Battle of Amiens (1918)

Battle of Amiens
Part of the Western Front of World War I
8 August 1918, a portrait by Will Longstaff, showing Imperial German Army prisoners of war being led towards Amiens, France
Date 8–12 August 1918 (major combat) Location East of Amiens, Picardy, France 49°53′38″N 2°17′39″E / 49.89389°N 2.29417°E / 49.89389; 2.29417 Result Allied victory[1][2] Start of Hundred Days Offensive
Belligerents
British Empire  United Kingdom  Australia  Canada  France  United States	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ferdinand Foch Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Marie-Eugène Debeney Georges Humbert	Paul von Hindenburg Erich Ludendorff Georg von der Marwitz Oskar von Hutier
Strength
23 active divisions 1 reserve divisions 1,104 aircraft[3] 16 active divisions 3 reserve divisions 800 aircraft[4] 1 active division	26 active divisions 9 reserve divisions 365 aircraft[3]
Casualties and losses
24,232[5][6] 22,202[5][6]	45,000 killed or wounded[5] 29,873 captured[5][6]

The Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy (French: 3ème Bataille de Picardie), was the opening phase of the Allied offensive which began on 8 August 1918, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which ultimately led to the end of World War I. Allied forces advanced over 11 kilometres (7 mi) on the first day, one of the greatest advances of the war, with Gen Henry Rawlinson's British Fourth Army, with nine of its 19 divisions supplied by the fast-moving Australian Corps of Lt General John Monash and Canadian Corps of Lt General Arthur Currie, and Gen Marie Eugène Debeney's French First Army playing a decisive role. The battle is also notable for its effects on both sides' morale and the large number of surrendering German forces. This led Erich Ludendorff to later describe the first day of the battle as "the black day of the German Army". Amiens was one of the first major battles involving armoured warfare.