LAST STAGES of WORLD WAR ONE
Remember!
· On April 6 1917, America joined World War One by declaring war on Germany. Historians suggest that submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram were big reasons for America’s entry.
· The first American troops arrived at the Western Front in late June 1917, but needed training and equipment before they could join in with the fighting. Nevertheless, their arrival provided a much-needed boost to the spirits of Allied soldiers.
· After the Russian revolutions and collapse of the Russian armies in late 1917, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on March 3, 1918 and Russia pulled out of the war on the Eastern Front.
The German Spring Offensive (also known as the Ludendorff Offensive)
The Germans wanted to win the war before too many American soldiers arrived at the Western Front and provided lots of support to the exhausted Allied soldiers (British, French, Australian, New Zealander, etc.).
Now that they did not need as many troops on the Eastern Front, the Germans launched a series of offensives on the Western Front, known as the German Spring Offensive, which lasted from March 21, 1918 until July 18, 1918.
The purpose was to break through the Allied lines by outflanking and defeating the British forces, because they held important territory from the Somme River to the English Channel. After this happened, it was hoped that the French would retreat and ask for an armistice.
The attack started with heavy bombing and shelling of the Allied lines. At the Somme River, the Germans fired one million artillery shells at the British lines in just five hours.
The bombing was followed by an attack by elite storm troopers. These soldiers travelled lightly and were skilled in fast, hard-hitting attacks. Unlike soldiers who carried heavy kits, the storm troopers mainly carried only weapons (such as flame throwers).
By the end of the first day of the attack, 21,000 British soldiers had been taken prisoner and the Germans had advanced through the lines of the British army.
Senior British military commanders did not know how to react or respond because they were used to trench warfare, and suddenly they had to cope with a fast-paced German attack. The German attack was the biggest breakthrough on the Western Front, with the German army gaining Allied territory.
Though they had some success in each of their attacks, German soldiers had moved with too much speed and were too far away from their supplies. The fast-moving storm troopers could not carry enough food and ammunition to support themselves for long. This meant that they could not keep the land they captured. Also, they all-out fighting had left many German soldiers dead or wounded. With soldiers exhausted by the constant fighting, all the German offensives petered out.
Hundred Days Offensive
With German troops drained and unable to reach their supplies, and approximately 10,000 fresh American soldiers arriving in France every day, the Allied forces had an opportunity to lead a counter-offensive, known as the Hundred Days Offensive.
Between July and November 1918, the Allied soldiers (made up of British, Australian, American, French and Canadian troops) had big victories at the Battle of Amiens and the Second Battle of Somme, forcing German troops to retreat (withdraw) through territory they had previously captured.
The offensive ended with a retreat of the German troops toward the Hindenburg Line, which was Germany’s last, well-defended trench system.
Eventually in late September 1918, the Allies broke through the Hindenburg Line, and the Germans were forced to fall back. Private Albert Golding wrote after the battle that he and some fellow diggers slept that night in an abandoned German trench and ate a hearty breakfast from abandoned German supplies.
Kiel Mutiny
By the last week of October, 1918 it became very clear that the Central Powers would be defeated. In fact, Germany was discussing the possibility of an armistice with the Allies.
However, the German naval commanders decided to launch a desperate last effort against the British in the North Sea.
When the German High Seas Fleet was ordered to sail to the North Sea for a major battle against the British, the sailors refused to follow the orders, because they knew the attack would be a suicide mission. The sailors continued to refuse orders, so 1,000 mutineers (rebels) were arrested, meaning the ships could not set sail.
By October 30, the rebellion spread amongst the sailors and workers at the German naval base at Kiel. Within a week, it had spread across Germany, with revolts in Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck on November 4 and 5, and in Munich on November 7.
Kaiser’s Abdication and The Armistice
This widespread frustration and unhappiness led members of the German Reichstag (Parliament) to declare the country a republic on November 9. This meant they no longer wanted an Emperor as a ruler, so on the same day, Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated (stepped down as Emperor) and fled to The Netherlands.
Finally, at 11am on November 11, the First World War ended with an armistice between Germany and the Allied forces.