Hundred Days Offensive
Encyclopedia
The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War
, during which the Allies
launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers
on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat beyond the Hindenburg Line
and was followed by an armistice
. The Hundred Days Offensive does not refer to a specific battle or unified strategy, but rather the rapid sequences of Allied victories starting with the Battle of Amiens.
Spring Offensives on the Western Front
in 1918, beginning with Operation Michael
had petered out by July. The Germans had advanced to the Marne River
but failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough. When Operation Marne-Rheims ended in July, the Allied supreme commander, the French
Ferdinand Foch
, ordered a counter-offensive which became the Second Battle of the Marne
. The Germans, recognising their untenable position, withdrew from the Marne towards the north, for which victory Foch was promoted Marshal of France
.
Foch considered the time had arrived for the Allies to return to the offensive. The Americans
were now present in France in large numbers, and their presence invigorated the Allied armies. Their commander, General John J. Pershing
, was keen to use his army in an independent role. The British Army had also been reinforced by large numbers of troops returned from campaigns in Palestine
and Italy
, and large numbers of replacements previously held back in Britain by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
.
A number of proposals were considered, and finally Foch agreed on a proposal by Field Marshal Douglas Haig
, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), to strike on the Somme
, east of Amiens
and southwest of the 1916 battlefield of the Battle of the Somme
, with the intention of forcing the Germans away from the vital Amiens-Paris railway. The Somme was chosen as a suitable site for the offensive for several reasons. As in 1916, it marked the boundary between the BEF and the French armies, in this case defined by the Amiens-Roye road, allowing the two armies to cooperate. Also the Picardy
countryside provided a good surface for tank
s, which was not the case in Flanders
. Finally, the German defences, manned by the German Second Army
of General Georg von der Marwitz
, were relatively weak, having been subjected to continual raiding by the Australia
ns in a process termed peaceful penetration
.
, British and French forces—with more than 500 tanks. Through careful preparations, the Allies achieved complete surprise. The attack, spearheaded by Australian Corps
and Canadian Corps
of the British Fourth Army
, broke through the German lines, and tanks attacked German rear positions, sowing panic and confusion. By the end of the day, a gap 15 miles (24.1 km) long had been created in the German line south of the Somme. The Allies had taken 17,000 prisoners and captured 330 guns. Total German losses were estimated to be 30,000 on 8 August, while the Allies had suffered about 6,500 killed, wounded and missing. The collapse in German morale led Erich Ludendorff
to dub it "the Black Day of the German Army".
The advance continued for three more days but without the spectacular results of 8 August, since the rapid advance outran the supporting artillery and ran short of supplies. During those three days, the Allies had managed to gain 12 mi (19.3 km), but most of that had occurred on the first day, as a result of the Germans adding reinforcements. On 10 August, the Germans began to pull out of the salient that they had managed to occupy during Operation Michael in March, back towards the Hindenburg Line
.
(the Battle of Albert
), which opened on 21 August.
The offensive was a success, pushing the German Second Army back over a 34 mi (54.7 km) front. Albert was captured in 22 August. The attack was widened on the south, by the French 10th Army
starting the 2nd Battle of Noyon on 17 August, capturing the town of Noyon
on 29 August. On 26 August, to the north of the initial attack, the British First Army
widened the attack by another 7 miles (11.3 km) with the Second Battle of Arras. Bapaume
fell on 29 August (during the Second Battle of Bapaume
).
East of Amiens (after the Battle of Amiens), with artillery brought forward and munitions replenished, the British Fourth Army also resumed its advance, with the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of 31 August, breaking the German lines during the Battle of Mont St. Quentin
. On 26 August, to the north of the Somme, the British First Army widened the attack by another 7 mi (11.3 km) with the Second Battle of Arras, which includes the Battle of the Scarpe (1918)
(26 August) and the Battle of Drocourt-Queant (2 September).
South of the British Expeditionary Forces, the French First Army approached the Hindenburg Line on the outskirts of Saint Quentin during the Battle of Savy-Dallon (10 September), and the French Tenth Army
approached the Hindenburg Line near Laon
during the Battle of Vauxaillon (14 September). The British 4th Army approached the Hindenburg Line along the St Quentin Canal during the Battle of Épehy
(18 September).
By 2 September, the Germans had been forced back close to the Hindenburg Line, from which they had launched their offensive in the spring.
The main German defences were anchored on the Hindenburg Line, a series of defensive fortifications stretching from Cerny on the Aisne River
to Arras. Before Foch's main offensive was launched, the remaining German salients west and east of the line were crushed at Havrincourt
and St Mihiel
on 12 September; and at Epehy
and Canal du Nord
on 27 September.
