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Period: to
World War One
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Michael - The First Offensive
- Ludendorff initiated his offensive with an explosive attack named ‘Michael’, involving over 6000 heavy guns and 30 000 mortars. Five hours after the bombardment, German infantry moved in under the cover of fog caused by mustard gas.- After a day, the Allies had retreated and lost 21 000 troops as prisoners. Their communications were broken down and they requested immediate deployment of American troops.- On the fifth day, with 45 000 lost as prisoners, the British launched a series of smal
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The Second Offensive
Germany used artillery to continue pushing, to which the Allies could only respond by standing their ground and fighting for 3 weeks. A German flank was exposed and the Allies capitalised, ending the second offensive. -
The Third Offensive
The Third Offensive was at Champagne and took the French by surprise, meaning they had no resistance. The Germans bombarded the front lines with mortars, explosives and gas and made 36 km of ground. Americans quickly arrived, and as they kept coming, Germany were forced to call off the offensive. -
The Fourth Offensive
The French gathered information from German prisoners, and were therefore aware and prepared of the offensive, which commenced with artillery fire. The Germans still made up some ground, but at a slower pace, and called off the offensive when the French surprised them with a counterattack. -
The Fifth Offensive
This offensive began with the firing of 9000 tonnes of gas, mostly directed at a line of unmanned trenches. French and American forces then fiercely resisted, halting the German advance. The Allies then counter-attacked, breaking the German lines and sending them into full retreat.