The Battle of Noyon-Montdidier, 9-13 June 1918, was the fourth
of General Erich von Ludendorff’s great offensives of the spring
and summer of 1918 that came close to breaking the Allied lines
on the western front, but instead critically damaged the
fighting capacity of the German army. The first and third of
those offensives (Second Battle of the Somme and Third Battle of
the Aisne) had created two giant salients in the Allied lines.
The Noyon-Montdidier offensive was designed to link these two
saliants. This would straighten out the line and potentially
threaten Paris. Two German armies – the Eighteenth under General
Oskar von Hutier and the Seventh under General Max von Boehn
were allocated to the attack. They were opposed by two French
armies – the Third under General Georges Humbert and the Tenth
under General Charles Mangin. The French also had access to
American troops, who would play a part in defeating the
offensive. The French had sufficient warning of the German
attack. On 9 June the German Eighteen