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The One Hundred Day Offensive

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The One Hundred Day Offensive 1918 – 2018 One Hundred Days’ One Hundred Years Today’s talk was given by David James, Warsop U3A History Group. 1918 – 2018 One Hundred Days’ One Hundred Years – The final one hundred days of the Great War and the Armistice signed 11 th November 1918; in commemoration of the ending of the war. David began by saying that he was no expert but rather an enthusiastic amateur. He gave an overview of the war to spring 1918, with the toing and froing of the front line, never moving more than 50 miles at the most either way. The German Spring Offensive 1918 was designed to split the British Army from the French Army by driving a wedge between them and reaching the Channel Ports in the Amiens region. It was also designed to capture Paris and force the French to seek terms to end the war. It failed because of stout British and French defence. It ran out of momentum before it reached both Amiens and Paris, although it captured large swathes of land the German Army did not achieve anything strategic. It failed to take any major town or railway hub. The railways were vital to the movement of supplies and troops, without them the German Army Commanders could not supply the front line as their railway networks were over 50 miles behind them. The Germans had to rely mostly on horse drawn transport, and on roads that were just dirt tracks and many badly damaged by shell fire. At this point the Allies appoint the French Field Marshall, Foch, as overall commander on the western front and he came up with a plan along with the British and Americans to drive the Germans back. Cooperation was a significant factor in the success of the plan. Foch directed overall strategy which ensured a coordinated approach by the French, British and American armies. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 1918 and ending with the Armistice on 11 November 1918.The offensive was an all arms attack, using artillery, aircraft, tanks and infantry. This new strategy contributed to the success of the offensive by continually stretching the German Army’s resources and manpower. The Allies continued to attack in this way throughout the summer and autumn of 1918, giving the increasingly exhausted and depleted German Army little respite. Once one battle had ended in a section of the front a new battle began in another thereby increasing the pressure on the over stretched German Army. The Battle of St Quentin Canal, 29 September 1918, which involved the Sherwood Foresters as of part of the 46 th Division, was a crucial victory that broke through one of the strongest sections of the Hindenburg Line. Poor morale in the German Army contributed significantly to the Allied victories. The failure of the Spring Offensive and the surprise counter-attack at Amiens demoralised the German troops. Around 30,000 German soldiers surrendered during the Battle of Amiens. Ludendorff described the first day of this battle as the “black day of the German Army”. Huge numbers of German prisoners were also taken at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. The 46th Division alone captured over 4,000 men. General Sir Henry Rawlinson remarked that the Hindenburg line would have been impregnable if it had been defended by the German Army of two years earlier. Following the complete breakthrough of the line in early October, General Ludendorff is reported to have said that the “situation of the German Army demands an immediate armistice in order to save a catastrophe”. Although it would still be several weeks before the Armistice, it was clear that Germany now could not win the war. Allied success saw fighting move from the trenched to the open. The rapid movement caused difficulties in getting supplies to the front, and few of the soldiers who were in the field in 1918 had received training in open warfare. It was now that an Armistice was sought. This was not just beneficial to the German Army it was also beneficial for the Allies. Just like the Germans in the Spring Offensive, the Allies were out running their supply lines. At the time of the signing of the Armistice the Allies had little more than two days’ worth of supplies at the front. Men were exhausted they had been fighting for three months continuously, they could not go on. If an Armistice had not been signed the attack could not have continued and once again trenches would have been dug and the Armies settled down for the winter. Thank goodness sanity reigned and the fighting stopped. The German Army did NOT surrender; it left the field with flags flying and bands playing. Unfortunately this led to the “Stab in the Back” theory which helped in the rise of Hitler. The Versailles Treaty was designed to punish Germany by the French. Germany lost all its overseas colonies, 90% of its Merchant Navy, Army reduced to 100,000, all its Warships, and many millions of £’s in reparations with the rebuilding of the devastated lands in France and Belgium. All this led to poverty and political extremism and the rise of the Nazi Party and ultimately the Second World War. The Allied Armies had won the war but the politicians lost the peace. With that David ended his talk and the members showed their appreciation in the usual way. .
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