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==Background==The German army was under Stormtroopers soon entered the direction of General Erich Ludendorff, by this stage breach in the war, his old collaborator Field Marshall von Hindenburg was only nominally German Chief of Staff. He was line and pushed several miles towards the mastermind Channel Port of the Spring offensive in 1918, which is often referred to as the ‘Ludendorff Offensive’<ref> Zabecki, DDunkirk.T, The German 1918 Offensives: A Case Study of the Operational Level of WarFearing that they were being outflanked, (Taylor & Francis, London, 2005), p 56 </ref>. On the face of it Germany British Divisions withdrew and the Central Powers are in formed a strong position in early 1918. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Russians had withdrawn from the war and the Germans had secured new territory in defensive line on the eastRiver Lys. Romania had been defeated and Italy and Greece are no longer a threat. By 1918, it It was clear that WW I would be decided on the western front <ref> Zabeck, p. 57</ref>. The Germans knew feared that after America had joined the war, that they would tip the balance in favour of the allies, in the long term. By early 1918, the Americans had already begun to make a difference on the western front and if they were allowed to build up their strength, furtherthis line did not hold, then the allies, eventually Germans could inflict a decisive defeat on Imperial Germany. Furthermore, as a result of the allied naval blockade, Germany was on the brink of starvation press forward and there was great unrest in take the cities and strikes had become very common <ref> Pitt, Barrie, 1918 The Last ActChannel Ports. Pen & Sword Military Classics. Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 1962, p. 45</ref>. Ludendorff was in a race against time. Germany had to defeat Britain and France or they faced almost certain defeat, Ludendorff believed that they had only one last chance to strike Had the Germans succeeded this could have dealt a decisive blow against to the allies before it was too lateAllied war effort. Ludendorff was a realist and knew that the situation was grave for Germany <ref> PittThe French again sent reinforcements, p. 47</ref>. After but before they even arrived the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk the German Army could transfer some 50 divisions from the Eastern Front Germans had come to the western fronta halt, in early 1918as their supply lines became overextended. Ludendorff would use these divisions in his last offensive and Germany’s last effort to win WW I <ref> PittMiddlebrook, p. 13114</ref>.
==Preparation==The Germans first transported the fifty divisions by rail from the east then turned their attention to the western front. Ludendorff decided that the goal of the offensive would be to divide area where the British and the French armieslines met. The British are mainly based in Ludendorff wanted the north of France, while the French army is located in the centre and east of France. The Germans wanted Stormtroopers to drive a wedge between the two armies. The Germans after a brief, but heavy bombardment, attacked several weakened British Divisions in and the Frencharound Reims. They intended after this to drive the British pushed them back to the Channel Portsmany miles, at and the same time the Germans planned Stormtroopers almost advanced to seize the remaining ports in Belgium. It was hoped that by defeating the British that they would seek peace terms with Germany and that once their main ally had capitulatedMarne, the French would also seek causing people to negotiate with Berlinflee from Paris. This would<ref> Gray, in turnRandal, persuade the Americans to also seek a negotiated settlement with the Germans<i>[https://www.amazon. com/gp/product/1855321572/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1855321572&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=4a3b9d3ca6a0b8c64b1bbbccf0575c62 Kaiserschlacht, 1918: The Germans at this stage are well aware that it was almost impossible for them to achieve outright victory and that the best that they could hope for was some form of negotiated settlement Final German Offensive]<ref/i> Keegan, John The First World War Osprey Campaign Series 11 (London: Osprey, Pimlico, 19991991), p. 345176</ref>.Key to Once again the German strategy was the widespread use of Stormtrooper units advance stalled and formationsthey were not able to push towards Paris. These were highly mobile soldiers who would storm The Germans then immediately turned their attention to the allies’ trenches French army and then launched a surprise attack on French positions near Amiens. This was once again successful at least initially, but a French counterattack, supported by the their rearAmericans, disrupting supply lines and communications and especially destroying artillery. The Stormtroopers were halted the elite of the German armyGermans in May 1918. The best men are used to form these units and they receive special training and advanced weaponry<ref> KeeganGray, p. 346 179</ref>. They were used to spearhead the German advance and they were expected to occupy key strategic positions very quickly. The speed of the Stormtroopers was expected to deliver victory on the western front. The Germans also used short, massive bombardments before the assaults, a tactic that had been previously used with great success on the eastern front.
