The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
World War, 1914-1918
In the morning of August 7, 1918, Field Marshal Haig delivered a heavy
blow at the armies of Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria on the southern side
of the Lys salient. The British attack was launched on the front of
about five miles, advancing their whole line to a depth of a thousand
yards. To the south on the front east of Amiens on the Bray-Corbie
road British troops recaptured positions which the Germans had
occupied on the previous day.
Along the Vesle between Braisne and Fismes, where French and American
troops held the highway which runs parallel with the river, the
Germans made furious counterattacks, but failed to dislodge the
Allies. Nor were they able to hinder more than temporarily the French
and Americans from crossing the river on hastily constructed bridges
which their engineers had thrown over the stream protected by a heavy
barrage.
At daybreak, August 8, 1918, Field Marshal Haig attacked the German
lines from near Albert south to Braches, on the Avre above Montdidier,
with forces that included not only British, French, and Australian
troops but also Canadians who had been brought up suddenly from the
vicinity of Lens. The enemy, taken by surprise, were thrust back along
almost the entire front of twenty-five miles, and this resulted in the
capture by the Allies of over a hundred guns and more than 10,000
prisoners. The advance was between four and five miles, and at one
point seven miles.
The British launched their attack in a mist, after only a few minutes
of artillery preparation, and the Germans were overwhelmed in the
first onrush. The British won their objectives with only nominal
losses. Of an entire army corps only two officers and fifteen men of
the ranks were reported as casualties. The heavy mist in the early
morning when the Allies advanced favored their plans, for not until 8
o'clock did a German aeroplane appear over the line and by that time
the Allies had already made important progress. In the advance, tanks
and armored cars accomplished wonders, striking dismay in the ranks of
the enemy as they plunged through the mists, spouting fire and
destruction, sweeping on heedless of obstacles and of the concentrated
attack of German guns. By noon the Germans were making desperate
efforts to escape with their transports.
The quick and complete victory of the Allies on this day, August 8,
1918, proved that Foch's counteroffensive had turned the scale in
their favor. From this time on, the Allies attacked and the Germans
retreated.
[Illustration: Advance of the Allies on the Amiens Front, August 8,
1918.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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