By late 1917, the German Empire's High Command knew they had to turn the war around quickly. Progress against the Allies was slow and they were losing ground to them in many places. Furthermore, rationing of food in Germany was extremely unpopular. In a matter of months, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) would arrive and the combined forces of the Allies would be too much for the Central Powers.
In early 1918, General Erich Ludendorff devised a plan of action to secure favorable ground from the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) around the Somme, northeast of Paris. With dozens of divisions moving to the Western Front after the Russian surrender in the East and the assumption that the BEF was severely depleted by the major battles of 1917, a massive offensive was planned to take the cities of Amiens and Arras. Then, the German Army could isolate and destroy the BEF in Flanders, while holding off the French to the southwest.
Read Full Article »