==The Offensive==[[File: German Offensive 2Germans had so far had some real success.jpg|thumbnail|300px|British Machine gunners 1918]]The Offensive took place over Ludendorff was aware that he needed to inflict a period of one hundred days and four or five major battles are identifiable during this phase of decisive defeat on the warallies. The first major operation of They had already received more support from the Spring Offensive was Operation Michael. On 21 March 1918Americans than expected, and this concerned the German Stormtroopers launched an attack against the British Fifth Army and against the right wing of the British Third Army. By the end of the first day, the British had suffered some 50,000 casualties and the Germans had broken through at several pointsHigh Command. The British Fifth Army after two days was in full retreat and the Third Army was also forced They decided to withdraw from its positions as its commanders feared being surrounded by the Germans. The French dispatched several divisions try one last all-out assault to halt break the German advance and they helped allies will to slow fight and eventually bring them to halt the German advancenegotiating table. The German This attack had achieved real and substantive gains but it was not a decisive defeat for called by Ludendorff "the British in particularPeace Offensive" because they believed that if it succeeded, who regrouped and established it would lead to a new line peaceful resolution of defences <ref> Middlebrook, Martinthe war in Germany’s favor. The Kaiser's Battle: 21 March 1918: The First Day of Germans attacked the German Spring Offensive. (Hammondsworth, Penguin. 1983), p. 111</ref>. The British had been forced to send their reserves to support French and the British Third and Fifth Army in and around the River Marne in mid-July 1918, this left them very weak on their flanks, especially in the sectors around battle is sometimes referred to as the Channel Ports. The Portuguese Second Division was targeted by Battle of the Germans. The Portuguese were spread very thin and expected to hold a very long lineMarne. The Germans launched a brutal artillery assault on their positions and the Portuguese Division fled<ref> Keegan, p. 347337</ref>. The Stormtroopers soon entered the breach in the line and pushed several miles towards the Channel Port of Dunkirk. Fearing being outflanked the British Divisions withdrew and they formed a new defensive line on the River Lys. It was feared that if this line did not hold then the Germans could press on and take the Channel Ports and French had strongly fortified this could have dealt a decisive blow sector to the Allied war effortprotect Paris. The French again sent reinforcements, but before they even arrived the Germans had come to a haltlost many of their best men, as their supply lines and they were overextended <Middlebrook, p. 114</ref>running low on supplies.
Then Moreover, they had lost the Germans turned their attention to element of surprise, and a German prisoner had informed them of where and when the area where attack would take place. This German assault, unlike the British earlier attacks, did not yield any significant results and the French lines metheld. Ludendorff wanted the Stormtroopers had to drive a wedge between the two armies. The Germans after a brief, but heavy bombardment, attacked several weakened British Divisions in and around Reims. They drove them back many miles evacuate some divisions fearing they would be outflanked and this ended the Stormtroopers almost advanced to the Marne, causing people to flee from Paris <ref> Gray, Randal, Kaiserschlacht, 1918: The Final German Spring Offensive, Osprey Campaign Series 11 (London: Osprey, 1991), p. 176</ref>. Once again the German advance falters and there was no attempt made to drive towards Paris. The Germans then turned their attention to the French army and launched a surprise attack on French positions near Amiens. This was once again successful at least initialy, but a French counterattack, supported by the Americans, halted the Germans in May 1918<ref> Gray, p. 179</ref>.
