![]() One of the major reasons for Allied victory was the cutting of German supply lines. General Georg von der Marwitz was the commander of the German forces. The Allies attacked without a significant barrage of artillery fire, as was usually the case. Attacking in the Amiens sector would mean that the German forces retreating from the Marne would not have the time to dig back in to new trench formations. The Allied attack was coordinated to coincide with the Germans' retreat from the Marne area. Once again, most of the tanks were British Mark Vs, while the Germans on the other hand had virtually none. Tanks played a more significant role in this battle. General Arthur Currie was the commander of the Canadian forces during the battle. The Australians were led by Lieutenant General John Monash. The Germans were able to take Amiens in the spring, which was a major reason in the depletion of their forces. The area around Amiens had been the scene of intense fighting between the Germans and Allies months earlier when the Germans launched their Spring Offensive. More than 50,000 Germans were taken captive, many of them who surrendered rather than fight. ![]() The majority of the German casualties were actually prisoners taken. The Allies took seven miles on the first day alone and by the end of the battle it was a clear strategic and tactical victory for the Allies: the Germans were forced to retreat and would never again win a major victory. The Americans played a small but important role in support, sending one division to the front. Although the British led the Allied effort, Australian and Canadian soldiers contributed about half of the forces. The battle was one of the first in the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive, which marked the beginning of the end of the war. The Battle of Amiens was a pivotal World War I battle fought August 8 to 12, 1918 near Amiens in northern France.
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