Battle of Amiens
The Battle of Amiens, fought on August 8, 1918, marked a significant turning point in World War I. Launched at dawn by the Allies, it involved the coordinated attack of seventeen divisions from the British Fourth Army and seven from the French First Army along a thirteen-mile front. The opposing German forces, consisting of twenty depleted divisions, were caught off guard and struggled to mount an effective defense. Supported by overwhelming firepower, including over 2,350 artillery pieces and 430 tanks, the Allies made substantial gains, advancing nine miles by nightfall on the first day of the battle.
Despite some initial success, challenges such as tank breakdowns and supply issues impeded further advances. By August 12, strategic shifts were made by Allied commander Douglas Haig, which continued to pressure German forces, ultimately leading to their retreat to the Hindenburg Line by early September. The battle resulted in significant casualties, with the Allies suffering around 46,000 while inflicting greater losses on the Germans and capturing more than 36,000 prisoners. The victory at Amiens is historically noted as a pivotal moment that contributed to the eventual defeat of Germany, altering the course of the war and impacting military strategies going forward.
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Battle of Amiens
Type of action: Ground battle in World War I
Date: August 8-September 4, 1918
Location: Ten to forty miles east of Amiens (sixty-five miles north of Paris, France)
Combatants: 310,000 British/Commonwealth and 80,000 French vs. 217,000 Germans
Principal commanders:British, Henry Rawlinson (1864–1925); French, Marie-Eugène Debeney (1864–1943); German, Georg von der Marwitz (1856–1929), Oskar von Hutier (1857–1934)
Result: The Allies gained fifteen miles in two days’ fighting and caused another German withdrawal of fifteen miles
On August 8, 1918, at 4:20 a.m., seventeen divisions of Henry Rawlinson’s Fourth Army and seven of Marie-Eugène Debeney’s First Army attacked eastward along a thirteen-mile front. The twenty depleted divisions of the German Second and Eighteenth Armies (led by Georg von der Marwitz and Oskar von Hutier, respectively) opposing them offered ineffective resistance. Supported by 2,350 artillery pieces, 430 tanks, and 1,900 planes, the Allies also enjoyed the element of surprise and gained nine miles by nightfall. To Rawlinson’s right, Debeney’s advance was slower, owing to shortages of artillery and tanks. Although some of Rawlinson’s divisions advanced six more miles on August 9, tank breakdowns, supply problems, and the arrival of German reserves made further progress difficult.
On August 12, British Expeditionary Force commander Douglas Haig shifted the attacks to a different sector, but subsequent gains east of Amiens caused a German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, fifteen miles farther east, by September 4. The Allies suffered 46,000 casualties (22,000 British and 24,000 French) but caused 52,000 casualties and took more than 36,000 German prisoners.
Significance
The Allied victory at Amiens was World War I’s final turning point. It convinced Germany’s commanding general, Erich Ludendorff, that his army could not win the war.
Bibliography
Blaxland, Gregory. Amiens, 1918. London: Frederick Muller, 1968.
Harris, J. P. Amiens to the Armistice. London: Brassey’s, 1998.
Ludendorff, Erich. Ludendorff’s Own Story, August 1914-November 1918. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1919.
Terraine, John. To Win a War, 1918. New York: Doubleday, 1981.