The German offensives of 1918

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On 21 March 1918 the German Army launched a massive offensive on the Western Front in a last desperate attempt to score a decisive victory. The results were spectacular. They advanced up to 60 kilometers, further by far than the British and French had managed in their offensives on the Somme, the Aisne and at Ypres. The British Fifth Army was crushed, and the Allies suffered 212,000 casualties. The French suffered a humiliating defeat at Chemin des Dames and plans were made for the evacuation of Paris. The British were seriously concerned that the French might sue for peace and were uncertain whether they could continue the struggle, and plans were drawn up for the evacuation of the British Army from France. Then the offensive gradually lost momentum; the French counterattacked in July, the British in August, and the Germans finally lost the initiative. Martin Kitchen, a leading authority on the military history of Germany, provides a gripping account of this critical campaign during which the Germans seemed so close to victory and yet were soon to face a humiliating defeat.