The first attack of Foch's "Grand Offensive" was launched on 26 September by French and American Expeditionary Force
s in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
— this offensive also includes the Battle of Somme-Py (26 September), the Battle of Saint-Thierry (30 September), the Battle of Montfaucon (6 October) and the Battle of Chesne (1 November). The offensive involved attacking over difficult terrain, resulting in the Hindenburg Line not being broken until the 17 October.
Two days later, the Army Group under Albert I of Belgium
(the Belgian Army, the British Second Army
under General Herbert Plumer and the French 6th Army
under General Degoutte) launched an attack near Ypres
in Flanders
(the Fifth Battle of Ypres
). Both attacks made good progress initially but were then slowed by logistical problems.
On 29 September, the central attack on the Hindenburg Line commenced, with the British 4th Army led by the Australian Corps attacking the St. Quentin Canal (the Battle of St. Quentin Canal) and the French First Army attacking fortifications outside St Quentin (the Battle of St Quentin ). By 5 October, the Allies had broken through the entire depth of the Hindenburg defences over a 19 miles (30.6 km) front. Rawlinson wrote, "Had the Boche [Germans] not shown marked signs of deterioration during the past month, I should never have contemplated attacking the Hindenburg line. Had it been defended by the Germans of two years ago, it would certainly have been impregnable…"
Subsequently (on October 8), led by the Canadian Corps, the 1st and 3rd British armies broke through the Hindenburg Line at the Battle of Cambrai
.
This collapse forced the German High Command to accept that the war had to be ended. The evidence of failing German morale also convinced many Allied commanders and political leaders that the war could be ended in 1918; previously, all efforts had been concentrated on building up forces to mount a decisive attack in 1919.
reached this line, the Germans were forced to abandon increasingly large amounts of heavy equipment and supplies, further reducing their morale and capacity to resist.
Casualties remained heavy in all of the Allied fighting forces, as well as in the retreating German Army. Rearguard actions were fought during the Pursuit to the Selle
(9 October), Battle of Courtrai
(14 October), Battle of Mont-D’Origny (15 October), Battle of the Selle (17 October), Battle of Lys and Escaut (20 October) (including the subsidiary Battle of the Lys and Battle of the Escaut), Battle of the Serre (20 October), Battle of Valenciennes (1 November) and the Battle of the Sambre
(including the Second Battle of Guise (4 November) and the Battle of Thiérache (4 November), with fighting continuing until the last minutes before the Armistice
took effect at 11:00 on 11 November 1918. One of the last soldiers to die was Canadian Private George Lawrence Price
, two minutes before the armistice took effect.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, during which the Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat beyond the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
and was followed by an armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. The Hundred Days Offensive does not refer to a specific battle or unified strategy, but rather the rapid sequences of Allied victories starting with the Battle of Amiens.
Background
The great GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Spring Offensives on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in 1918, beginning with Operation Michael
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
had petered out by July. The Germans had advanced to the Marne River
Marne River
The Marne is a river in France, a right tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is long. The river gave its name to the départements of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne....
but failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough. When Operation Marne-Rheims ended in July, the Allied supreme commander, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
, ordered a counter-offensive which became the Second Battle of the Marne
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
. The Germans, recognising their untenable position, withdrew from the Marne towards the north, for which victory Foch was promoted Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
.
Foch considered the time had arrived for the Allies to return to the offensive. The Americans
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
were now present in France in large numbers, and their presence invigorated the Allied armies. Their commander, General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
, was keen to use his army in an independent role. The British Army had also been reinforced by large numbers of troops returned from campaigns in Palestine
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
and Italy
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, and large numbers of replacements previously held back in Britain by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
.
A number of proposals were considered, and finally Foch agreed on a proposal by Field Marshal Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), to strike on the Somme
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
, east of Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
and southwest of the 1916 battlefield of the Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
, with the intention of forcing the Germans away from the vital Amiens-Paris railway. The Somme was chosen as a suitable site for the offensive for several reasons. As in 1916, it marked the boundary between the BEF and the French armies, in this case defined by the Amiens-Roye road, allowing the two armies to cooperate. Also the Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
countryside provided a good surface for tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s, which was not the case in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. Finally, the German defences, manned by the German Second Army
German Second Army
The 2nd Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-First World War:The 2nd Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914...
of General Georg von der Marwitz
Georg von der Marwitz
Johannes Georg von der Marwitz was a Prussian cavalry general, who commanded several German armies during the First World War on both the Eastern and Western fronts.-Early military career:...
