Battle of Havrincourt
| date | September 12, 1918 |
|---|---|
| place | Havrincourt |
| output | German defeat |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 3 divisions | 4 divisions |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
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The battle of Havrincourt was a battle of the First World War, which in its consequence led to the breakthrough through the Siegfriedstellung .
The battle
Three divisions of the 3rd British Army , the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division, the New Zealand Division and the 37th Division, crossed the Canal du Nord and attacked the village of Havrincourt, which was formed by four German divisions, from the III . and X. Army Corps was defended. Despite their numerical superiority and strong fortifications in the city, the Germans were unable to hold their position. The victory wasn't particularly flashy or impressive, but it marked a growing lack of fighting spirit among German soldiers on the Western Front. Encouraged by this result, Douglas Haig ordered a further course of action, which ultimately led to the Battle of Épehy and then to the Battle of the Saint-Quentin Canal , the breakthrough through the Siegfried Line.
The German Army Report mentions the events as follows:
"Army groups Crown Prince Rupprecht and Böhn: North-east of Bixschoote we took prisoners on our own venture and in defense of a partial enemy attack. On the canal section, own and enemy advances led to fierce fighting at Moeuvres and Havrincourt. "
literature
- Jean-Jacques Becker / Gerd Krumeich : The Great War. Germany and France in the First World War 1914–1918 . Klartext Verlag , Essen 2010, ISBN 978-3-8375-0171-1 .
- Susanne Brandt: From the theater of war to the memory room. The Western Front 1914–1940 . Nomos , Baden-Baden 2000, ISBN 3-7890-6758-X .
- Andre Kagelmann / Reinhold Keiner (Ed.): Four from the infantry. Your last days on the Western Front 1918 (by Ernst Johannsen ), MEDIA Net-Edition 2008, ISBN 978-3-939988-03-8 (audio book).
- Dieter Storz : The Western Front 1918 . In military history , issue 3/2008, MGFA, ISSN 0940-4163 .
Individual evidence
- ^ The German Army Report, Large Headquarters, September 13, 1918 The First Quartermaster General Ludendorff