The Ludendorff Offensive

(The Spring Offensive)

German intention – to draw the British away from the

supply lines at the Channel ports

Why Now?

• The Germans realised their only remaining chance was to defeat the allies before the Americans joined the war.

• They also had the advantage of extra resources which could be freed now that the Russians had surrendered (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).

Eric Ludendorff – who planned the

attack

Tactics

Offensive

Vs.

Defensive

Offensive tactics (Germans)Stormtroopers

The Germans had developed ‘stormtrooper’ units who were the fittest

and best soldiers in each battalion. They would storm ahead and attack at the enemies strongest points, leaving the

infantry to ‘mop up’ after them.

Main aims

To attack and disrupt enemy headquarters,

artillery units and supply depots in the rear areas

To occupy territory rapidly

Smash front-line infantry defences

Destruction of artillery

Attack enemy command and communications

Ka-Boom

3 phases to German attack:-

Ka-Boom

• Defensive tactics (Allies)

• The allies had developed defences in depth (similar to the way the Germans had developed their defences e.g. prior to the Somme)

• 3 levels to the allied defence

Battle Zone

Rear Zone

Outpost Zone (Forward Zone)Lightly held by snipers, machine-gun posts and

patrols

Reserves held ready to counter-attack or seal of

any penetrations

The offensive was firmly resisted here

QuestionsPut the Heading

‘The Ludendorff Offensive’

1. Why did the Germans choose to launch an offensive now?

2. What were stormtoopers?

3. Describe the 3 main offensive strategies the Germans were planning on using.

4. Describe, in detail, what the Allies planned to do in response to the German attack.

Outpost Zone

Battle Zone

Rear Zone

What was the offensive?

• There were four separate attacks, codenamed:-

• Michael• Georgette• Gneisenau• Blucher-Yorck

• There was also a Final Offensive which was really a last act of desperation on the part of the Germans.

MichaelGeorgette

Blücher-Yorck

Gneisenau

Final Offensive

Michael

German Success

•Allies taken by surprise by size of attack•Foggy conditions gave the Germans a great advantage•Stormtroopers penetrated deep into Allied positions•After 2 days the British Fifth Army in full retreat•255,000 allies killed

First Offensive (Operation Michael)

Michael

First Offensive (Operation Michael)

German Failures

•Ludendorff failed to follow correct stormtrooper tactics•Troops exhausted after 3 days•Troops had little support•Newly won territory of little use (mostly No-Mans-Land)•Failed to capture important strategic points•The German casualties were mostly stormtroopers i.e. their strongest and fittest soldiers

Georgette

Second Offensive (Operation Georgette – The Battle of the Lys

•This was an attempt to cut off the British from their supply line across the English channel

•The Germans smashed through a Portuguese defensive line only to be stopped by the British. There was then a desperate struggle as the British waited for French re-inforcements

•Again, the Germans could not capitalise as they could not get their supplies through in time and had to retreat as the British, French and Australians counter-attacked.

Blücher-Yorck

Third Offensive

•The idea here was to split the British and french forces before the Americans could arrive to back them up

•The Germans had a huge deal of success here as the French and British were not ready. They almost made it as far as Paris

•The United States forces arrived just in time to foil the German advance

Gneisenau

Fourth Offensive

•The idea here was to draw more Allied reserves south and link with the Germans at Amiens

•The French were tipped of by German prisoners and were ready for the massive artillery bombardment

•Eventually a French counter-attack drove the Germans back

Final Offensive

•Again the Germans tried to draw the Allies south

•The French launched a successful counter-attack again, threatening to cut off the Germans who just escaped

•By now, the Offensive was on it’s last legs

• Task

• Describe briefly each of the campaigns during the Spring Offensive. Put a sub-heading for each campaign.