==Reasons for the Failure of the German Offensive==The Germans failed for a variety of reasons. One was that Ludendorff did not set out clear objectives. He constantly changed his mind and he deviated from his original plans and goals. This caused some confusion in the German chain of command. Then there was the overreliance on the Stormtroopers, they were among the finest soldiers of the First World War <ref> Gray, 212</ref>. However, after the first assaults the suffered heavy casualties and the Germans could not replace them with the same quality of troops. This meant that the Stormtroopers became relatively ineffective. This is best seen at the Second Battle of the Marne, when they failed to achieve any sort of breakthrough. Ludendorff also failed to support the Stormtroopers when they did advance, there were no mobile units, such as cavalry mad available, to reinforce the newly captured territories <Gray, 214</ref>. This made the Stormtroopers very vulnerable to any counterattacks as in May 1918. Furthermore, after the first battles the allies reinforced their defensive positions and this made any German breakthrough even harder to achieve. Then there were military during the offensive faced a critical issues shortage of German supplies. The German economy was on the verge of collapse , and it could barely feed its people. This was perhaps the main reason why the German Offensive in Spring 1918 ultimately failed. The German army was often hungry , and its advance was advances were often slowed as hungry troops pillaged captured allied supply depots. There was also a critical shortage of fuel for tanks and the German planes, so much so that . This allowed the allies are able to retain air superiority during the course of the offensives. Then as the German -made rapid advances , their supply lines are were unable to keep pace , and this results in shortages of everything that slowed the advance. On several occasions , the Germans simply stopped their advanceprogress, not because of ally’s resistance but because they had run out of supplies.<ref> Zabecki, p 345</ref>.
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Admin moved page Why did the German Spring Offensive of 1918 fail? to Why did the German Spring Offensive of 1918 fail
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[[File: German Offensive 1.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|German troops taking an allied trench in 1918]]
General Erich Ludendorff's German Spring Offensive of 1918 was one of the last great offensives of the First World War and an abject failure. When the offensive ultimately failed, and the allies were able to beat back the German attacks. The German Spring Offensive of 1918 was the last effort by Germany to win the war, and its failure meant that the Central Powers had effectively lost. If the Spring Offensive had succeeded in the outcome of the war and the course of history in the Twentieth Century would have been very different. The German Spring Offensive stalled for a variety of reasons including inadequate supplies, stubborn Allied defensive tactics, an over-reliance on German Stormtroopers, and the German military overestimation of their offensive capabilities.
====Background====The German army was under the direction of General Erich Ludendorff, by this stage in the war, his old collaborator Field Marshall von Hindenburg was only nominally German Chief of Staff. He was the mastermind of the Spring offensive in 1918, which is often referred to as the "Ludendorff Offensive."<ref> Zabecki, D.T, <i>[[Filehttps: //www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415558794/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415558794&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=373626d3ceaebc75f2fc9c065091d643 The German Offensive 11918 Offensives: A Case Study of the Operational Level of War]</i>, (Taylor & Francis, London, 2005), p 56.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|German troops taking an allied trench </ref> On the face of it, Germany and the Central Powers were in a strong position in early 1918]]. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Russians had withdrawn from the war, and the Germans had secured new territory in the east. Romania had been defeated, and Italy and Greece were no longer a threat. By 1918, it was clear that the Great War would be decided on the western front.<ref> Zabeck, p. 57</ref> The German Spring Offensive command knew that after America joined the war, they could potentially tip the balance in favor of the allies. By early 1918, the Americans had already begun to make a difference on the western front. Germany was concerned that if they were allowed to build up their strength, the allies could inflict a decisive defeat on Imperial Germany. Furthermore, as a result of the allied naval blockade, Germany was on the brink of starvation. Unrest and labor strikes had become common in German cities.<ref> Pitt, Barrie, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1783461721/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1783461721&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=4e188665c596836086b502c71ce49de0 1918 The Last Act,]</i> Pen & Sword Military Classics. Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 1962, p. 45</ref> Ludendorff was in a race against time because Germany had to defeat Britain and France quickly or they faced almost certain defeat. Ludendorff believed that they had only one last chance to strike a decisive blow against the allies before it was too late. He was a realist and knew that the situation was grave for Germany.<ref> Pitt, p. 47</ref> The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk allowed the German Army to transfer some 50 divisions from the eastern to western front, in early 1918. Ludendorff decided to use these divisions in his last great offensives offensive and force the Allies to sue for peace.