The Petite Douve farm was built into the front line as a German fortification. Compared to other undermined sites, the British decided quite late to undermine this fortification. It was not until March 1916 that they began the first excavations from their front lines. A few months later, they placed the explosive charge of 22.7 tons of ammonal under the farm. But earlier, German engineers and miners had already secured Petite Douve underground by constructing wooden mine shafts. When the British heard digging noises in a nearby tunnel, they detonated a mine underground on August 24, 1916, blocking access to the tunnel. A few days later the Germans launched a counter-action: a fairly powerful underground mine collapsed the British main tunnel, so that all excavation work was lost. They gave up the site. Petite Douve is the only location on the frontline where German troops succeeded in sabotaging the British deep mine system. Even after the British had already left the site, the Mineure continued to develop their defensive tunnel system. The existing wooden shafts Heinrich I – II were further deepened and supplemented with two concrete zinc shafts, Hermann and Hugo. The construction of the last two shafts mentioned can be dated to the period September 1916 – June 1917. After the war, the new farm was rebuilt on the adjacent plot, so that the access to the shaft is currently in open terrain. In 2010, the shaft was partially pumped empty. Unfortunately, the findings or finds were not registered.
More info at inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/304561

Translated by Google •

Wouter Delaere

June 22, 2020

Experts believe that there are still dynamized mine shafts below this site that did not explode during the 1917 mine battle.

Translated by Google •

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Location: Mesen, Ieper, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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