kindness of British rule !! ~ Battle of Messines

 

Two things that we read in History books (distorted truths)  :  1. British who ruled us were – kind, clement and cared about their subjects 2. Freedom was obtained by only Gandhi & Nehru without shedding blood !!   Fact remains that British were cruel and have been waging wars killing millions; also scores of Countries too got their freedom (but there are no Nehrus in this History!)

 

Former Union Minister MJ Akbar, part of an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation visiting Europe, has strongly criticized the international community for its double standards on terrorism. Speaking in Brussels, Akbar questioned why Indian lives are treated as less valuable, calling out the West’s silence in the face of terror attacks against India.  "Are there two laws in this world?   One for America and the West, and another for India?"   Akbar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "After 9/11, the US went 12,000 kilometres to seek justice in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They held Pakistan accountable -- General Musharraf admitted it. But when India takes action just 500 kilometres away to fight terror, we are asked to show restraint,” he added.  The delegation, led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, is on a multi-nation tour covering Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the UK, with an aim to expose Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism and advocating for justice for Indian victims of terror.

 

Belgium  is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France and North Sea.  West Flanders  is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest.  Its capital is Bruges (Brugge).  The North Sea coast of Belgium, an important tourism destination, lies in West Flanders.  

 

The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of Messines  in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War.  The Nivelle Offensive in April and May had failed to achieve its more grandiose aims, had led to the demoralisation of French troops and confounded the Anglo-French strategy for 1917. The attack forced the Germans to move reserves to Flanders from the Arras and Aisne fronts, relieving pressure on the French.  

The British tactical objective was to capture the German defences on the ridge, which ran from Ploegsteert Wood (Plugstreet to the British) in the south, through Messines and Wytschaete to Mt Sorrel, depriving the German 4th Army of the high ground.   The British attacked with the II Anzac Corps  and many other divisions.  

The battle began with the detonation of nineteen mines beneath the German front position, which devastated it and left large craters.  Several underground explosive charges were fired during the First World War at the start of the Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917).   The explosions rank among the largest non-nuclear explosions. Before the attack, General Sir Charles Harington, Chief of Staff of the Second Army, told the press, "Gentlemen, I don't know whether we are going to make history tomorrow, but at any rate we shall change geography". The Battle of Messines marked the zenith of mine warfare.   More than 10000 people were killed in these blasts !!    That the detonations were not simultaneous enhanced their effect on the German troops. Strange acoustic effects also added to the panic – German troops on Hill 60 thought that the Kruisstraat and Spanbroekmolen mines were under Messines village, which was well behind the front line, while some British troops thought that they were German counter-mines going off under the British support trenches. The combined explosion is considered to have killed more people than any other non-nuclear man-made explosion in history.   

Two days after the battle, the Gruppe Wijtschate commander, General Maximilian von Laffert, was dismissed and died of a heart attack eleven days later. Der Weltkrieg (volume XII, 1939) placed the mines, which were unprecedented in size and number, second in a list of five reasons for the German defeat.    

The World Wars destroyed many Nations and killed Millions and perpetrators of worst war crimes should never be portrayed as kind people.  British exploited the wealth of India, took all riches home, never cared for the people, killed them -  Congress which soft-pedalled took the entire credit for the freedom and enjoyed the fruits for many many decades thereafter.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
7.6.2025