<ref> Pitt, p. 13</ref> ====Preparation====Germany first shifted fifty divisions by rail from the east to the western front. Ludendorff decided that the goal of the offensive would be to divide the British and the French armies. The British were mainly based in northern France, while the French army was located in the center and east of France. The Germans wanted to drive a wedge between the British and the French. They intended to drive the British back to the Channel Ports. Concurrently, the German command planned to seize the remaining ports in Belgium. They hoped that by defeating the British that they would seek peace terms with Germany and after capitulating, the French would be forced to negotiate with Berlin. Also, this outcome would persuade the Americans to seek a negotiated settlement with the Germans. The Germans knew that it was almost impossible for them to achieve outright victory and that their only hope was some form of advantageous negotiated settlement.<ref> Keegan, John. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375700455/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375700455&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=db56d7558b1712170cfe13c1af2e9f2c The First World War]</i> (London, Pimlico, 1999), p. 345</ref> The offensive ultimately failed German strategy relied on the widespread use of Stormtrooper units and formations. These were highly mobile soldiers who would storm the allies’ trenches and then attack their rear, disrupting supply lines and communications and especially destroying artillery. The Stormtroopers were the elite forces of the allies German army. The best men were used to form these units, and they received specialized training and advanced weaponry.<ref> Keegan, p. 346 </ref> They were able to beat back be used as the spearhead of the German attacksadvance. The German Spring Offensive command hoped that the Stormtroopers would quickly occupy key strategic positions. The speed of 1918 the Stormtroopers was expected to deliver victory on the last effort by Germany to win western front. The Germans also used short, massive bombardments before the war and its failure meant assaults, a tactic that had been previously used with great success on the Central Powers had effectively lost eastern front. ====The Offensive====[[File: German Offensive 2.jpg|thumbnail|350px|left|British Machine gunners 1918]]The Offensive took place throughout one hundred days, and four or five major battles are identifiable during this phase of the war. If The first major operation of the Spring Offensive had succeeded was Operation Michael. On 21 March 1918, the German Stormtroopers launched an attack against the British Fifth Army and the right wing of the British Third Army. By the outcome end of the war first day, the British had suffered some 50,000 casualties, and the course of history Germans had broken through at several points. The British Fifth Army after two days was in full retreat and the Third Army was also forced to withdraw from its positions as its commanders feared being surrounded by the Germans. The French dispatched several divisions to halt the German advance, and they helped to slow and eventually to halt the Twentieth Century would have been very differentGerman advance. The German Spring Offensive failed attack had achieved real and substantive gains, but it was not a decisive defeat for the British in particular, who regrouped and established a variety new line of defenses.<ref> Middlebrook, Martin. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K16X9X2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01K16X9X2&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d8d7858aa44b3dda4f8077a9b5521faf The Kaiser's Battle: 21 March 1918: The First Day of reasons the German Spring Offensive]</i>. (Hammondsworth, Penguin. 1983), p. 111.</ref> The British were forced to send their reserve units to support the British Third and these included poor suppliesFifth Armies. This shift left them very weak on their flanks, stubborn Allied defensive tactics, over reliance especially in the sectors around the Channel Ports. The Germans targeted the Portuguese Second Division. The Portuguese were spread very thin and expected to hold a very long line. The Germans launched a brutal artillery assault on Stormtrooperstheir positions, and the German military overestimating their capabilitiesPortuguese Division fled.<ref> Keegan, p.347</ref>
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====Outcome of the Offensive====[[File: German Offensive 3.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|British and Commonwealth troops in 1918]]This series of attacks yielded large territorial gains for the Germans, at least when compared to previous offensives. The Germans had so far had some real success. Ludendorff was aware that he needed to did not inflict a decisive defeat on the allies. They had already received more support from , and they failed to drive a wedge between the Americans than expected British and this was a worry to the German High CommandFrench. They decided on one last all-out assault in order to break the allies will Additionally, they utterly failed to fight and bring force them to the negotiating table. This attack was called by Ludendorff the Peace Offensive because it was believed that if it succeeded it would lead to a peaceful resolution of the war, and one in Germany’s favor. The Germans attacked the French and the British in and around the River Marne in mid-July 1918, this battle is sometimes known as the Second Battle of the Marne <ref> KeeganGray, p. 337213 </ref>. The French had strongly fortified this sector in order to protect Paris. The territory that the Germans had lost many of their best men and they were running low on supplies. Moreover, gained meant that they had lost the element of surprise and a German prisoner had informed them of where and when, the attack would take placean extended their supply lines. This German assault, unlike Their army was thinned across the earlier attacks did not yield any significant results front and the French lines held. In fact, Ludendorff had was susceptible to evacuate some divisions fearing they would be outflanked and this is regarded as the end of the German Spring OffensiveAllied counterattacks.
