt}\u003c\/style\u003e\r\n\t\r\n\t\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eAfter two years of disaster, a battle that changed everything. In the early hours of 7 June 1917, the quiet beneath Messines Ridge gave way to cataclysm. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eFor months, British and Commonwealth tunnellers had waged a secret war underground, driving deep galleries beneath the German front line. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eTheir objective was to break one of the strongest positions on the Western Front and restore momentum to an army stalled by years of costly failure. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eWhen nineteen vast mines detonated at dawn, the ridge erupted in fire and earth. Entire defensive systems were obliterated in seconds. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eYet the greatest man-made explosion in history was only the opening blow. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eWhat followed was a brutal struggle across shattered ground and smoking craters as infantry fought to seize and hold the heights against fierce resistance and relentless counter-attack.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003e For the Anzacs, who comprised one third of the attacking force, Messines proved the ultimate test. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eAfter crushing defeat at Gallipoli, Fromelles and Bullecourt, and horrendous casualties at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, this was their first clear and decisive victory on the Western Front. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eFor the men of the New Zealand Division, it would be their finest hour. For Australia’s newly formed 3rd Division under Major General John Monash, it was a harsh baptism of fire that would shape the remainder of the war. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eDrawing on extensive primary sources and international archives, Craig Deayton reconstructs the secret war beneath Messines and the savage fighting above it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003eHe reveals how meticulous planning, engineering audacity and hard-fought infantry action combined to deliver the greatest British victory in three long years of war. Messines did more than take a ridge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"cs3270F94\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cs97DFFCB\"\u003e It transformed the Anzacs.Praise “Meets all the criteria of good military history… clear analysis backed by an international review of primary sources.” — AIM Book Review“A comprehensive and thought-provoking account.”‘Deayton brings the hidden war beneath the ridge into sharp focus. A significant and absorbing study.’  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dear Village","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53597779067156,"sku":"9781923514843","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0679\/6460\/0596\/files\/9781923514843_1.jpg?v=1786003113","url":"https:\/\/dearvillage.com.au\/products\/ridge-must-not-fall","provider":"Dear Village","version":"1.0","type":"link"}