‘Appointing General Foch as the Supreme Allied Commander was
the main reason for the failure of Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
(16 marks + 4 SPAG)
The appointment of General Foch as Supreme Allied Commander led to
the failure of the Spring Offensive. After the advance of the German army,
Great Britain and France were in chaos and needed a commander to turn
to. Great Britain and France’s military leaders had finally decided to place
their armies under the control of the French General, Ferdinand Foch and
their plan was now to act as a unified force. This was because the allies
needed to attack Germany so that they could win and finally end the war.
Furthermore, this led to the failure of the Spring Offensive because Foch
used a strategy to attack the Germany army in many different locations
along the front line to stretch the enemy as he knew they were running
out of soldiers due to their quick advance.
A second factor which also led to the failure of Germany’s Ludendorff
Spring Offensive was that the German troops advanced too quickly.
Initially, the German troops pushed forwards over 60KM and re-gained the
control of the region around the River Somme where many soldiers had
previously been killed. This led to a shortage in food and fuel and later,
resulted in a problem with the German supply lines. Ludendorff sent lots
of German soldiers too deep into French territory. It also resulted in their
supplies and food not being able to get to them as their quick advance
into French territory introduced problems with their supply lines. This led
to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive because Germany’s
advance slowed as German troops stopped in French villages for supplies
and food. Therefore, lots of the troops became capture, leading to a
decrease in the size of the German Army.
A third factor that led to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive is
that the American troops had arrived on the front line ready to attack. By
June 1918, American soldiers were arriving at 50,000 a week. On August
the 8th, 12 miles of the land was taken back by the allies. The Germans
lost 30,000 men, 17,000 men were captured and 300 guns were captured.
This helped lead to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive. By
September 1918, 1.2 million American troops pushed the German troops
back to the Hindenburg line of 1917, this was a line of concrete trenches
that they had previously been built. The French and Americans launched
an attack in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, whilst the British attacked
nears Ypres. By October, the allies broke through and the German army
were in full retreat. This led to a failure in the Ludendorff Spring Offensive
as the allies had taken more of Germany’s land and killed more of
Germany’s soldiers resulting in the allies breaking through German lines
leading to further failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive.
Conclusively, there are numerous factors that contribute to the failure of
Germany’s Ludendorff Spring Offensive in 1918. However, I do not agree
the main reason for the failure of Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
(16 marks + 4 SPAG)
The appointment of General Foch as Supreme Allied Commander led to
the failure of the Spring Offensive. After the advance of the German army,
Great Britain and France were in chaos and needed a commander to turn
to. Great Britain and France’s military leaders had finally decided to place
their armies under the control of the French General, Ferdinand Foch and
their plan was now to act as a unified force. This was because the allies
needed to attack Germany so that they could win and finally end the war.
Furthermore, this led to the failure of the Spring Offensive because Foch
used a strategy to attack the Germany army in many different locations
along the front line to stretch the enemy as he knew they were running
out of soldiers due to their quick advance.
A second factor which also led to the failure of Germany’s Ludendorff
Spring Offensive was that the German troops advanced too quickly.
Initially, the German troops pushed forwards over 60KM and re-gained the
control of the region around the River Somme where many soldiers had
previously been killed. This led to a shortage in food and fuel and later,
resulted in a problem with the German supply lines. Ludendorff sent lots
of German soldiers too deep into French territory. It also resulted in their
supplies and food not being able to get to them as their quick advance
into French territory introduced problems with their supply lines. This led
to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive because Germany’s
advance slowed as German troops stopped in French villages for supplies
and food. Therefore, lots of the troops became capture, leading to a
decrease in the size of the German Army.
A third factor that led to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive is
that the American troops had arrived on the front line ready to attack. By
June 1918, American soldiers were arriving at 50,000 a week. On August
the 8th, 12 miles of the land was taken back by the allies. The Germans
lost 30,000 men, 17,000 men were captured and 300 guns were captured.
This helped lead to the failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive. By
September 1918, 1.2 million American troops pushed the German troops
back to the Hindenburg line of 1917, this was a line of concrete trenches
that they had previously been built. The French and Americans launched
an attack in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, whilst the British attacked
nears Ypres. By October, the allies broke through and the German army
were in full retreat. This led to a failure in the Ludendorff Spring Offensive
as the allies had taken more of Germany’s land and killed more of
Germany’s soldiers resulting in the allies breaking through German lines
leading to further failure of the Ludendorff Spring Offensive.
Conclusively, there are numerous factors that contribute to the failure of
Germany’s Ludendorff Spring Offensive in 1918. However, I do not agree