It has been argued that despite the territorial gains that the Germans were left in far weaker positions after the Spring Offensive than before the attacks. The Germans lost many men during the battles in the Spring of 1918. It has been estimated that the strength of the German army had fallen from just over five million in March 1918 to just over four million by the Autumn of 1918. The allies had also suffered many losses, but these were made alleviated by reinforcements from the United States. By Autumn, the German army had all but collapsed, leading to the Armistice of 1918 and the defeat of the German Empire.<ref> Keegan, p. 401</ref>
==Outcome ==Reasons for the Failure of the German Offensive====[[File: German Offensive 3The Germans failed for a variety of reasons. First, Ludendorff failed to set out clear objectives.jpg|thumbnail|300px|British He constantly changed his mind and deviated from his original plans and Commonwealth troops goals. This caused some confusion in 1918]]The series the German chain of offensives had yielded large territorial gains for command. Then there was the over-reliance on the GermansStormtroopers, at lease when compared to previous offensives. The Germansthey were among the finest soldiers of the First World War, however did not inflict a decisive defeat on but after the allies and first assaults they failed to drive a wedge between the British suffered heavy casualties and the French and utterly failed to force Germans could not effectively replace them to with the negotiating table same quality of troops.<ref> Gray. p 213 , 212</ref>. The territory This meant that the Germans had gained meant that they had an extended line to defend and this meant that Stormtroopers quickly lost their army was quite thinly spread in many areas. Moreover, some were in the form of salients that were vulnerable effectiveness due to allied attacks. It has been argued that despite the territorial gains that the Germans were left in a weaker positions’ after the Spring Offensive than before the attackshigh casualty rate. The Germans lost many men during the battles in the Spring of 1918. It has been estimated that This reality was demonstrated at the strength Second Battle of the German army had fallen from just over five million in March 1918 Marne, when they failed to just over four million by the Autumn achieve any sort of 1918breakthrough. The allies had Ludendorff also suffered many losses but these were made good by reinforcements from Americafailed to support the Stormtroopers when they did advance. The Germans after the offensives found themselves in a very weak position and during the allied offensives in the Autumn, their German army all but collapsedlacked mobile units, leading such as cavalry made to reinforce the Armistice of 1918 and the defeat of the German Empire newly captured territories.<ref> KeeganGray, p. 401214</ref>This made the Stormtroopers very vulnerable to any counterattacks during the offensive. Furthermore, after the first battles the allies reinforced their defensive positions and this made any German breakthrough even harder to achieve.
====Conclusion====
The great German Spring Offensive was a failure. It failed to inflict a decisive defeat on the allies and force them to negotiate a peace settlement. The Germans offensive was well planned but its goals had been poorly defined and they often changed. The German army by 1918 was poorly supplied and this greatly constrained its ability to fight and to press home its early gains in the Spring of 1918. The offensive was a partial success in terms of territorial gain, but it proved very costly. The allies had been badly hit but they had not been broken. At no time did the French or the British consider negotiating with Berlin, partly because they knew that the Americans would soon flood the western front with men and material. The German army after the demands and losses of the offensive was very weak and when the allies launched a massive Autumn offensive they simply collapsed and this led to the end of the war and an allied victory.
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