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There were two Battles of the Marne, both during the First World War. When we speak of the 'battle of the Marne', the name generally refers to the first, which took place from September 5 to 12, 1914;
the second Battle of the Marne, meanwhile, took place mainly from July 15 to 20, 1918.
Michael Offensive
Freed from the eastern front by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the German infantry divisions were brought quickly by rail.
“Operation Michael” began on the morning of March 21, 1918 in Picardy, with a fairly short but extremely violent artillery bombardment. Before the stunned British defenders could react, special teams of German assault troops emerged from the fog and smoke to attack or bypass strategic points in the lines. Taken by surprise, overwhelmed and overwhelmed, the defenders retreated along the entire front, a wide breach opened, allowing the Germans to advance more than 50 km. More than 160,000 British were put out of action.
But the breakthrough did not succeed, because Erich Ludendorff, who faced little opposition on his left, continued to concentrate his reserves in front of Arras, where British resistance grew stronger. Despite Haig's desperate pleas, Foch refused to commit his limited reserves. Haig had to urgently bring in reinforcements from the United Kingdom, and British HQ had to withdraw divisions from other theaters of operations.
It was not until March 28 that Ludendorff suddenly thought of the possibilities that presented themselves on the side of the Somme, to make a rapid and decisive breakthrough in the direction of Paris, but by then it was too late. Two days earlier, the Allies had agreed to entrust General Foch with sole command on the Western Front. One of his first acts of command was to use part of his meager reserves to plug the dangerous breach on the Somme. At the beginning of April the Michael offensive was stopped in the Montdidier region.
Offensive in the Aisne
Ludendorff concentrates 42 divisions under the command of von Boehn, head of the VIIth Army, which holds the front between Pontoise and Berry-au-Bac. The left wing of the VII Army is extended by 4 divisions of the 1st Army (von Below) which occupy the sector from Berry-au-Bac to Reims and will take part in the attack.
On May 27, the German offensive was launched near the Aisne, from the Chemin des Dames, where the previous year the French had failed in a deadly attack. Artillery preparation starts with a gas shell fire, then becomes mixed, but with more than fifty percent toxic shells. After June 5, 5 other divisions will still be engaged, making a total of 47 divisions, corresponding to nearly 60 French. The offensive nevertheless stops ten days later due to the exhaustion of the attackers, but they have advanced 45 km, taken Château-Thierry and are 70 km from Paris. They absolutely had to try to rectify their lines, conquering ground between the two important salients near Arras and Reims, and another smaller one along the Lys. They first applied their effort to the two zones that surrounded Compiègne, attacking from both flanks on June 9. But their offensive was rather badly organized and they had to undergo mustard gas attacks themselves, so that the French troops, well supported by the 2nd American Infantry Division at Bois-Belleau and Vaux, were able to resist.
Friedensturm
Pressed to get it over with and hypnotized, as in 1914, by Paris, which they threatened both by the Oise valley to the north and by the Ourcq and Marne valleys to the east, the The Germans decide on a new, even more formidable offensive. It is the “Friedensturm” or battle for Peace.
Ludendorff plans, by a frontal attack, to separate the allied armies of the north from those of the east, by turning on the one hand, Verdun by Sainte-Menehould and the upper Aisne valley, on the other hand, Reims and the Montagne de Reims via the Marne valley. Throughout the day of July 15, despite the thick curtains of smoke that concealed them, Allied planes spotted the bridges over the Marne and bombarded them at low altitude. They destroy several of them and rush troops and convoys into the river. Then they attack with machine guns the troops that have debouched on the south bank. Thirty less vulnerable gateways are installed. Despite a slight tactical advantage gained southwest of Reims and on the Marne, Luddendorf's offensive completely failed in Champagne. Renouncing to turn Reims by the east, he will seek to overflow the mountain of Reims by the south. He needs success at all costs.
He attempted a perilous manoeuvre, dictated as much by recklessness as by ignorance of French resources which he believed to be exhausted, and went to persist in the direction of Épernay. Ludendorff throws his troops without counting, thus striving to achieve the set goal. He launches five times, in five different places, big attacks, but on the whole he is repulsed; in the Ardre valley, he even has to defend himself against offensive returns.
The Allied counter-offensive of July 18
At the same time as the German divisions are massing towards the eastern flank of the pocket, the equivalent of 21 Allied divisions, including Italian ones, hasten towards the western flank from the forest of Villers-Cotterêts.
In two days, the number of prisoners exceeded 17,000 men and 360 guns were captured. Surprised, the Germans engage 4 reinforcement divisions in the center. Around 6 p.m., they recaptured Vierzy, but without keeping him. The Allies are less than 15 kilometers from the Fère-en-Tardenois station, the only railway line being under artillery fire. On the 20th, the Germans took divisions from the neighboring armies and engaged the 5th Guards Division against the Degoutte army, two divisions and elements withdrawn from the Marne, against the Mangin army.
Despite these reinforcements, on July 28 the station was taken by the Allies and on August 7 all the ground was recaptured.
The tanks proved their effectiveness.