The Ludendorff Offensive (The Spring Offensive). German intention – to draw the British away from...
-
Upload
maurice-skinner -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of The Ludendorff Offensive (The Spring Offensive). German intention – to draw the British away from...
The Ludendorff Offensive
(The Spring Offensive)
German intention – to draw the British away from the
supply lines at the Channel ports
Why Now?
• The Germans realised their only remaining chance was to defeat the allies before the Americans joined the war.
• They also had the advantage of extra resources which could be freed now that the Russians had surrendered (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).
Eric Ludendorff – who planned the
attack
Tactics
Offensive
Vs.
Defensive
Offensive tactics (Germans)Stormtroopers
The Germans had developed ‘stormtrooper’ units who were the fittest
and best soldiers in each battalion. They would storm ahead and attack at the enemies strongest points, leaving the
infantry to ‘mop up’ after them.
Main aims
To attack and disrupt enemy headquarters,
artillery units and supply depots in the rear areas
To occupy territory rapidly
Smash front-line infantry defences
Destruction of artillery
Attack enemy command and communications
Ka-Boom
3 phases to German attack:-
Ka-Boom
• Defensive tactics (Allies)
• The allies had developed defences in depth (similar to the way the Germans had developed their defences e.g. prior to the Somme)
• 3 levels to the allied defence
Battle Zone
Rear Zone
Outpost Zone (Forward Zone)Lightly held by snipers, machine-gun posts and
patrols
Reserves held ready to counter-attack or seal of
any penetrations
The offensive was firmly resisted here
QuestionsPut the Heading
‘The Ludendorff Offensive’
1. Why did the Germans choose to launch an offensive now?
2. What were stormtoopers?
3. Describe the 3 main offensive strategies the Germans were planning on using.
4. Describe, in detail, what the Allies planned to do in response to the German attack.
Outpost Zone
Battle Zone
Rear Zone
What was the offensive?
• There were four separate attacks, codenamed:-
• Michael• Georgette• Gneisenau• Blucher-Yorck
• There was also a Final Offensive which was really a last act of desperation on the part of the Germans.
MichaelGeorgette
Blücher-Yorck
Gneisenau
Final Offensive
Michael
German Success
•Allies taken by surprise by size of attack•Foggy conditions gave the Germans a great advantage•Stormtroopers penetrated deep into Allied positions•After 2 days the British Fifth Army in full retreat•255,000 allies killed
First Offensive (Operation Michael)
Michael
First Offensive (Operation Michael)
German Failures
•Ludendorff failed to follow correct stormtrooper tactics•Troops exhausted after 3 days•Troops had little support•Newly won territory of little use (mostly No-Mans-Land)•Failed to capture important strategic points•The German casualties were mostly stormtroopers i.e. their strongest and fittest soldiers
Georgette
Second Offensive (Operation Georgette – The Battle of the Lys
•This was an attempt to cut off the British from their supply line across the English channel
•The Germans smashed through a Portuguese defensive line only to be stopped by the British. There was then a desperate struggle as the British waited for French re-inforcements
•Again, the Germans could not capitalise as they could not get their supplies through in time and had to retreat as the British, French and Australians counter-attacked.
Blücher-Yorck
Third Offensive
•The idea here was to split the British and french forces before the Americans could arrive to back them up
•The Germans had a huge deal of success here as the French and British were not ready. They almost made it as far as Paris
•The United States forces arrived just in time to foil the German advance
Gneisenau
Fourth Offensive
•The idea here was to draw more Allied reserves south and link with the Germans at Amiens
•The French were tipped of by German prisoners and were ready for the massive artillery bombardment
•Eventually a French counter-attack drove the Germans back
Final Offensive
•Again the Germans tried to draw the Allies south
•The French launched a successful counter-attack again, threatening to cut off the Germans who just escaped
•By now, the Offensive was on it’s last legs
• Task
• Describe briefly each of the campaigns during the Spring Offensive. Put a sub-heading for each campaign.