Battle of Amiens, WWI Victory at Great Cost

Battle in France in August 1918 Was Turning Point in World War One

Aug 10, 2008

Canadians at the ready, the Allies took on the Germans at Amiens, France, surprising the overconfident enemy in covert assaults. The battle was won, but thousands lost

“We should wish for nothing better than to see the enemy launch an offensive,” said German Commander Erich Ludendorff in July 1918, according to the book Amiens: Dawn of Victory, “which can but hasten the disintegration of his forces.” On the same day, Commander von der Marwitz of Germany’s Second Army learned that “Apparently two Canadian divisions have been relieved from their hitherto front position after a short tour; particular attention should be given to ascertain their whereabouts.” Commander Ludendorff was about to regret his wish for an offensive.

Earlier, on March 21st, the Germans had made an all-out offensive on the British and French armies holding territory in France. The German action was an effort to divide and conquer, to force one or the other to surrender and end the war. During the Kaiserschlact, half a million German infantrymen attacked for five hours with a massive artillery bombardment of explosive shells and gas bombs, stated Commonwealth War Graves Commission Decimated and almost certain they were losing the war, the Allies still held on.

In June, the Germans attacked Canadian installations in particular, bombing two hospitals and the well-marked hospital ship, Llandover Castle. Two hundred and thirty five lives were lost, including 16 Canadian nursing sisters.

Invasion Planned in Secrecy

The mission for the Allies now became retaliation. Under the leadership of Maréchal Ferdinand Foch, the team of British Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, General Sir Henry Rawlinson, Lt. General Richard Butler and Sir John Monash, Commander of the Australian Divisions, plus Sir Arthur Currie and Lt. General Charles Cavanaugh of the Canadian contingent, planned an invasion in utmost secrecy. Divisions were quietly moved into place, while German intelligence was not certain just where those divisions had moved to. Perhaps a tour in Belgium, it was suggested.

In the early morning hours of August 8, 1918, 10 divisions of the Canadians and Australians attacked the rear German lines, taking the enemy completely by surprise. The Allies advanced 8 miles through heavy German defenses to Amiens with tanks, cavalry, small armoured cars and, said Civilization, using tactical airpower. Though taken by surprise, the Germans produced strong resistance with the arrival of reinforcements to try to squash the Canadian and Australian corps. Of 420 tanks used by the Allies, most were put out of commission by the end of the skirmish.

For three more days, the Allies gained ground, pushing the German army to its limit and forcing a retreat. The German Commanders admitted failure in the gory battle. During the four days of intense fighting, 5,033 soldiers surrendered to the Canadians in the greatest defeat suffered by the Germans. It would be only 100 days more until the Germans would give up completely, bringing World War One to an end. When the Battle of Amiens ended, German Commander Ludendorff claimed the event a “black day of the German army.”

Many Canadians Lost

While the victory in Amiens was known as one of the most successful of WWI, the Allies took tremendous losses – on the first day alone, more than 4,000 Canadian soldiers were killed. By August 11th, 9,074 Canadians were wounded or killed, said Bill Beswetherick in his August 8, 2008 article in the Kingston Whig-Standard, Amiens – Spearhead of Victory.

A beautiful granite monument to the Canadian soldiers was erected in Le Quesnel, a French village located between Amiens and Royer. The inscription states,

The Canadian Corps One Hundred Thousand Strong on 8th August 1918 Attacked Between Hourges and Villers-Bretonneux and Drove the Enemy Eastward for Eight Miles.

The copyright of the article Battle of Amiens, WWI Victory at Great Cost in Canadian History is owned by Susanna McLeod. Permission to republish Battle of Amiens, WWI Victory at Great Cost in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.