The 2010 movie 'Beneath Hill 60' tells the real tale of a group of soldiers from the 1st Australian Tunnellers led by Captain Oliver Woodward CMG MC and 2 bars. In the movie, Woodward is portrayed by Brendan Cowell. He was a miner and metallurgist from New South Wales and had not joined up as a lot of other men from the area had done. He was seen to be required to stay home to help the war effort and consequently, he had been sent various white feathers. It had been commonplace back then for individuals to present white feathers to the people that they considered to be cowards.
Hill 60 can be found in the southern section of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill is made with soil dug away to produce a local railway cutting. A few serious battles occurred at Hill 60 during both World War I and World War II. During one evening in 1915, four Victoria Crosses were granted as a German offensive was effectively fought off.
The dvd highlights the events at the outset of the Battle of Messines in 1917. 19 mines with approximately 500,000 kilos of explosives were exploded ahead of the beginning of the assault. The storyline centres around the actions of Woodward and his company showing just what the tunneller companies were forced to go through, a piece of warfare that attracts minimal exposure.
Woodward is placed in command of a company and leads by example in the course of the build up for the attack close to Ypres. The fighting starts in the small hours of the morning as Woodward fires the mine his men have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Shortly after the war, Woodward goes back to Australia to get married to his young girlfriend who had pleaded with him never to join the army.
'Beneath Hill 60' is a great movie which tells the story of among the most scary aspects of the Western Front. The tunnellers on both sides had to work in horrible conditions knowing the enemy may be just feet away ready to either blow up their tunnel or break in and start firing.
Hill 60 can be found in the southern section of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill is made with soil dug away to produce a local railway cutting. A few serious battles occurred at Hill 60 during both World War I and World War II. During one evening in 1915, four Victoria Crosses were granted as a German offensive was effectively fought off.
The dvd highlights the events at the outset of the Battle of Messines in 1917. 19 mines with approximately 500,000 kilos of explosives were exploded ahead of the beginning of the assault. The storyline centres around the actions of Woodward and his company showing just what the tunneller companies were forced to go through, a piece of warfare that attracts minimal exposure.
Woodward is placed in command of a company and leads by example in the course of the build up for the attack close to Ypres. The fighting starts in the small hours of the morning as Woodward fires the mine his men have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Shortly after the war, Woodward goes back to Australia to get married to his young girlfriend who had pleaded with him never to join the army.
'Beneath Hill 60' is a great movie which tells the story of among the most scary aspects of the Western Front. The tunnellers on both sides had to work in horrible conditions knowing the enemy may be just feet away ready to either blow up their tunnel or break in and start firing.
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The battles on the Western Front during the First World War were horrific and the area around Ypres saw some of the deadliest action.. Check here for free reprint license: Article on the Movie 'Beneath Hill 60'.
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