The Ludendorff Offensives of 1918: Part II — Operation MICHAEL, The Shock

German Troops Gathering in St. Quentin

By the eve of 21 March 1918, three armies took up positions in specially prepared staging areas that stretched from Croisilles by Arras to the fortress La Fere on the Oise. Arrayed north-to-south were General Otto von Below's 17th Army, the 2nd Army under General der Kavallerie v.d. Marwitz, and in the east General von Hutier's 18th Army. Von Hutier was under the command of the Heeresgruppe Deutsche Kronprinz, and v.d. Marwitz and von Below were under the Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Ruprecht.

As dawn broke over the battlefield on 21 March, the area was covered by a dense fog. The fog, combined with the smoke and gas from the constant shelling, made it difficult to see more than a few meters—perfect conditions for the stormtroops.

On the Receiving End

I was impressed by the way it came down with one big crash…the full force was almost instantaneous… One moment we were walking along is normal, the next there were shells bursting all about us.  

Unidentified British Officer

At 0940, the infantry advanced under cover of its creeping barrage and quickly penetrated the British “forward zone.” The Stormtroops advanced along the low ground where the fog was thickest and by-passed any strongly defended areas. Often, the first Germans the British defenders saw were already behind their positions. Once into the battle zone, the British put up stubborn resistance, especially in the northern sector against the 17th and 2nd Armies. The creeping barrage was lost during the fight for the forward zone, as the fog kept the gunners from seeing the colored rockets that were supposed to control its movement. The infantry had to push through the British “battle zone” supported solely by organic weapons. The Stormtroop units were well equipped and trained to handle these positions. However, the assault of individual strongpoints took time, which upset the German timetable.

German Stormtrooper

Only in Hutier's 18th Army zone was the advance according to schedule. The 18th Army penetrated the “battle zone” and captured British artillery. Gough's 5th Army had no reserves to stem the German advance. The French were concerned that the attack might be a feint, subsequent to an attack at Verdun. The British GHQ was worried about an attack in Flanders against the Channel ports. Gough was on his own. His army fell back fast.

What the Withdrawal Looked Like

We past through the 18-pdr lines, now abandoned, we passed through the 4.5 How. lines as they fired their last shot. There was something very like panic  abroad but I was the last man to deny it. 

Maj. V.V. Pope, 24th Division

By nightfall, 21 March, the Germans stopped short of their goal for the first day. The 17th and the 2nd Armies were still fighting in the British “battle zone.” Surprisingly, the 18th Army had great success and penetrated to the line of the Crozat canal. They met only scattered resistance as the British 5th Army retreated.

Original Concept for MICHAEL

The second day of the offensive was marked by continued heavy fighting in the north, with little German progress. The Germans were beyond the range of the majority of their guns. To aggravate the stormtroopers' problems, they were moving into the range of British guns that were positioned deep enough to escape the initial bombardment. The British organized local counterattacks—some supported with tanks. The 17th and 2nd Armies stopped all counterattacks and continued to advance slowly while taking heavy casualties. Meanwhile, the 18th Army continued its furious advance.

Gough delegated to his corps commanders the authority to retire to the Somme canal if enemy pressure made that necessary. The British 13th Corps commander took that authorization as an order to retire, while the 3rd Corps commander remained in position. The result was a major gap in the British 5th Army center, which opened the door for Hutier. The German 18th Army pushed through the British line and was on the banks of the Somme by the evening of 22 March.

The third day of the offensive presented the German OHL with a dilemma. Should it continue to push through the strong resistance in the north or should it exploit the gains of the 18th Army? Ludendorff decided to reinforce success. He changed the strategic objective of the offensive from defeating the British to separating the British from the French forces. To accomplish this, the 18th Army was required to attack west, in the direction of Amiens, to cut the lines of communication between the Allies. The 2nd Army advanced to the west as well, with the 17th Army swinging northwest to attack the British line around Arras. OHL planned a supporting attack north of Arras, with the assistance of the German 6th Army (Operation MARS), to alleviate pressure on the 17th Army.

Between 23 and 26 March, the Germans continued to make progress in the 2nd and 18th Army zones. The British voluntarily retired from the Cambrai salient, thus freeing the 2nd German Army to pursue the retreating troops. General Haig decided to prevent the envelopment of his army by augmenting his 3rd Army with reserves. Haig left the 5thArmy to its own devices. Gough could look only to the French for support. Concurrently, the 5th Army was practically destroyed. Haig's moves added to the woes of the German 17th Army while permitting even greater advances by the 18th Army.

Damage from German Artillery

In a desperate effort to stem the German advance in the south, Haig met with French general Foch on 26 March. Haig offered to place the entire BEF under French command. Unity of command had been missing from the Allied command structure since the beginning of the war, and it took this state of emergency finally to achieve it. With Foch as supreme commander and his honor on the line, French reserves were released and rushed north to cut off the German advance on Amiens.

Although the Germans made rapid advances, they were not without cost. The stormtroopers, extremely tired, were distracted by captured stores of British food and liquor. The “open warfare,” which Ludendorff sought, was actually fought over the old Somme battlefield with its old trenches and obstacles ready to be turned into strong points. The stormtroopers had to attack multiple hasty positions, often without artillery. The new tactics, which relied on highly motivated, rested men with close artillery support and detailed rehearsal, was coming apart from fatigue and casualties.

On 28 March, the Germans launched their supporting attack, Operation MARS, to seize Arras and to break the 17th Army free for continued advance to the north. This attack, executed without the careful rehearsal and the detailed fire-plan of Operation MICHAEL, miscarried. The British were prepared for the assault, which was thrown back with severe German losses. After the MARS attack, the 17th Army had the strength only to hold the British in place.

Australian Machine Gunners Who Helped Stop
 the German Advance

By 30 March, the German advance stalled across the front with the 18th Army still ten miles short of Amiens. As the offensive ground to a halt, a number of actions took place that were either memorable at the time or would be the site of future significant actions. Two Australian brigades stopped three German divisions around Dernancourt on the Ancre River. Farther south, German troops seized commanding hills at the tiny villages of Le Hamel and Cantigny, sites of future victories of Australian and American forces, respectively. Canadian cavalry hung up the German push west in a series of spoiling actions by at Moreuil and Rifle Woods. British and Australian units held Villers-Bretonneux, gateway to Amiens, against a last-ditch German assault on 5 April. The Commonwealth units moving into the sector assumed greater responsibility for protecting Amiens and would eventually play key roles in the Allied offensive in August. 

Next Thursday we continue our series on the Ludendorff Offensives with Part III: Operation MICHAEL, British Predicament and Response

Sources: A complete list of the sources I drew upon for this series will be presented at the end of its final part. MH