, were relatively weak, having been subjected to continual raiding by the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns in a process termed peaceful penetration
Peaceful Penetration
Peaceful Penetration was an Australian infantry tactic used during the First World War , which was a cross between trench raiding and patrolling...
.
Amiens
The Battle of Amiens (with the French attack on the southern flank called the Battle of Montdidier ) opened on 8 August 1918, with an attack by more than 10 Allied divisions—Australian, CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, British and French forces—with more than 500 tanks. Through careful preparations, the Allies achieved complete surprise. The attack, spearheaded by Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
and Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
of the British Fourth Army
British Fourth Army
The Fourth Army was a field army that formed part of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Fourth Army was formed on 5 February 1916 under the command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson to carry out the main British contribution to the Battle of the Somme.-History:The Fourth...
, broke through the German lines, and tanks attacked German rear positions, sowing panic and confusion. By the end of the day, a gap 15 miles (24.1 km) long had been created in the German line south of the Somme. The Allies had taken 17,000 prisoners and captured 330 guns. Total German losses were estimated to be 30,000 on 8 August, while the Allies had suffered about 6,500 killed, wounded and missing. The collapse in German morale led Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
to dub it "the Black Day of the German Army".
The advance continued for three more days but without the spectacular results of 8 August, since the rapid advance outran the supporting artillery and ran short of supplies. During those three days, the Allies had managed to gain 12 mi (19.3 km), but most of that had occurred on the first day, as a result of the Germans adding reinforcements. On 10 August, the Germans began to pull out of the salient that they had managed to occupy during Operation Michael in March, back towards the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
.
Somme
On 15 August 1918, Foch demanded that Haig continue the Amiens offensive, even though the attack was faltering as the troops outran their supplies and artillery, and German reserves were being moved to the sector. Haig refused, and instead prepared to launch a fresh offensive by the British Third Army at AlbertAlbert, Somme
Albert is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is located about halfway between Amiens and Bapaume.-History:Albert was founded as a Roman outpost called Encre, in about 54 BC...
(the Battle of Albert
Battle of Albert (1918)
Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart...
), which opened on 21 August.
Tenth Army (France)
The Tenth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I. It took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After the armistice it was part of the occupation of the Rhineland...
starting the 2nd Battle of Noyon on 17 August, capturing the town of Noyon
Noyon
Noyon is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.It lies on the Oise Canal, 100 km north of Paris.-History:...
on 29 August. On 26 August, to the north of the initial attack, the British First Army
British First Army
The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. Despite being a British command, the First Army also included Indian and Portuguese forces during the First World War and American and French during the Second World War.-First World War:The...
widened the attack by another 7 miles (11.3 km) with the Second Battle of Arras. Bapaume
Bapaume
Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...
fell on 29 August (during the Second Battle of Bapaume
Second Battle of Bapaume
The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of World War I that took place at Bapaume, Francebetween 21 August and 3 September 1918. It followed the Battle of Amiens and is also referred to as the second phase of that battle...
).
Advance to the Hindenburg Line
With the front line broken, a number of battles took place as the Allies forced the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line.East of Amiens (after the Battle of Amiens), with artillery brought forward and munitions replenished, the British Fourth Army also resumed its advance, with the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of 31 August, breaking the German lines during the Battle of Mont St. Quentin
Battle of Mont St. Quentin
The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin was a battle on the Western Front during World War I. As part of the Allied counteroffensives on the Western Front in the late summer of 1918, the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of August 31, and broke the German lines at Mont Saint-Quentin...
. On 26 August, to the north of the Somme, the British First Army widened the attack by another 7 mi (11.3 km) with the Second Battle of Arras, which includes the Battle of the Scarpe (1918)
Battle of the Scarpe (1918)
The Battle of the Scarpe was a World War I battle that took place during the Hundred Days Offensive between 26 and 30 August 1918.-26 August:The Canadian Corps advanced over 5 kilometers and captured the towns of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt.Lt...
(26 August) and the Battle of Drocourt-Queant (2 September).
South of the British Expeditionary Forces, the French First Army approached the Hindenburg Line on the outskirts of Saint Quentin during the Battle of Savy-Dallon (10 September), and the French Tenth Army
Tenth Army (France)
The Tenth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I. It took part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After the armistice it was part of the occupation of the Rhineland...
approached the Hindenburg Line near Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
during the Battle of Vauxaillon (14 September). The British 4th Army approached the Hindenburg Line along the St Quentin Canal during the Battle of Épehy
Battle of Epéhy
The Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
(18 September).
