Why Did The German Spring Offensive Of 1918 Fail?

[Samson Pumpkin Jr.]

I know literally nothing about WW1 so I would like to know why operation Michael and its subsequent offensives on the western front orchestrated by Erich Ludendorff failed.

 

[The Real Me]

The Spring Offensive was a last ditch effort from the Germans that used up all of their remaining supplies. It may have been effective had the US not joined at this point, they supplied the Entente with their own supplies and soldiers, which Germany simply could not overpower.

Edit: I should mention that the Spring Offensive was an immediate response to America’s announcement that they would join the war. Germany aimed to capture France before the arrival of US re-enforments, which they were not able to do.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Claims to know literally nothing about WWI
Name-drops the Spring Offensive (even calls it Operation Michael) and Eric Ludendorff, both two things that no normalfag would ever have heard of

 

[Samson Pumpkin Jr.]

The Spring Offensive was a last ditch effort from the Germans that used up all of their remaining supplies. It may have been effective had the US not joined at this point, they supplied the Entente with their own supplies and soldiers, which Germany simply could not overpower.

Edit: I should mention that the Spring Offensive was an immediate response to America’s announcement that they would join the war. Germany aimed to capture France before the arrival of US re-enforments, which they were not able to do.

How much did the Us contribute to make the allies win? Also America joined in April 1917 so I don't know why they would have their "immediate" reaction 1 year later

 

[MrJokerRager]

Because my Marvel movies taught me that Wonder Women defeated the Greek God of War at a imperial German military base. Which by default stopped the war.

 

[DogZero]

How much did the Us contribute to make the allies win? Also America joined in April 1917 so I don't know why they would have their "immediate" reaction 1 year later

There is a famous quote in churchill’s retrospective about the war that essentially posits that 3 events occurred in the first few months of 1917, that had they occurred in any other order would have changed the outcome of the war. They were
1) the collapse of the Russian Empire
2) the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
3) the intervention of the united states

IRL it went 2-3-1 roughly
Churchill claims if Russia had collapsed just a month earlier, unrestricted submarine warfare would never have resumed and therefore America would never have joined. Resulting in a negotiated peace eventually IE German victory.

Because america joined the germans were on borrowed time to execute the Kaisershlacht before they arrived. While some elite units had mastered infiltration tactics, the rest of the army was seriously lacking in the NCO’s necessary to sustain a long term offensive. That was even with help from the eastern units. Ultimately Falkenhayn had gotten his wish to bleed france white at Verdun 2 years earlier, but with it sacrificed much of the german offensive capability even into 1918

As far as the failure of Operation Michael specifically as part of the larger spring offensive, speaking generally I attribute two factors
1) the stormtroopers could only supply themselves with what they could carry because they often advanced far ahead of the rest of the army due to the latters dulled offensive capability.
2) The allies had learned their lessons well and wisely concentrated forces at strategically important areas while leaving worthless areas lightly defended.
The result was all the german progress occurred in places that later would be difficult to defend, and that progress could not be translated into a true breakthrough as the stormtroopers lacked supplies.
Meanwhile the actual important areas of the line remained stagnant as the Germans could not achieve local superiority