The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
* Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by several hundred tanks, overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of
the relentless Allied advance which culminated in the
Armistice with Germany
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
about 100 days later.
Background
Following the failure of the
German spring offensive to end the conflict,
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914. ...
,
Chief Quartermaster General, believed that an attack through
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
would give Germany a decisive victory over the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF). To shield his intentions and draw Allied troops away from
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
, Ludendorff planned for a large diversionary attack along the Marne.
German attack
The battle began on 15 July when 23 German divisions of the
First and
Third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hi ...
armies – led by
Bruno von Mudra and
Karl von Einem – assaulted the French
Fourth Army under
Henri Gouraud east of
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded b ...
(the Fourth Battle of Champagne (french: 4e Bataille de Champagne). The
U.S. 42nd Division
The 42nd Infantry Division (42ID) ("Rainbow") is a division of the United States Army National Guard. The 42nd Infantry Division has served in World War I, World War II and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The division is currently headquar ...
was attached to the French Fourth Army. Meanwhile, 17 divisions of the German
Seventh Army, under
Max von Boehn, aided by the
Ninth Army under
Johannes von Eben, attacked the French
Sixth Army led by
Jean Degoutte to the west of Reims (the Battle of the Mountain of Reims (french: Bataille de la Montagne de Reims)). Ludendorff hoped to split the French in two.
East of Reims the French Fourth Army had prepared a defense in depth to counter an intense bombardment and infiltrating infantry. Their main line of resistance was four to five km behind the front, beyond the range of the enemy field guns, it was a continuous trench line – to prevent infiltration – dug on a
reverse slope so it could not be overlooked by enemy artillery observers on the ground. Between the front and the main line of resistance were two lines of strong points, again mostly on reverse slopes. The French gun line behind the front was lightly manned, but the remaining guns fired frequently, so the Germans did not detect its weakness from rate of firing, although aerial observers did spot a concentration of field guns behind the main line of resistance. German offensive tactics stressed surprise, but French intelligence based on aerial observation gave clear warning and from twenty-seven prisoners taken in a trench raid they learned the hour for the attack.
The German bombardment was scheduled for 12:10. The French opened fire on the German assault trenches at 11:30, naturally shaking the confidence of attackers. When the Germans opened fire they pounded the almost empty French front line and their counter-battery fire struck many vacated gun pits. The attackers moved easily through the French front and then were led onward by a rolling barrage, which soon was well ahead of the infantry because they were held up by the points of resistance. When they encountered the French mainline they were ordered to rest, regroup and wait until their field guns were moved into range. They attacked the main line at 08:30 the following morning, an hour after they had originally scheduled to attack. They were stopped by accurate fire by the bulk of the French artillery. They tried again at noon, but failed. A French counter-attack gained little ground, but convinced the German commanders that they could not prevail. The Fourth Army was now able to send reinforcements to their neighbors to the west who had not fared as well.
In the west on the opening day of the offensive the defenders of the south bank of the
Marne had to hold the river bank by enduring an intense three hour bombardment, including many gas shells. Under this cover
stormtroopers swarmed across the river in every sort of transport – including 30-man canvas boats and rafts. They began to erect skeleton bridges at 12 points under fire from the Allied survivors. Some Allied units, particularly Colonel
Ulysses G. McAlexander
Major General Ulysses Grant McAlexander (30 August 1864 – 18 September 1936) was an American officer who served in the United States Army. He was heavily decorated for valor, and is one of the iconic fighting men of the American Expeditionary F ...
's
38th Infantry Regiment of the American
3rd Infantry Division, the "Rock of the Marne", held fast or even counterattacked, but by evening, the Germans had captured a bridgehead on either side of
Dormans deep and wide, despite the aerial intervention of 225 French bombers, dropping of bombs on the makeshift bridges. Ludendorff regarded their advance as "the very pinnacle of military victory".
The French were reinforced by the British
XXII Corps and 85,000 American troops and the German advance stalled on 17 July 1918.
Allied counter-offensive
The German failure to break through, or to destroy the Allied armies in the field, allowed
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...
, the Allied Supreme Commander, to proceed with the planned major counteroffensive on 18 July; 24 French divisions, including the American
92nd and
93rd Infantry Divisions under French command, joined by other Allied troops, including eight large American divisions under American command and 350 tanks attacked the recently formed German salient.