By 2 September, the Germans had been forced back close to the Hindenburg Line, from which they had launched their offensive in the spring.
Battles of the Hindenburg Line
Foch now planned a series of great concentric attacks on the German lines in France (sometimes referred to as the "Grand Offensive"), with the various axes of advance designed to cut the German’s lateral means of communications, intending that the success of a single attack would enable the entire front line to be advanced.The main German defences were anchored on the Hindenburg Line, a series of defensive fortifications stretching from Cerny on the Aisne River
Aisne River
The Aisne is a river in northeastern France, left tributary of the river Oise. It gave its name to the French département Aisne. It was known in the Roman period as the Axona....
to Arras. Before Foch's main offensive was launched, the remaining German salients west and east of the line were crushed at Havrincourt
Battle of Havrincourt
- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
and St Mihiel
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...
on 12 September; and at Epehy
Battle of Epéhy
The Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
and Canal du Nord
Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
on 27 September.
The first attack of Foch's "Grand Offensive" was launched on 26 September by French and American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
s in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
— this offensive also includes the Battle of Somme-Py (26 September), the Battle of Saint-Thierry (30 September), the Battle of Montfaucon (6 October) and the Battle of Chesne (1 November). The offensive involved attacking over difficult terrain, resulting in the Hindenburg Line not being broken until the 17 October.
Two days later, the Army Group under Albert I of Belgium
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
(the Belgian Army, the British Second Army
British Second Army
The British Second Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front and in Italy...
under General Herbert Plumer and the French 6th Army
Sixth Army (France)
The Sixth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II.-World War I:*General Maunoury *General Dubois *General Fayolle...
under General Degoutte) launched an attack near Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
(the Fifth Battle of Ypres
Fifth Battle of Ypres
The Fifth Battle of Ypres is the unofficial name used to identify a series of battles in northern France and southern Belgium from late September through October 1918....
). Both attacks made good progress initially but were then slowed by logistical problems.
On 29 September, the central attack on the Hindenburg Line commenced, with the British 4th Army led by the Australian Corps attacking the St. Quentin Canal (the Battle of St. Quentin Canal) and the French First Army attacking fortifications outside St Quentin (the Battle of St Quentin ). By 5 October, the Allies had broken through the entire depth of the Hindenburg defences over a 19 miles (30.6 km) front. Rawlinson wrote, "Had the Boche [Germans] not shown marked signs of deterioration during the past month, I should never have contemplated attacking the Hindenburg line. Had it been defended by the Germans of two years ago, it would certainly have been impregnable…"
Battle of Cambrai (1918)
The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
.
This collapse forced the German High Command to accept that the war had to be ended. The evidence of failing German morale also convinced many Allied commanders and political leaders that the war could be ended in 1918; previously, all efforts had been concentrated on building up forces to mount a decisive attack in 1919.
Beyond the Hindenburg Line
Through October, the German armies retreated through the territory gained in 1914. The Allies pressed the Germans back toward the lateral railway line from Metz to Bruges (shown in the map at the head of this article), which had supplied their entire front in Northern France and Belgium for much of the war. As the Allied armiesAllies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
reached this line, the Germans were forced to abandon increasingly large amounts of heavy equipment and supplies, further reducing their morale and capacity to resist.
Casualties remained heavy in all of the Allied fighting forces, as well as in the retreating German Army. Rearguard actions were fought during the Pursuit to the Selle
Pursuit to the Selle
The Pursuit to the Selle, a portion of which is referred to as the Battle of the Selle, was a series of skirmishes between allied forces and the German Army, fought during what is known as The Last Hundred Days of World War I, and which occurred after the Second Battle of Cambrai.The pursuit began...
(9 October), Battle of Courtrai
Battle of Courtrai (1918)
The Battle of Courtrai was one of a series of offensives in northern France and southern Belgium that took place in late September and October 1918.- Background :...
(14 October), Battle of Mont-D’Origny (15 October), Battle of the Selle (17 October), Battle of Lys and Escaut (20 October) (including the subsidiary Battle of the Lys and Battle of the Escaut), Battle of the Serre (20 October), Battle of Valenciennes (1 November) and the Battle of the Sambre
Battle of the Sambre (1918)
The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:...
(including the Second Battle of Guise (4 November) and the Battle of Thiérache (4 November), with fighting continuing until the last minutes before the Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
took effect at 11:00 on 11 November 1918. One of the last soldiers to die was Canadian Private George Lawrence Price
George Lawrence Price
Private George Lawrence Price was a Canadian soldier. He is traditionally recognized as the last soldier of the British Empire to be killed during the First World War....
, two minutes before the armistice took effect.