Battle of Amiens (1918): The Black Day of the German Army

The Battle of Amiens (8–12 August 1918) was a surprise Allied offensive east of the French city of Amiens that broke through German lines on its first day and opened the final phase of the First World War on the Western Front. British, Australian, Canadian and French troops, supported by hundreds of tanks and aircraft, advanced further in a single day than in months of earlier fighting. The German commander Erich Ludendorff later called 8 August “the black day of the German army”.

Background

In spring 1918 the German Spring Offensive drove the British back towards Amiens, a vital railway junction, before being stopped in April. By July the German armies were exhausted, and the failure of their last attack at the Second Battle of the Marne handed the initiative to the Allies under their Supreme Commander, Ferdinand Foch.

Foch and the British commander-in-chief, Sir Douglas Haig, agreed on an attack to free the Amiens railway. General Sir Henry Rawlinson’s Fourth Army would lead, with the French First Army under General Marie-Eugène Debeney attacking alongside it to the south.

Preparation and surprise

The plan relied on lessons learned since the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. There was no long preliminary bombardment to warn the enemy. Instead, artillery used aerial photographs and sound-ranging to locate German guns in advance, so they could be hit the moment the attack began.

Secrecy was strict. The Canadian Corps, under Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie, was moved in secret from the Arras sector, while a small Canadian detachment remained in Flanders to deceive the Germans. Troops and tanks moved only at night, and aircraft flew over the lines to mask the noise of engines. The Australian Corps under Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, who had shown what careful planning could achieve at Hamel in July, would attack beside the Canadians.

What happened

At 4:20 am on 8 August, in thick morning mist, more than 2,000 guns opened fire and the infantry and tanks advanced behind a creeping barrage. The Canadians and Australians in the centre broke through quickly. Mark V heavy tanks crushed barbed wire and machine-gun posts, while faster Whippet tanks, cavalry and armoured cars pushed into the German rear, capturing guns and headquarters. Allied aircraft attacked troops, roads and the bridges over the Somme.

By evening the Allies had advanced up to about 11-13 km in places. North of the Somme, the British III Corps faced tougher ground and made smaller gains. What alarmed the German high command most was not only the lost ground but the behaviour of its troops: whole units surrendered, and reinforcements were reportedly jeered by retreating soldiers.

On the following days the advance slowed sharply. Many tanks had broken down or been destroyed, the infantry outran its artillery, and German reserves arrived and occupied old trenches from the 1916 battles. By 11–12 August the attack had stalled. Haig, against Foch’s wishes, ended it and switched pressure to the north, where the British Third Army attacked on 21 August.

By the numbers

Figures are estimates and vary between sources.

Key people

Henry Rawlinson commanded the British Fourth Army. John Monash, a civil engineer and reservist, became famous as one of the war’s most effective planners. Arthur Currie led the Canadian Corps, which spearheaded much of the Hundred Days. Marie-Eugène Debeney commanded the French First Army. On the German side, Erich Ludendorff effectively directed the war effort.

Consequences

Amiens did not end the war, but it changed its outlook. Ludendorff concluded that Germany could not win and offered his resignation, which the Kaiser refused. At a conference at Spa on 13–14 August, the German leadership accepted that peace negotiations would have to be sought, though they hoped to do so from a position of strength.

For the Allies, Amiens began the Hundred Days Offensive, a series of attacks on different parts of the front that pushed the Germans back continuously until the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

Timeline

• 1918, 4 July: Australian attack at Hamel tests combined-arms methods.
• 1918, late July: Canadian Corps moves secretly to the Amiens sector.
• 1918, 8 August, 4:20 am: The Allied attack opens in mist.
• 1918, 8 August, evening: Allies have advanced up to about 11-13 km.
• 1918, 10–11 August: The advance slows as German reserves arrive.
• 1918, 12 August: The offensive is effectively halted.
• 1918, 13–14 August: German leaders at Spa accept the need to seek peace.
• 1918, 21 August: The British Third Army attacks near Albert.

Why it matters

The Battle of Amiens showed how far armies had come since 1914: infantry, artillery, tanks, aircraft and communications working together could break a fortified front. It shattered German confidence, convinced Germany’s commanders that victory was impossible, and launched the campaign that ended the First World War.