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 film, Woodward is portrayed by Brendan Cowell. He was a miner and metallurgist from New South Wales and had not joined up as numerous other men from the region had done. He was thought to be important to stay at home to support the war effort and thus, he had been given plenty of white feathers. It had been wide-spread in those days for folks to present white feathers to men whom they regarded as cowards.
Hill 60 is located in the southern area of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill was made with soil dug away to create a local railway cutting. Various important battles happened 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 assault 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 given command of a company and sets an example all through the build-up ahead of the assault around Ypres. The attack starts out in the early hours of the morning when Woodward sets off the mine his soldiers have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Following the war, Woodward returns to Australia to marry his young sweetheart who had begged him not to join up.
'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 is located in the southern area of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill was made with soil dug away to create a local railway cutting. Various important battles happened 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 assault 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 given command of a company and sets an example all through the build-up ahead of the assault around Ypres. The attack starts out in the early hours of the morning when Woodward sets off the mine his soldiers have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Following the war, Woodward returns to Australia to marry his young sweetheart who had begged him not to join up.
'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 terrible and the region around Ypres witnessed some of the deadliest action.. Check here for free reprint license: Article on the Movie 'Beneath Hill 60'.
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