Original site of the village atop this hill was destroyed by mining during the period Feb 1915 to Feb 1918 during the First World War. The furious mining and counter mining blew away the entire hill-top and today the small village lies at the foot of the hill. Underground there are approximaely 4,500 metres of galleries and over 150 chambers and rooms. The American 35th Division finally captured the hill on Sept 26 1918 by simply pulling back from the summit which they then saturated with gas and high explosive and pushed forward around the hill on either side.