Arguably, the beginning of modern warfare as the British Army masters the co-ordination of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft to devastating affect.
Huge advances made by the standards of the WW1 (12 miles in some cases) and the beginning of the end as the allies advanced every day for a 100 days up to the armistice on 11 November.
Arguably, the beginning of modern warfare as the British Army masters the co-ordination of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft to devastating affect.
Huge advances made by the standards of the WW1 (12 miles in some cases) and the beginning of the end as the allies advanced every day for a 100 days up to the armistice on 11 November.
As Sheffield called it the "Forgotten Victory".
Just a shame it took the Generals four years to work it out!!
Arguably, the beginning of modern warfare as the British Army masters the co-ordination of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft to devastating affect.
Huge advances made by the standards of the WW1 (12 miles in some cases) and the beginning of the end as the allies advanced every day for a 100 days up to the armistice on 11 November.
As Sheffield called it the "Forgotten Victory".
Just a shame it took the Generals four years to work it out!!
Others can argue this point better than me, especially Garry Sheffield in Forgotton Victory and Gordon Corrigan in Mud, Blood and Poppycock but the generals didn't have the materials, in terms of tanks and aircraft, for example, before then. They had to learn how to overcome a German army and their military hardware that was in an ideal situation to defend (high ground, on foreign soil, defensive capacity of current arms greater than current attacking arms.)
It will be interesting to see how much the narrative now and up to and on 11/11/2018 is about the lost generation, slaughter on the somme, lions lead by donkeys etc etc and how much about the crushing defeat inflicted on the German army due to mastery of tactics and co-ordination.
Arguably, the beginning of modern warfare as the British Army masters the co-ordination of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft to devastating affect.
Huge advances made by the standards of the WW1 (12 miles in some cases) and the beginning of the end as the allies advanced every day for a 100 days up to the armistice on 11 November.
As Sheffield called it the "Forgotten Victory".
Just a shame it took the Generals four years to work it out!!
Others can argue this point better than me, especially Garry Sheffield in Forgotton Victory and Gordon Corrigan in Mud, Blood and Poppycock but the generals didn't have the materials, in terms of tanks and aircraft, for example, before then. They had to learn how to overcome a German army and their military hardware that was in an ideal situation to defend (high ground, on foreign soil, defensive capacity of current arms greater than current attacking arms.)
It will be interesting to see how much the narrative now and up to and on 11/11/2018 is about the lost generation, slaughter on the somme, lions lead by donkeys etc etc and how much about the crushing defeat inflicted on the German army due to mastery of tactics and co-ordination.
Pretty much agree with all of this.
The British Army in 1914 was fairly tiny compared to the continental powers and didn’t have the weapons and indeed training to fight attritional warfare on a grand scale. They effectively had to learn on the job. In the end it was the British who introduced tanks and, eventually, how to use them effectively. Fire control and learning to shoot from the map, rather than drawn out registering of the guns, was also crucial. All this together with co-ordination with aircraft and disciplined secrecy led to victory. These methods were the blueprint for the German Blitzkrieg of WW2.
I think it should also be remembered that much of the main infantry spearhead of this attack was provided by Australian and Canadian troops.
Within the past week, family history research has led me to a connection with the fighting near Amiens.
My distant relative Vera Irene Martinelli married John Herbert Greco in Australia in December 1913. She was 5 months pregnant when he enlisted in the A.I.F. in August 1914. He never met his daughter.
John was wounded in action at Gallipoli 31 April 1915, and again in France 15 August 1915. He was a Lance Sergeant when he was killed in action in France 5 April 1918. John’s body was not identified, and he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (16km E of Amiens).
He almost certainly died in The Battle of the Avre (4–5 April 1918), part of the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. This was the final German attack towards Amiens in WWI and the point at which the Germans got the closest to Amiens. It was fought between attacking German troops and defending Australian and British troops. It seems appropriate therefore to briefly record his story here on the 100 year anniversary of the day which saw the beginning of the end of the Great War, fought across ground in which he was probably still lying.
The 8 August, the start of the 100 days Advance to Victory, would just not have been possible at any stage earlier in the war.
