Ludendorff’s offensives of 1918
The Ludendorff Offensive is often called the Spring Offensive. These attacks were the last major assaults on British and French lines by the German forces during the First World War. Ludendorrf, the German commander, realised that the arrival of thousands of American soldiers in the coming months could make the German war effort impossible to maintain. Germany was already struggling to feed its people and had suffered very high casulaty rates. To win the war, Ludendorrf realised that a large and decisive assault had to be made before the Americans arrived in larger numbers and before Germany ran out of supplies and men.
The offensive was designed to break through the Allied lines at the point where the British and French lines met, hoping that this would result in confused defences. Large numbers Storm troopers were deployed and the Germans made their largest advances of the war since Trench warfare had begun. However they were unable to sustain the advances and the advance came to an end in April, 1918.
Links
Wikipedia entry on the Spring Offensive.
History of War analysis of the Ludendorrf Offensive.
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Related Content:
The British Empire – The Treaty of Versailles – Impact of the War on Germany – Primary History – History Teachers Resources
