The Hundred Days

The German spring offensive of 1918 brought the Western Front's final crisis. Attacking with troops transferred from Russia, Germans broke through Allied lines, advancing further than since 1914. Paris came under long-range artillery fire. The government prepared evacuation. French troops, falling back, seemed near collapse.

Yet they held. At critical moments—second battle of the Marne, defense of Rheims—French units stood firm. Colonial troops again proved crucial. The 2nd Colonial Corps helped stop German advance toward Paris. Moroccan cavalry, in one of the war's last mounted charges, disrupted German communications. The line bent but didn't break.

The Allied counteroffensive, beginning July 18, showed French army's recovery. Despite four years of bleeding, French forces advanced steadily. Combined operations with Americans, British, and Belgians pushed Germans back. By November, French troops entered territory lost since 1914. Church bells, silent for years, rang as liberation came to occupied regions.