View source for Second Battle of the Marne

{{short description|1918 battle in the Western Front of World War I}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Second Battle of the Marne
| partof            = the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] of [[World War I]]
| image             = [[Image:Western front 1918 german.jpg|300px|German gains in early 1918]]
| caption           = German offensives, 1918
| date              = 15 July – 18 July 1918
| place             = [[Marne River]] near [[Paris]], [[French Third Republic|France]]
| coordinates       = {{coord|49|5|N|3|40|E|region:FR_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| result            = Entente victory
| combatant1        = '''[[Allies of World War I|Entente Powers]]''':<br>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[French Third Republic|France]]<br/>{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[United States]]<br/>{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]<br/>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]<br/>{{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Expeditionary Force in France|Russia]]<br/>{{flagcountry|Rattanakosin Kingdom|1917}}<ref name=Et>{{cite web|url=http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1981/JSS_070_0n_Hart_MilitaryParticipationOfSiamInWW1.pdf|title=A Note on the Military Participation of Siam in WWI|work=[[Journal of the Siam Society]]|author=Keith Hart|date=1982|access-date=19 July 2015}}</ref>
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|German Empire}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|French Third Republic}} '''[[Ferdinand Foch]]'''<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} '''[[Paul André Marie Maistre|Paul Maistre]]'''<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} '''[[Émile Fayolle]]'''<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Henri Gouraud (French Army officer)|Henri Gouraud]]<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Charles Mangin]]<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Antoine de Mitry]]<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Henri Mathias Berthelot|Henri Berthelot]]<br/>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Jean Degoutte]]<br/>{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[John J. Pershing]] <br/>{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[Alexander Godley]] <br>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[Alberico Albricci]]<br/>{{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Nikolai Lokhvitsky]]<br>{{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Phraya Thephatsadin]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon|German Empire}} '''[[Erich Ludendorff]]'''<br/>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Karl von Einem]]<br/>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Bruno von Mudra]]<br/>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Max von Boehn]]<br/>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Johannes von Eben]]
| strength1         = 44 French divisions<br/>8 American divisions<br/>4 British divisions<br/>2 Italian divisions<br/><br/>'''Total:'''<br/>58 divisions<br/>408 heavy guns<br/>360 field batteries<br/>346 tanks
| strength2         = 52 divisions<br/>609 heavy guns<br/>1,047 field batteries
| casualties1       = Total: 133,051 
{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} 95,165<br/>{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} 16,552<br/>{{flagicon|United States|1912}} 12,000<br/>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} 9,334
| casualties2       = 168,000 casualties (including 29,367 captured)<br/>793 guns lost<ref>Peter Hart, ''The Last Battle: Victory, Defeat, and the End of World War I'', p. 22.</ref>
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Western Front (World War I)}}
{{Campaignbox Spring Offensive (World War I)}}
}}

The '''Second Battle of the Marne''' ({{langx|fr|Seconde Bataille de la Marne}}; 15 – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] during the [[World War I|First World War]]. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, led by French forces and supported by several hundreds of [[Renault FT]] [[Tank|tanks]], overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of [[Hundred Days Offensive|the relentless Allied advance]] which culminated in an [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice with Germany]] about 100 days later.

==Background==
Following the failure of the [[German spring offensive]] to end the conflict, [[Erich Ludendorff]], [[Operations (military staff)|Chief Quartermaster General]], believed that an attack through [[Flanders]] would give Germany a decisive victory over the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF). To shield his intentions and draw Allied troops away from [[Belgium]], Ludendorff planned for a large diversionary attack along the Marne.<ref name=Marne2WW1>{{citeweb|title= Battles – The Second Battle of the Marne, 1918 | url= https://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/marne2.htm|access-date=January 1, 2025}}</ref>

==German attack==
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R28717, Frankreich, deutsche Panzerschwadron.jpg|thumb|Captured British [[Mark I tank|Mark IV]] tanks used by German troops]]
[[File:2nd marne.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2.0]]

