|
Date: |
|
Description: | The beginning of the Allied victory on the Western Front, up to the German decision to seek peace terms, July-September 1918.
On 18th July 1918, while Ludendorff was still planning his offensive against the British, the French and Americans attacked with 350 tanks on the Marne, and by 29th July had forced the Germans into retreat. Soissons was retaken and the French captured 29,000 prisoners. Both Ludendorff and the German people realised that their gamble to win the war had failed. The British were more cautious - they were beset by strikes, shipping losses, food shortages and anti-German riots, and Germany seemed far from defeated. But by now the British industrial war machine was running at full capacity and the Army in France was once more strong. Under conditions of extreme secrecy the British assembled their troops, including the Australian Corps, the Canadian Corps and the Cavalry Corps, on the Somme front before Amiens. On 8th August they attacked with over 500 tanks and 800 aircraft in support. Everyone except the Royal Air Force, which lost nearly a hundred aircraft, felt the result to be an "overwhelming victory" - the Canadians advanced eight miles, and the British took over 15,000 prisoners. German morale was broken and their troops clamoured for the war to end. Ludendorff agreed, and on 11th August the Kaiser also was convinced. Foch and Haig extended the Allied advance northwards and southwards; on 30th August the New Zealand Division retook Bapaume. Gradually, both among the Allied armies and on the Home fronts, people began to realise that they were winning the war. All that remained was the great German defensive position of the Hindenburg Line. The Americans, having pinched out the Saint Mihiel salient on 12th September, were switched to an attack with the French into the Argonne forest on 26th September. In this attack, although successful, the Americans lost heavily through inexperience. But such was the impetus of the Allied advance that this no longer mattered - a day later the British broke the Hindenburg Line, and even the Belgians joined in to the north, retaking the Passchendaele ridges in just one day on 28th September. Some elements of the German Army were still fighting well, but most were showing increasing reluctance to fight. The problem now was how to bring the war to an end.
16mm | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | 01/3(4-15).9 01/3(4-15).91 [1918 Marne] | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Shaw, Sebastian | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
|
|