Map of the Northwestern Front from March 21 to August 21, 1918. Despite the caption, the map shows primarily the German offensives against the British sector, Operations Michael and Georgette. From The War of the Nations Portfolio in Rotogravure Etchings. © Copyrighted 1919 by the New York Times Company
The above map shows the battleline when the German offensive of March 21, 1918 was launched, the furthest point reached in that advance, and the territory recovered up to August 21 by the Allies in Foch's counterattack of July 18.
"Within the space of five days the town of Amiens and the railway centering upon it had been disengaged. Twenty German Divisions had been heavily defeated by thirteen British Infantry Divisions and three Cavalry Divisions, assisted by a regiment of the 33rd American Division and supported by some 400 Tanks. Nearly 22,000 prisoners and over 400 guns had been taken by us, and our line had been pushed forward to a depth of some twelve miles in a vital sector. Further, our deep advance, combined with the attacks of the French Armies on our right, had compelled the enemy to evacuate hurriedly a wide extent of territory to the south of us."
British Commander-in-Chief Douglas Haig writing on August 12 of the Battle of Amiens, begun on the 8th. One of Commander-in-Chief Ferdinand Foch's key aims was to free France's primary rail and communication hubs from German control and put them beyond the reach of German guns. Amiens was a critical center from Paris to the north. Over 300 heavy Mark V tanks and nearly 100 faster and lighter Whippet tanks were critical to the British success on the Battle's first day. Until the formation of the First American Army later in the month, American troops fought under French and British command.
The Tank Corps by Clough Williams-Ellis & A. Williams-Ellis, page 212, publisher: The Offices of "Country Life," Ltd. and George Newnes, Ltd., publication date: 1919
1918-08-12, 1918, August, Douglas Haig, Haig, tank, tanks, Tank, Tanks, Battle of Amiens, Amiens, Northwestern Front 1918-03-21-08-21
