Battle of the Hindenburg Line
Part of World War I
Breaking the Hindenburg Line by William Longstaff.
Date: September 18-October 10, 1918 Location: Hindenburg Line, France Result: Allied victory
Combatants
United Kingdom, France, Australia, United States	Germany
Commanders
Ferdinand Foch	Georg von der Marwitz
Strength
4 British armies 1 French army American Expeditionary Force	Defensive forces and gun emplacements of the Hindenburg Line

The Battle of the Hindenburg Line, which began September 18, 1918, was a key turning point in the Hundred Days Offensive that eventually led to the end of World War One. British forces spearheaded the attack against the German line, continuing their effective use of tanks that started earlier in the Offensive at the Battle of Amiens. The battle was another sign that trench warfare was over as the Allies broke through the largest trench system on the Western Front. Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Romania, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Casualties 5 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) 3 million military, 3 million civilian (full list) World War I, also known as the First World... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in Northern France constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916– 17 during World War I; the Germans called it the Siegfried Line. ... Ferdinand Foch, OM, GCB, (October 2, 1851 – March 20, 1929) was a French soldier. ... Johannes Georg von der Marwitz (7 July 1856–27 October 1929) was a Prussian cavalry general, who commanded several German armies during the First World War. ... Officers of the American Expeditionary Force and the Baker mission The American Expeditionary Force or AEF was the United States military force in World War I. The AEF helped the French defend the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive in May. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Hundred Days Offensive was the final offensive in World War I by the Allies against the Central Powers on the Western Front from August 8, 1918 to November 11, 1918. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia Germany Commanders Henry Rawlinson Georg von der Marwitz Strength 4 Aus. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ... European military alliances in 1915. ... For most of World War I, Allied and German Forces were stalled at trenches on the Western Front. ...

Prelude

After the First battle of the Somme German commanders Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff decided the German army could not win a war of such battles of attrition. They adopted a scorched earth retreat to a planned location and began construction on the Hindenburg Line. The line was a nearly 100 mile long trench system with a second trench line behind it as backup. Combatants United Kingdom France Canada India Newfoundland New Zealand South Africa Australia German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 6 French divisions (initial) 51 British divisions (final) 10. ... Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg, known universally as Paul von Hindenburg (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. ... Ludendorff in 1918 Erich Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as Erich von Ludendorff) (April 9, 1865 – December 20, 1937, Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany) was a German Army officer, noted as a general during World War I. Ludendorff was born in Kruszewnia near Posen, Prussia (now PoznaÅ„, Poland). ... A battle of attrition is a military engagement in which neither side has any tactical advantage, so that the only result of the fighting is the loss of men and material on both sides. ... A Scorched Earth policy is a military tactic which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. ... The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in Northern France constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916– 17 during World War I; the Germans called it the Siegfried Line. ...

On March 21, 1918, Germany launched Operation Michael, the first of a series of attacks from the Hindenburg Line that would drive the Allies back along the length of the Western Front. Michael itself was aimed at the town of Amiens, a vital railway junction, but the advance had been halted at Villers-Bretonneux by the Australians on April 4.^[1] Subsequent German offensives — Operation Georgette, Operation Blücher-Yorck, Operation Gneisenau and Operation Marne-Rheims — had made advances but failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough.^[2][3] Finally, at the Battle of Amiens the Allies regained the offensive momentum pushing the Germans back into a retreat, due in large part to the effectiveness of their newest weapon - tanks. March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) was a German offensive along the Western Front during the First World War which marked the deepest advance by any side since 1914. ... The cathedral in Amiens Location within France Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. ... Villers-Bretonneux is a commune of the Somme département in France. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... The Battle of the Lys was part of the 1918 German Operation Georgette offensive in Flanders during the First World War. ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia Germany Commanders Henry Rawlinson Georg von der Marwitz Strength 4 Aus. ...

The battle

Members of the 45th Battalion on the first day of the battle

Australian general John Monash launched the earliest attack of the battle on September 18th. At 5:20 AM Monash's men, along with artillery support and only 8 tanks (along with some dummy tanks) broke through some German positions. Roughly 1,000 Australians were wounded or killed in this assault, but they had taken 4,300 Germans prisoner by the end of the day.^[4] The Australian 4th Division was formed in the First World War during the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades in February 1916. ... The Hundred Days Offensive was the final offensive in World War I by the Allies against the Central Powers on the Western Front from August 8, 1918 to November 11, 1918. ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia Germany Commanders Henry Rawlinson Georg von der Marwitz Strength 4 Aus. ... Dont eat a cow aite? ... Combatants United Kingdom New Zealand Germany Commanders Julian Byng Unknown Strength 3 divisions 4 divisions Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Havrincourt was a World War I battle fought on September 12, 1918, involving the British Third Army (under the command of General Sir Julian Byng) against German troops, including... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Kristen D. Vega Georg von der Marwitz Strength American Expeditionary Force German Fifth Army Casualties 7,000 20,000 The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12 - 15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and a number of... Combatants United Kingdom Australia Germany Commanders Henry Rawlinson Unknown Strength 12 divisions Unknown Casualties Total: unknown Australian: 1,260 men Total: unknown Captured: 9,000 men The Battle of Epéhy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army (under the command... The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a major battle of World War I. It was the biggest operation and victory of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in that war. ... The Second Battle of the Sambre (November 4, 1918) was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I. At the front German resistance was falling away, unprecedented numbers of prisoners were taken in the Battle of the Selle, and a new attack was quickly prepared. ... Sir John Monash General Sir John Monash (27 June 1865 - 8 October 1931), Australian military commander of the First World War, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, to parents of Prussian-Jewish origin (the family name was originally spelled Monasch). ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ...

The British arrived at the line next, the British First Army attacking the Wotan Stellung section of the wall early in the battle followed by Douglas Haig's forces against the Siegfreid Stellung. The British Third, Fourth, and Fifth along with the French First Army and the American Expeditionary Force all joined over the course of the battle.^[5] The British First Army was a field army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. ... Field Marshal Lord Haig Field Marshal The Right Honourable Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE (19 June 1861–28 January 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I. He was commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the... The British Third Army was a British Army unit. ... The British Fourth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... The British Fifth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... French First Army was a field army that fought during World War I and World War II. At the beginning of WWI the First Army was put in charge of General Auguste Dubail and took part, along with the French Second Army, in the Invasion of Lorraine. ... Officers of the American Expeditionary Force and the Baker mission The American Expeditionary Force or AEF was the United States military force in World War I. The AEF helped the French defend the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive in May. ...

On September 27 the US 3rd and 5th infantry performed an attack along with some Australian troops. Although the Americans were eager for the fight they were inexperienced and did not clear German positions as effectively as they might have otherwise. This forced advancing Australians to fight again for the ground the Americans had just "taken."^[6] Australians took the village of Montbrehain on October 5 as their final action in the battle. Their forces had been fighting on the front lines since March 27 and 27,000 men had been killed or wounded just since the Battle of Amiens in early August.^[4] Although the Australians withdrew, the line was completely cleared by October 10.^[5] September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 95 days remaining. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 5th Infantry Division, the Red Devils. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ...

References