The Great Underground War

The British successfully used a mining technique known as clay kicking to plant mines under German tunnels during three battles in Flanders. 500,000 soldiers were killed for 900 metres of gains.

For three years, the Germans and French blow each other up with massive explosions, using a maze of underground galleries and tunnels. This story is told through the preserved diaries of Herman Hoppe, a German engineer who built many of the tunnels.

An exploration of newly discovered fortresses, dugouts, and bunkers tells the story of the innovative German engineering that made defenses resistant to massive bombardments.