In the beginning of the offensive which thus failed to accomplish its object, the most desperate means were employed by the Germans to break down resistance; In the first six hours of bombardment on March 21, when three great German armies were massed for the attack, under Generals Von Bulow, Von Marwitz, and Von Hutier, commanding from the north to south in the order named, it is estimated that at least 1,500,000 shells were fired by one single army—­that opposed to General Gough’s forces on the south, while the British 3rd army, under General Byng, to the north, was similarly assailed.  Most of the shells contained gas and were designed to destroy the occupants of the trenches about to be stormed.  Only the utmost individual valor and persistency of the thin British line, as it retired still fighting, prevented the desperate and over-confident foe from turning the gradual retreat into a decisive defeat.  As it was, the Germans paid dearly for every yard of ground they gained, as their successive waves of troops swept over the zone of trenches and then engaged the groups of Allied forces in the open beyond.

All the German units were under orders to advance as far and as fast as possible, being provided with three days’ rations and two days’ water.  After the first few days, the difficulty of bringing up supplies, with the expected objectives far from being gained, aided in slowing up and then halting their advance.  Behind the German storm troops great numbers of reserves were assembled, to fill up the gaps torn in the ranks and restore the divisions to their normal strength as fast as they were depleted by the defense.  The German tactics took no account of human life, but expended it in the most reckless manner, with appalling results throughout the drive.  The Allies, on the other hand, sought at all times to conserve their forces by intrenching as fast as possible at every point during the period of their retirement.  Their artillery was constantly in action, and aided greatly in checking the German. advance.

ALLIES CONTROL IN THE AIR

German aeroplanes played no great part in the advance, although they bombed the British and French rear nightly, and the air service of the Allies proved superior throughout the battle.  For the first time in a great battle British and French airmen attacked the enemy infantry from low altitudes with their machine guns and bombs, and rendered invaluable assistance in damming the swelling tide of the Hun hordes.  Having gained the mastery of the air, as they did prior to the British drive on the Somme in 1916, they retained it until the foe was halted.  To a considerable extent they replaced the heavy guns of the Allies by their constant bombing and gun fire.