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German Spring Offensive: Ludendorff's Last Chance to Win WWI

The German Spring Offensive, also called the Ludendorff Offensive after its commander, was the last major German advance of the First World War (1914-18). From March to July 1918, Ludendorff launched five major attacks on the Western Front to break the deadlock of trench warfare. The Allied resistance, use of tanks, and massive reserves, along with German logistical failures, meant that the offensives, despite each starting well, eventually petered out. The German Army, which lost 800,000 men in the Spring Offensive, simply could not compete with the combined Allied forces, which now included US divisions.

Last Throw of the Dice

By the spring of 1918, the war was looking increasingly desperate from the German point of view. It was true that Russia had dropped out of the war following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Germany was thus able to withdraw troops and material from the Eastern Front to significantly boost the Western Front. 44 German divisions were moved westwards. On the other hand, the United States had finally entered the war on the side of the Allies, and this gave them a much-needed boost in men and weaponry. On the Western Front in the spring of 1918, each side could field around 4 million men, but as each week passed, tens of thousands more US troops landed in Europe. The parity in men would not last long.

At this point in the war, the Allied air forces had superior flying machines and more of them compared to the German air force. The Allies had also begun to use tanks more effectively, notably en masse at the Battle of Cambrai in November-December 1917. The Germans, meanwhile, remained sceptical of the tank's usefulness. In short, the military and economic power of the Allies combined meant that it was unlikely Germany could win the war if it dragged on for another year or more.

General Erich von Ludendorff (1865-1937) knew that if Germany had any chance at all, it would have to move quickly before the Allies grew even stronger in the field. In particular, a German advance would have to be made before the United States made a decisive military contribution to the war. This was particularly so since the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping was proving less and less effective as the enemy used armed convoys and air support to minimise losses. If Germany were to win the war, it would have to be on land. Accordingly, Ludendorff launched not one but five offensives in the spring and early summer of 1918.

The five campaigns of the Spring Offensive were:

The Somme Offensive (March-April)

The Lys Offensive (April)

The Third Battle of Aisne (May-June)

The Noyon-Montdidier Offensive (June)

The Marne Offensive (July)

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