First World War German Spring Offensive 1918
The German Spring Offensive comprised three major attacks launched on the Western Front in March, April and May 1918.
Using troops released from the Eastern Front following the Russian Revolution and collapse of the Russian Armies in late 1917, the German Army attempted to swiftly win the war before the Americans, who had joined the Allies in April 1917, arrived in sufficient force to tip the scales in the Allies’ favour on the Western Front.
After the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, in late 1917, the Australians held the Messines-Wytschaete sector in Belgium and prepared defences against an expected German offensive in spring.
Between 21 March and 5 April 1918, the German Army mounted its massive Spring Offensive. This drove Allied forces west towards Amiens. Compared to the previous three years of largely stagnant trench warfare, operations were now fast-moving and saw the Germans sweeping across the old Somme battlefield of 1916 and the broad uplands to the south of the Somme in France.
Australians took part in a series of difficult defensive actions at places like Dernancourt as the Germans advanced. On 4 April 1918 the German troops almost captured the village of Villers-Bretonneux but were repelled by British and Australian infantry. On 24 April the Germans succeeded and began to advance west into the area to the north and south of the ground where Adelaide Cemetery now stands. An aggressive Australian and British counterattack that same night saw Villers-Bretonneux recaptured on 25 April.
In May 1918, General Monash took command of the Australian Corps from the British commander, General Birdwood.
On 4 July, 8,000 men from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions, with 1,000 American infantrymen from the US 33rd Division, captured the village of Le Hamel and surrounding areas from German forces in a battle which was successfully carried out in just 93 minutes.
The remarkable Australian success of the Battle of Hamel was a precursor to the Allied counter-offensives which would commence east of Amiens in August 1918.