72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
great offensive had failed, he still held the West Front
the Somme, the Hindenburg Line and the valley of the
Lys to be invincible, and counted on the British Armies
frittering away their strength upon its formidable defences,
as they had in 1916 and 1917. Further than that, he had
actually in preparation a new offensive on the Amiens-
Montdidier front with which he hoped to restore the mili
tary balance in his favour."
Field-Marshal Haig in his "Victory Despatch" of Decem
ber 21, 1918, also refers to this period. After describing the
weakened condition of the forces at his command follow
ing the enemy offensive, he says:
"The German attacks,
though they had failed to break the Allied line, had
stretched the resources of *he Allies to the uttermost ;
while
before Amiens and Hazebrouck they had brought the
enemy within a short distance of strategic points of great
importance. In these circumstances the possibility of an
immediate renewal of the enemy s offensive could not but
be viewed with grave anxiety.
"At
the commencement of the period under review, early
in May, the Allied High Command repeatedly expressed
the opinion that the enemy would renew his attack on a
large
scale on the front Arras-Amiens-Montdidier. The
strategic results to be obtained by the capture of Amiens,
the separation of the French and British Armies, and an
advance toward the sea along the valley of the Somme,
were very great, and might well have proved decisive. The
enemy s opening offensive (in March and April) had al
ready brought him within a measurable distance of success
in this direction and had carried his armies through prac
tically the whole of our organized lines of defence.
"In
short, the enemy still possessed a sufficient superior
ity of force to retain the initiative, and it was known he
would be compelled to act within a comparatively limited
time if he were to turn his superiority to account before
These were the two main factors which
it passed from him.
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