German Offensives
The German command believed that with the collapse of Russia Germany now had the numerical advantage it needed to win the war. Ludendorff decided to bring the battle back to France. Dubbed the Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle), Ludendorff launched 4 major offensives, the largest being Operation Michael.
Operation Michael had large success in making advances deep into French territory. However, after 3 days of fighting, the German fighting machine had begun to tire. In the final pushes to get to France, Ludendorff attempted to drive his army through a hole in the Allied defense. However, the Allies effectively closed the gap and stopped the German Offensive. Allied forces suffered 177,739 casualties, while the attacking Germans endured around 239,000. Due to the U.S. coming into the war, the Allied troops could sustain these casualties while the German could not replace the lost men.
Operation Michael had large success in making advances deep into French territory. However, after 3 days of fighting, the German fighting machine had begun to tire. In the final pushes to get to France, Ludendorff attempted to drive his army through a hole in the Allied defense. However, the Allies effectively closed the gap and stopped the German Offensive. Allied forces suffered 177,739 casualties, while the attacking Germans endured around 239,000. Due to the U.S. coming into the war, the Allied troops could sustain these casualties while the German could not replace the lost men.
Allied Counter-Offensives
The closing events of World War I were brought about by the final allied offensive, named the Hundred Days Offensive.It included the Battle of the Amiens, Second Battle of the Somme, and the advances through the Hindenburg line. As the battle of Amiens was coming to a close, British general Douglas Haig ordered a counter offensive at Albert. The offensive developed into a large 55-mile front that pushed the Germans back from the river of the Somme. The Germans were pushed back to the Hindenburg line(the area that they begun their spring offensives). In early September, The Allied offensive, spearheaded by the canadian military, penetrated the Hindenburg line at the battle of Cambrai. Until this point, the Hindenburg defense was believed to be impregnable. These series of events would become known the Second Battle of the Somme. After this point, the German general Ludendorff told the Kaiser to surrender and that this war was now unwinnable.