How the Allies were finally able to win WWI in 1918

Following Russia's exit from World War One in 1917 due to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, the Germans were in the strongest position they had been in on the western front since the war began.

All of the troops that had been tied up on the eastern front against Russia were quickly relocated west.

The German military planners decided to try and capitalize on their larger numbers to launch a major offensive with the goal of pushing the Allies back and winning the war. 

It would be called the German Spring Offensive, or Kaiserschlacht ('Kaiser's Battle') in German, and it was launched on 21 March 1918. 

It is sometimes also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, as it was primarily orchestrated by General Erich Ludendorff. 

This offensive was so large that it was comprised of a number of smaller operations that went by different code-names, such as Michael, Georgette, Gneisenau, Blücher-Yorck, and Marneschutz-Reims. 

In Operation Michael in particular, the Germans attacked the British and French lines near the town of Amiens.

In this battle, the German troops were able to make some initial gains, but they eventually ran into heavy resistance from the Allies.

In fact, Australian troops held the town Villers-Bretonneux against German attackers during Operation Michael and, on two separate occasions, were able to seize back control of this strategic location. 

As a result, the operation stalled, and the German momentum was lost.

By May, the new American troops were ready to be deployed. Their first major test on the battlefield was at the Battle of Belleau Wood, which was fought from 26 May to 26 June 1918.

This was part of a larger offensive by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France.

The specific goal of this offensive was to push back the Germans and retake control of ground that had been lost as a result of the Spring Offensive. 

However, the AEF was outnumbered and outgunned by the Germans, and the difficult terrain of the wood made it challenging for the inexperienced Americans to engage with their enemy.

However, after much heavy fighting, the Germans retreated to a better defensive position and the Americans declared a victory at Belleau Wood.

It's worth noting that the Battle of Belleau Wood is particularly significant for the United States Marine Corps, as it was a defining moment in their history.

One of the most important changes of 1918 was the Allied adoption of a new strategy known as 'combined arms warfare'.

This strategy involved using all of the different technology that had been developed over the last four years in a way that maximized each of their strengths, while trying to minimize their weaknesses.

This included using infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft together in order to overwhelm the enemy.

In particular, tanks were used to shield the vulnerable infantry while they advanced, while artillery pounded the enemy from a distance so that they couldn't prepare to defend against the oncoming tanks and soldiers.

In addition, aircraft would also be used to attack enemy targets and provide support to the ground troops.

Ultimately, the Allies started to use this strategy more and more as the war progressed, and it helped make effective progress against the Germans.

In March 1918, French General Ferdinand Foch was appointed Supreme Allied Commander.

Drawing up the combined arms warfare approach, Foch designed a broader Allied counter-offensive known as the Hundred Days Offensive.

The Hundred Days Offensive was launched in August 1918 with two principal objectives: to push back the Germans and retake control of remaining ground that had been lost during the earlier Spring Offensive. 

Just like the German Spring Offensive, the Hundred Days Offensive was so large, that it was separated into a series of smaller offensives that included battles such as the Second Battle of the Somme, the Battle of the Hindenburg Line, plus others.

The last major push of the German Spring Offensive occurred at Second Battle of the Marne.

While this battle had actually started on the 15th July, the new influx of Allied troops and resources as part of the Hundred Days Offensive meant that by the time it ended on the 18 August 1918, the Germans were soundly defeated and forced to retreat.

One of the most famous battles of the Hundred Days Offensive was the Battle of Amiens.

This was the same town that had borne the brunt of Operation Michael earlier in the year.

However, in July, Foch decided that this would be one of the main sites of the new counterattack.

Starting on the 8th of August, the Allies were able to use a large number of tanks, with artillery support, to send successful waves of infantry attacks against the German lines.

Just four days later, the Germans were in retreat and the Allies celebrated a decisive victory.

With consecutive victories all along the western front as a result of the Hundred Days Offensive, the German forces had to fall back to stronger defensive positions.

They had built a whole line of defensive trenches for this purpose during 1917 called the Hindenburg Line, which is where the German soldiers now withdrew to.

When the Allies reached this in September 1918, it would trigger the last great showdown of the war.

The Battle of the Hindenburg Line, which was fought from 17 September to 15 October 1918 brought all of the Allied resources to bear, along with the lessons learned when using combined arms warfare.

The Allies finally broke through the Hindenburg Line at the end of the fighting, and it was now a foregone conclusion that the Germans would lose the war.

The Hundred Days Offensive had been successful. The commanders on both sides now turned to deciding how to bring World War One to an end.

It was the Armistice, an agreement between the two sides, that finally ended the fighting.

Signed by representatives of both Germany and the Allied Powers at 5am on 11 November 1918, it went into effect at 11am that same day. 

It imposed strict terms on Germany, including the evacuation of occupied territories, the surrender of military equipment, and the release of Allied prisoners of war.

However, formal end of the war would be signed at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.