The combination of weakening German morale and materials, (the Royal Naval contribution is often overlooked) the huge efforts by US and French troops in the July further south that started a German decline and the appliance of efficient BEF doctrine, learnt from previous battles and honed to a standard unthinkable to even todays army all led to the breakthrough no-one felt possible.
Generals such as Walter Braithwaite, Arthur Solly Flood, Henry Tudor, Gerald Boyd, Arthur Currie and John Monash shined under the effective leadership of Douglas Haig and his 4th Army commander, Rawlinson in particular.
A quite incredible day and one I am glad is being remembered by the media.
Add to the list of books that Andy & Ben mentioned Winning the War by Jonathan Boff. Academia and serious study today is united in the same conclusion that was reached at the end of the conflict, that the Great War in 1918 was won because of Allied military leadership, not in spite of it.
The revisionary, incompetent General view came in the late 50'/60s and says far more about the time it was written than the Great War itself.
It should also be noted that along side the AIF and CEF divisions, London had 3 divisions (47th, 56th and 58th) at the tip of the spear in this battle and fighting over the most complex terrain.
Fascinating area to the east of Amiens (where the Battle of the Somme took place)...not to be confused with the Battle of Amiens. If you ever get the chance it's an area well worth visiting in particular the war museum in Peronne.
Comments
Huge advances made by the standards of the WW1 (12 miles in some cases) and the beginning of the end as the allies advanced every day for a 100 days up to the armistice on 11 November.
As Sheffield called it the "Forgotten Victory".
It will be interesting to see how much the narrative now and up to and on 11/11/2018 is about the lost generation, slaughter on the somme, lions lead by donkeys etc etc and how much about the crushing defeat inflicted on the German army due to mastery of tactics and co-ordination.
The British Army in 1914 was fairly tiny compared to the continental powers and didn’t have the weapons and indeed training to fight attritional warfare on a grand scale. They effectively had to learn on the job. In the end it was the British who introduced tanks and, eventually, how to use them effectively. Fire control and learning to shoot from the map, rather than drawn out registering of the guns, was also crucial. All this together with co-ordination with aircraft and disciplined secrecy led to victory. These methods were the blueprint for the German Blitzkrieg of WW2.
I think it should also be remembered that much of the main infantry spearhead of this attack was provided by Australian and Canadian troops.
My distant relative Vera Irene Martinelli married John Herbert Greco in Australia in December 1913. She was 5 months pregnant when he enlisted in the A.I.F. in August 1914. He never met his daughter.
John was wounded in action at Gallipoli 31 April 1915, and again in France 15 August 1915. He was a Lance Sergeant when he was killed in action in France 5 April 1918. John’s body was not identified, and he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (16km E of Amiens).
He almost certainly died in The Battle of the Avre (4–5 April 1918), part of the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. This was the final German attack towards Amiens in WWI and the point at which the Germans got the closest to Amiens. It was fought between attacking German troops and defending Australian and British troops. It seems appropriate therefore to briefly record his story here on the 100 year anniversary of the day which saw the beginning of the end of the Great War, fought across ground in which he was probably still lying.
The combination of weakening German morale and materials, (the Royal Naval contribution is often overlooked) the huge efforts by US and French troops in the July further south that started a German decline and the appliance of efficient BEF doctrine, learnt from previous battles and honed to a standard unthinkable to even todays army all led to the breakthrough no-one felt possible.
Generals such as Walter Braithwaite, Arthur Solly Flood, Henry Tudor, Gerald Boyd, Arthur Currie and John Monash shined under the effective leadership of Douglas Haig and his 4th Army commander, Rawlinson in particular.
A quite incredible day and one I am glad is being remembered by the media.
Add to the list of books that Andy & Ben mentioned Winning the War by Jonathan Boff. Academia and serious study today is united in the same conclusion that was reached at the end of the conflict, that the Great War in 1918 was won because of Allied military leadership, not in spite of it.
The revisionary, incompetent General view came in the late 50'/60s and says far more about the time it was written than the Great War itself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Amiens_(1918)