On 22 March 1918 the War Cabinet was given some idea of how many German divisions were involved in penetrating the front line and attacking the 'battle line' further back. ![]() Moreover, the Fifth Army had only recently taken over its sector and had little time to build adequate defences in depth. The Germans exploited the re-organisation of the British Army following the huge losses of 1917 divisions had been reduced in strength, and many battalions disbanded. On 21 March the ‘hurricane’ barrage was followed by mass infantry attacks spearheaded by fast-moving storm troopers who penetrated the weakened British defence. Simultaneously 19 German divisions would attack General Byng’s Third Army of 12 divisions, which covered 42 miles of front on Gough’s left flank. The German ‘Michael’ operation aimed to break through at the weakest point of the British Front, where Gough’s Fifth Army of 13 divisions (plus 3 cavalry divisions), would be overwhelmed by 43 divisions. War Cabinet Meeting 369, p.2, 21 March 1918, National Records of Scotland, CAB23/5 ![]() The War Cabinet first heard about it at 11.30am. ![]() Although the Allies knew an attack was imminent, where and how the main assault would occur remained unknown. These armies were positioned to the left of the French front stretching for 70 miles from the Somme sector northwards to Flanders. On 21 March 1918, some 6,500 German guns and 3,500 heavy mortars opened up a terrifying five-hour barrage against the British Third and Fifth Armies on the Western Front.
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