Mining (military) facts for kids

Explosion of the mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt on the Western Front during World War I (July 1 1916)

Mining, landmining or undermining is a way of attacking a walled city, fortress or castle during a siege. It has been used since before the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, mines or tunnels were dug underneath castles to let soldiers into the castle or to destroy the walls.

The Siege of Petersburg included a "Battle of the Crater" inside a crater made by a big mine explosion. In World War I, trying to break the stalemate of trench warfare, soldiers tunneled under no man's land and put explosives beneath the enemy's trench. On 7 June 1917, as part of the Battle of Messines, the Allies set off hundreds of tonnes of high explosive in 19 mines at the same time. About 10,000 German troops were killed.

Images for kids

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  Diorama of defensive tunnels dug during the Second Sino-Japanese War

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  A Confederate counter mine burrow at Fort Mahone, Petersburg, Virginia

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  Example of a mine gallery with timber roof support

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  Explosion of a mine seen from a French position. 1916

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  Plan of British tunnels, galleries and ventilation on a front in World War I

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  Access to German counter-mining shaft – Bayernwald trenches, Croonaert Wood, Ypres Salient

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  Mine craters – Butte de Vauquois memorial site, Vauquois, France

See also

In Spanish: Uso de túneles en combate para niños