The battle began on 15 July, when 23 German divisions of the [[1st Army (German Empire)|First]] and [[3rd Army (German Empire)|Third]] armies – led by [[Bruno von Mudra]] and [[Karl von Einem]] – assaulted the French [[Fourth Army (France)|Fourth Army]] under [[Henri Gouraud (soldier)|Henri Gouraud]] east of [[Reims]] (the '''Fourth Battle of Champagne''' ({{langx|fr|4e Bataille de Champagne}}). The [[U.S. 42nd Division]] was attached to the French Fourth Army. Meanwhile, 17 divisions of the German [[7th Army (German Empire)|Seventh Army]], under [[Max von Boehn]], aided by the [[9th Army (German Empire)|Ninth Army]] under [[Johannes von Eben]], attacked the French [[Sixth Army (France)|Sixth Army]] led by [[Jean Degoutte]] to the west of Reims (the '''Battle of the Mountain of Reims''' ({{langx|fr|Bataille de la Montagne de Reims}})). Ludendorff hoped to split the French in two.<ref name=Marne2WW1></ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00178, Frankreich, Eroberte französische Stellung.jpg|thumb|{{center|"German columns pass a conquered French position between Loivre and Brimont in the department of Marne." 1918. Credit to the German Archives. }}]]

East of Reims, the French Fourth Army had prepared a defense in depth to counter an intense bombardment and infiltrating infantry.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gudmundsson|first1=Bruce I.|title=On artillery|date=1993|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, CT|pages=95–101}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kitchen|first1=Martin|title=The German Offensives of 1918|date=2001|publisher=Tempus|location=Stroud|pages=182–188}}</ref> Their main line of resistance was four to five km behind the front, beyond the range of the enemy field guns, it was a continuous trench line – to prevent infiltration – dug on a [[Reverse slope defence|reverse slope]] so it could not be overlooked by enemy artillery observers on the ground. Between the front and the main line of resistance were two lines of strong points, again mostly on reverse slopes. The French gun line behind the front was lightly manned, but the remaining guns fired frequently, so the Germans did not detect its weakness from rate of firing, although aerial observers did spot a concentration of field guns behind the main line of resistance. German offensive tactics stressed surprise, but French intelligence based on aerial observation gave clear warning and they learned the hour for the attack from twenty-seven prisoners taken in a trench raid.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zabecki|first1=David T.|title=The German 1918 Offensives : A case study in the operational level of war|date=2006|publisher=Routledge|location=London|pages=257, 261}}</ref>

The German bombardment was scheduled for 12:10. The French opened fire on the German assault trenches at 11:30, naturally shaking the confidence of attackers. When the Germans opened fire they pounded the almost empty French front line and their counter-battery fire struck many vacated gun pits. The attackers moved easily through the French front and then were led onward by a rolling barrage, which soon was well ahead of the infantry because they were held up by the points of resistance. When they encountered the French mainline they were ordered to rest, regroup and wait until their field guns were moved into range. They attacked the main line at 08:30 the following morning, an hour after they had originally scheduled to attack. They were stopped by accurate fire by the bulk of the French artillery. They tried again at noon, but failed. A French counter-attack gained little ground, but convinced the German commanders that they could not prevail. The Fourth Army was now able to send reinforcements to their neighbors to the west who had not fared as well.

In the west on the opening day of the offensive the defenders of the south bank of the [[Marne (river)|Marne]] had to hold the river bank by enduring an intense three hour bombardment, including many gas shells. Under this cover [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|stormtroopers]] swarmed across the river in every sort of transport – including 30-man canvas boats and rafts. They began to erect skeleton bridges at 12 points under fire from the Allied survivors. Some Allied units, particularly Colonel [[Ulysses G. McAlexander]]'s [[38th Infantry Regiment (United States)|38th Infantry Regiment]] of the American [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Division]], the "Rock of the Marne", held fast or even counterattacked, but by evening, the Germans had captured a bridgehead on either side of [[Dormans]] {{convert|4|mi|km|abbr=on}} deep and {{convert|9|mi|km|abbr=on}} wide, despite the aerial intervention of 225 French bombers, dropping {{convert|44|ST|t|lk=on|abbr=on}} of bombs on the makeshift bridges. Ludendorff regarded their advance as "the very pinnacle of military victory".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ludendorff|first1=Marshal|title=The Two Battles of the Marne|date=1927|publisher=Thornton Butterworth|location=London|page=225}}</ref>

