Editing German spring offensive (section)

==''Georgette''==<!-- This section is linked from [[List of military operations]] -->
{{Main article|Battle of the Lys (1918)}}
[[File:British Lewis gun team Battle of Hazebrouck 1918 IWM Q 10902.jpg|thumb|British [[Lewis gun]] team on the bank of the Lys canal during Battle of [[Hazebrouck]], 15 April 1918]]
[[File:The German Spring Offensive, March-july 1918 Q6569.jpg|thumb|German prisoners being guarded by Australian troops, 23 April 1918.]]

''Michael'' had drawn British forces to defend Amiens, leaving the rail route through [[Hazebrouck]] and the approaches to the Channel ports of [[Calais]], [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne]] and [[Dunkirk]] vulnerable.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} German success here could choke the British into defeat.

The attack started on 9 April after a [[Creeping Barrage|creeping barrage]]. The main attack was made on the open and flat sector defended by the [[Portuguese Expeditionary Corps]]. After an entire year spent in the trenches, the Portuguese were tired and had suffered heavy losses. They were being replaced in the front line by fresh British divisions, an operation that was planned to be completed on 9 April, the same day as the Germans attacked the sector. The process of relief in place was poorly organized by the [[First Army (United Kingdom)|British First Army]]'s command, and the [[1st Division (Portugal)|Portuguese 1st Division]] had been withdrawn to the rear on 6 April, leaving the [[2nd Division (Portugal)|Portuguese 2nd Division]] to defend the entire sector alone. They were left with an extensive {{convert|7|mi|km|abbr=on}} front, without natural obstacles which might benefit the defence.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Hit hard by the bombardment and under the assault of eight German divisions, the Portuguese 2nd Division made a desperate defence, trying to hold their positions, which, however, were rapidly enveloped and overrun by the masses of German forces. The 2nd Division was virtually annihilated, losing more than 7,000 men. The [[40th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 40th Division]], on the northern flank of the Portuguese, also rapidly collapsed before the attack, opening a gap that further facilitated the envelopment of the Portuguese by the Germans. However, under much less pressure from the Germans and occupying good defensive positions protected by the La Bassée Canal, the [[55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division|British 55th Division]] on the southern flank of the Portuguese were able to hold much of their position throughout the battle.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The next day, the Germans widened their attack to the north, forcing the defenders of [[Armentières]] to withdraw before they were surrounded, and capturing most of [[Mesen|Messines]] Ridge. By the end of the day, the few British divisions in reserve were hard-pressed to hold a line along the [[Lys River|River Lys]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Without French reinforcements, it was feared that the Germans could advance the remaining {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the ports within a week. The commander of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF), Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, issued an "Order of the Day" on 11 April stating, "With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end."{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

However, the German offensive had stalled because of logistical problems and exposed flanks. Counterattacks by British, French and [[Anzac]] forces slowed and stopped the German advance. Ludendorff ended ''Georgette'' on 29 April.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

As with ''Michael'', losses were roughly equal, approximately 110,000 men wounded or killed, each.<ref name=marix81>Marix Evans, p.81</ref> Again, the strategic results were disappointing for the Germans. Hazebrouck remained in Allied hands and the Germans occupied a vulnerable [[Salients, re-entrants and pockets|salient]] under fire from three sides. The British abandoned the comparatively worthless territory they had captured at vast cost the previous year around [[Ypres]], freeing several divisions to face the German attackers.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}