German Spring Offensive

Germany's final offensive on the Western Front during World War I. By early 1918, German forces outnumbered the Allies on the Western Front. Germany staged three separate offensives, which culminated in the Second Battle of the Marne, fought between 15 July and 6 August. It marked the turning point of World War I. After winning the battle the Allies advanced steadily, and by September, Germany had lost all the territory it had gained during the spring.

The collapse of Russia allowed Germany to bring all its best troops from the Eastern Front to reinforce the Western Front, giving them a strength of about 1.6 million and 16,000 guns. The Spring Offensive was a concerted effort to conclude the war before the arrival of US troops, starting with the Second Battle of the Somme 21 March 1918. They attacked the weak British sector between Cambrai and the Oise River and drove the British back a considerable distance. A second attack on the Armentières front 9 April overwhelmed the Portuguese Corps and drove a deep wedge into the British front, capturing the Messines Ridge. A third attack was launched 27 May against a weak Allied sector on the Aisne which reached the Marne in the region of Château‐Thierry. The Germans extended this front and came to within 72 km/45 mi of Paris. By this time, however, their troops were beginning to flag, and a barrage of mustard gas, the first time the French had used it, halted a further attack 12–13 June. The Germans were delayed from pressing home their attack until 15 July; Ludendorff's attack on Reims was held and driven back in the Second Battle of the Marne. During this time, Marshal Foch had prepared a large French‐US force, well supported by tanks, for the Allied counter‐attack which began May 1918 in the Château‐Thierry area. This assault marked the end of the German campaign and the commencement of the Allied advances which ended the war.