The French were reinforced by the British [[XXII Corps (United Kingdom)|XXII Corps]] and 85,000 American troops and the German advance stalled on 17 July 1918.

==Allied counter-offensive==
{{Main|Battle of Soissons (1918)}}
[[File:2ndBattleOfTheMarne.jpg|thumb|The Allied counter-offensive.]]

The German failure to break through, or to destroy the Allied armies in the field, allowed [[Ferdinand Foch]], the Allied Supreme Commander, to proceed with the planned major counteroffensive on 18 July; 24 French divisions, including the American [[92nd Infantry Division (United States)|92nd]] and [[93rd Infantry Division (United States)|93rd Infantry Division]]s under French command, joined by other Allied troops, including eight large American divisions under American command and 350 tanks attacked the recently formed German salient.

The Allied preparation was very important in countering the German offensive. It was believed that the Allies had the complete picture of the German offensive in terms of intentions and capabilities. The Allies knew the key points of the German plan down to the minute.<ref>[[Michael S. Neiberg]]. ''The Second Battle of the Marne'', 2008, p.  91</ref> There is a legend, possibly true, that engineer Cpt. Hunter Grant, along with the help of engagement coordinator and engineer Cpt. Page, devised a deceptive ruse. A briefcase with false plans for an American countererattack was handcuffed to a man who had died of pneumonia and placed in a vehicle which appeared to have run off the road at a German-controlled bridge. The Germans, on finding and being taken in by these plans, then adjusted their attack to thwart the false Allied plan. Consequently, the French and American forces led by Foch were able to conduct a different attack on exposed parts of the enemy lines, leaving the Germans with no choice but to retreat. This engagement marked the beginning of a German withdrawal that was never effectively reversed. In September nine American divisions (about 243,000 men) joined four French divisions to [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|push the Germans from the St. Mihiel salient]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=David|title=The American pageant: a history of the American people|year=2008|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-547-16654-4|page=708}}</ref>

Earlier, in May, Foch had spotted flaws in the German offensives.<ref name=Neiberg-p7>Neiberg, p. 7</ref> The force that defeated the German offensive was mainly French, with American, British and Italian support. Co-ordinating this counter-attack would be a major problem as Foch had to work with "four national commanders but without any real authority to issue order under his own name ... they would have to fight as a combined force and to overcome the major problems of different languages, cultures, doctrines and fighting styles."<ref name=Neiberg-p7/> However, the presence of fresh American troops, unbroken by years of war, significantly bolstered Allied resistance to the German offensive{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}. [[Floyd Gibbons]] wrote about the American troops, saying, "I never saw men charge to their death with finer spirit."<ref>Byron Farwell, ''Over There: The United States in the Great War'', p. 169.</ref>

[[File:The School and Belleau Woods.jpg|thumb|Postcard showing the ruins of the village of [[Chateau-Thierry]] in 1918.]]

On 19 July, the Italian Corps lost 9,334 officers and men out of a total fighting strength of about 24,000 during a German assault on their positions, successfully stopping the German advance. [[Henri Mathias Berthelot]] rushed two newly arrived British infantry divisions, the [[51st (Highland) Division|51st (Highland)]] and [[62nd (2nd West Riding) Division|62nd (West Riding)]],<ref>Everard Wyrall, ''The History of the 62nd'' (West Riding) Division 1914–1919 (undated but about 1920–25. See 62 Div external link below).</ref> alongside the Italians straight into attack down the [[Ardre (river)|Ardre]] Valley (the '''Battle of Tardenois''' ({{langx|fr|Bataille du Tardenois}}) – named after the surrounding [[Tardenois]] plain).

