Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater

"Was here on a bus tour with guide. We walked from the parking lot, on the wooden boardwalk, to the menorials, then across the railway, and up the path to this crater.
-Its large and has a pond in it. There is a paved path around the top, with paths going off of it.
-Quiet area"

adam clare

"A nice free 1 stop with 2 activities, helpful information boards and an easy walk. Very somber and enlightening to see the devastation of what explosives did in the war to human life - no wonder some were never found as there was significant destruction from that method of war attacks"

Jenny

"The Caterpillar crater is a striking remnant of the underground mining warfare that took place on the Western Front during World War I, between 1914 and 1918. This technique of tunneling and detonating mines beneath enemy lines has historical roots in the siege tactics of earlier centuries. Together with the nearby Hill 60, the Caterpillar site was one of the most heavily contested positions on the Ypres Front.
The first mine at this location exploded in December 1914, marking the start of several years of underground warfare that continued until June 1917. The Caterpillar crater is one of the lasting traces of the mining battle on 7 June 1917, when 19 deep mines were simultaneously detonated. These sites form part of the battlefield of the Third Battle of Ypres (June–November 1917) and help mark the historical front line from which the Allied offensive advanced.
This particular battle is notable because it achieved a limited breakthrough in both time and space on the Western Front, unlike previous mining efforts elsewhere. Capturing the site was difficult due to the heavily fortified German lines, still visible today in the surviving bunkers in the surrounding area.

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Jessy Lagrange