Early in July 1918, German militant Erich Ludendorff developed an extensive military plan to overtake the region between northern France and Belgium known as Flanders. This plan consisted of a major offensive attack within the Flanders region, as well as a diversion that was designed to take place near France’s Marne River. German forces hoped that the initial diversion would pull French, British and American troops away from their primary targets.
Upon receiving approval on July 15, 1918, 23 divisions of the German Army set out to attack the French military from the east, while 17 divisions attacked from the west. Initially, attacks began with preliminary bombardment, which the Germans considered to be extremely successful as they heard little to no return fire. Assuming that they had wiped out a large number of their enemies, the Germans advanced only to find that they had been tricked. Led by French General Henri-Philippe Petain, the French had utilized the military tactic of setting up false trenches, and thus, the German’s bombardment had killed only a few of the French military.
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