The Germans ordered a retreat on 20 July and were forced back to the positions from which they had started their [[German spring offensive|Spring Offensive]]. They strengthened their flank positions opposite the Allied pincers and on the 22nd, Ludendorff ordered to take up a line from the upper [[Ourcq]] to [[Marfaux]].

Costly Allied assaults continued for minimal gains. By 27 July, the Germans had withdrawn their center behind [[Fère-en-Tardenois]] and had completed an alternative rail link. The Germans retained [[Soissons]] in the west.

On 1 August, French and British divisions of General [[Charles Mangin]]'s [[Tenth Army (France)|Tenth Army]] renewed the attack, advancing to a depth of nearly {{convert|5|mi|km}}. The Allied counterattack petered out on 6 August in the face of German offensives. By this stage, the salient had been reduced and the Germans had been forced back to a line running along the [[Aisne (river)|Aisne]] and [[Vesle]] Rivers; the front had been shortened by {{convert|28|mi|km}}.

== Assessment ==
The Second Battle of the Marne was an important victory. Ferdinand Foch received the [[Baton (symbol)|baton]] of a [[Marshal of France]]. The Allies had taken 29,367 prisoners, 793 guns and 3,000 machine guns and inflicted 168,000 casualties on the Germans.<ref>Peter Hart, ''The Last Battle: Victory, Defeat, and the End of World War I'', p. 22.</ref> The primary importance of the battle was its morale aspect – the strategic gains on the Marne marked the end of a string of German victories and the beginning of a series of [[Hundred Days Offensive|Allied victories]] that would in three months end the war.

==See also==
*[[First Battle of the Marne]]
* [[List of World War I memorials and cemeteries in Champagne-Ardenne#Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne at the Butte de Chalmont|Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne at the Butte de Chalmont]]
* [[Russian Expeditionary Force in France]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Greenwood|first=Paul|title=The Second Battle of the Marne|publisher=Airlife Publishing Ltd|year=1998|isbn=978-1-84037-008-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Neiberg|first=Michael|author-link=Michael S. Neiberg|title=The Second Battle of the Marne|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|year=2008|isbn=978-0-253-35146-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Skirrow|first=Fraser|title=Massacre on the Marne|publisher=Pen and Sword|year= 2007|isbn=978-1-84415-496-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Read|first=I.L.|title=Of Those We Loved|publisher=Carnegie Publishing|location= Preston|year=1994|isbn=978-1-85821-225-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Farwell|first=Byron|author-link=Byron Farwell|title=Over There: The United States in the Great War, 1917–1918|url=https://archive.org/details/overthereuniteds00farw|url-access=registration|publisher=Norton Paperback|location=New York|year=1999|isbn=0-393-32028-6}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Battle of the Marne (1918)}}
*Major J. W. Anderson. F. A., [https://sill-www.army.mil/firesbulletin/archives/1923/SEP_OCT_1923/SEP_OCT_1923_FULL_EDITION.pdf With the Tenth Field Artillery at the Second Battle of the Marne]
*[http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/marne2.htm The Second Battle of the Marne, 1918]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200350/http://penhey.name/omiwxb262Div14(p).htm British 62nd Division's part in the events]}}
*[https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/images/maps/jpg/SL_aisnemarne_1937.jpg Great Map of the 2nd Battle of the Marne, click it to enlarge to full size.]
{{World War I}}
{{Buffalo Soldiers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marne, 2}}
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving France]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Germany]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Italy]]
[[Category:Battles involving Thailand]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the United States]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Battles of the Western Front (World War I)]]
[[Category:Military history of Hauts-de-France]]
[[Category:Military history of Grand Est]]
[[Category:1918 in France|Second Battle of the Marne]]
[[Category:Battles in 1918]]
[[Category:July 1918 in Europe]]
[[Category:August 1918 in Europe]]
[[Category:Marne basin]]