The collapse of this offensive--final turning point of the war--was all the more striking in that it was conceived and executed on truly “kolossal” lines. The enemy attacked on a front still wider than that of the Marne, extending from Château-Thierry to Massiges on the outskirts of Argonne, and measuring fifty-four miles in length. (For particulars of the Battle of Champagne, see the Michelin Guide: “Champagne and Argonne.” French edition.) By a frontal attack, Ludendorff aimed at separating the Allied Armies of the north from those of the east, by outflanking Verdun (_via_ St. Menehould and the upper Aisne Valley) on the one hand, and Rheims and the Mountain of Rheims (_via_ the Marne Valley) on the other hand. [Illustration: WHAT THE GERMANS EXPECTED FROM THEIR “FRIEDENSTURM.”] Once this result obtained, the Germans would then march on Paris, which would be unable to make a prolonged resistance. It was a re-staging of Von Moltke’s dream, four years after the first Battle of the Marne! To carry out this ambitious scheme, the enemy concentrated all the means at their disposal in a supreme effort to snatch the victory. For a month formidable quantities of tanks, storm-troops and batteries of heavy and light artillery were concentrated. Ammunition depots were accumulated right up to the first lines, and huge quantities of bridge-building material collected. All these preparations were made at night, the minutest care and every possible precaution being taken to ensure secrecy. Between Château-Thierry and Rheims the German aim was two-fold; firstly, to cross the Marne and march southwards towards Montmirail and the Petit Morin Valley, and secondly, to follow the river eastwards and attack Epernay. The objectives for the first day were Epernay and points five to six miles south of the Marne. Before July 15, the enemy had seven divisions on the front of attack, to which seven others were now added. On the Mountain of Rheims and on the Marne, in the first line and in reserve, he had about thirty divisions all told, including several of the most famous, _e.g._ the 1st and 2nd Guards, 200th Chasseurs, etc. On the Marne front the line of attack extended from Chartèves to Vrigny. Despite the enemy’s minute precautions, the French were not taken unawares. Thanks to their Intelligence Department and Aerial Reconnoitring Service, the exact time and extent of the coming offensive were known. The artillery preparation began about midnight, the hour of attack varying, from west to east, from 1.20 a.m., south of the Marne, to 4.20 a.m. at Chaumuzy.