The Allied preparation was very important in countering the German offensive. It was believed that the Allies had the complete picture of the German offensive in terms of intentions and capabilities. The Allies knew the key points of the German plan down to the minute. There is a legend, possibly true, that engineer Cpt. Hunter Grant, along with the help of engagement coordinator and engineer Cpt. Page, devised a deceptive ruse. A briefcase with false plans for an American countererattack was handcuffed to a man who had died of pneumonia and placed in a vehicle which appeared to have run off the road at a German-controlled bridge. The Germans, on finding and being taken in by these plans, then adjusted their attack to thwart the false Allied plan. Consequently, the French and American forces led by Foch were able to conduct a different attack on exposed parts of the enemy lines, leaving the Germans with no choice but to retreat. This engagement marked the beginning of a German withdrawal that was never effectively reversed. In September nine American divisions (about 243,000 men) joined four French divisions to
push the Germans from the St. Mihiel salient.
Earlier, in May, Foch had spotted flaws in the German offensives.
[Neiberg, p. 7] The force that defeated the German offensive was mainly French, with American, British and Italian support. Co-ordinating this counter-attack would be a major problem as Foch had to work with "four national commanders but without any real authority to issue order under his own name ... they would have to fight as a combined force and to overcome the major problems of different languages, cultures, doctrines and fighting styles."
[ However, the presence of fresh American troops, unbroken by years of war, significantly bolstered Allied resistance to the German offensive. ]Floyd Gibbons
Floyd Phillips Gibbons (July 16, 1887 – September 23, 1939) was the war correspondent for the '' Chicago Tribune'' during World War I. One of radio's first news reporters and commentators, he was famous for a fast-talking delivery style. Flo ...
wrote about the American troops, saying, "I never saw men charge to their death with finer spirit."
On 19 July, the Italian Corps lost 9,334 officers and men out of a total fighting strength of about 24,000 during a German assault on their positions, successfully stopping the German advance. Henri Mathias Berthelot
Henri Mathias Berthelot (7 December 1861 – 29 January 1931) was a French general during World War I. He held an important staff position under Joseph Joffre, the French commander-in-chief, at the First Battle of the Marne, before later command ...
rushed two newly arrived British infantry divisions, the 51st (Highland) and 62nd (West Riding), alongside the Italians straight into attack down the Ardre Valley (the Battle of Tardenois (french: Bataille du Tardenois) – named after the surrounding Tardenois
The Tardenois () is today a natural region (''région naturelle'') of France. It is known among archeologists for the epipaleolithic culture known as Tardenoisian after its characteristic arrowheads, originally found at Coincy in the Tardenois in ...
plain).
The Germans ordered a retreat on 20 July and were forced back to the positions from which they had started their Spring Offensive. They strengthened their flank positions opposite the Allied pincers and on the 22nd, Ludendorff ordered to take up a line from the upper Ourcq to Marfaux
Marfaux () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.
See also
* Communes of the Marne department
*Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park
Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional de la Mont ...
.
Costly Allied assaults continued for minimal gains. By 27 July, the Germans had withdrawn their center behind Fère-en-Tardenois and had completed an alternative rail link. The Germans retained Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...
in the west.
On 1 August, French and British divisions of General Charles Mangin
Charles Emmanuel Marie Mangin (6 July 1866 – 12 May 1925) was a French general during World War I.
Early career
Charles Mangin was born on 6 July 1866 in Sarrebourg. After initially failing to gain entrance to Saint-Cyr, he joined the 77th ...
's Tenth Army renewed the attack, advancing to a depth of nearly . The Allied counterattack petered out on 6 August in the face of German offensives. By this stage, the salient had been reduced and the Germans had been forced back to a line running along the Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.[Vesle
The Vesle () is the river on which the city of Reims stands. It is a fourth order river of France and a left-bank tributary of the Aisne. It is long, and rises in the ''département'' of Marne through which it flows most of its course.
Geograp ...]
Rivers; the front had been shortened by .
Assessment
The Second Battle of the Marne was an important victory. Ferdinand Foch received the baton
Baton may refer to:
Stick-like objects
*Baton, a type of club
*Baton (law enforcement)
*Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts
*Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people
*Baton (conductin ...
of a Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
. The Allies had taken 29,367 prisoners, 793 guns and 3,000 machine guns and inflicted 168,000 casualties on the Germans.[Peter Hart, ''The Last Battle: Victory, Defeat, and the End of World War I'', p.22.] The primary importance of the battle was its morale aspect – the strategic gains on the Marne marked the end of a string of German victories and the beginning of a series of Allied victories that would in three months end the war.
See also
*First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...
* Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne at the Butte de Chalmont
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*Major J. W. Anderson. F. A.
With the Tenth Field Artillery at the Second Battle of the Marne
Great Map of the 2nd Battle of the Marne, click it to enlarge to full size.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marne, 2
Battles of World War I involving France
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Battles of World War I involving Italy
Battles of World War I involving the United States
Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom
Battles of the Western Front (World War I)
Battles in Hauts-de-France
Battles in Grand Est
Second Battle of the Marne
Conflicts in 1918
July 1918 events
August 1918 events