While the Germans were trying to force their way regardless of cost, in the direction of Chalons and Epernay, General Foch was preparing a surprise in the Villers-Cotterets forest on the German right flank.  In the large force collected for the surprise were some of the best French regiments together with the famed Foreign Legion, the Moroccan regiment and other crack troops including Americans.  On the morning of July 18, a heavy blow was launched at the Germans all along the line from Chateau Thierry on the Marne to the Aisne northwest of Soissons.

The foe was taken completely by surprise and town after town fell with very little resistance.  Later the resistance stiffened but the Allies continued to advance.  Cavalrymen assisted the infantry and tanks in large numbers, helped to clean out the machine gun nests.  The Americans who fought side by side with the French won the unbounded admiration of their comrades.  Thousands of prisoners were taken with large numbers of heavy cannon, great quantities of ammunition and thousands of machine guns.  By the 20th Soissons was threatened.  The Germans finding themselves caught in a dangerous salient and attacked fiercely on both flanks, retreated hurriedly to the north bank of the Marne and still farther.

Meanwhile things were going badly for the Austrians.  After its retreat in 1917 to the line of the Piave river, the Italian army had been reorganized and strengthened under General Diaz, who had succeeded General Cadorna in command.  French and British regiments had been sent to assist in holding the line, and later some American forces.

The Austrians began an offensive June 15 along a 100-mile front, crossing the Piave in several places.  For three days they made violent attacks on the Montello plateau, and along the Piave from St. Andrea to San Dona and at Capo Sile, twenty miles from Venice.  Then the Italians, British, French and Americans counter-attacked and within three days had turned the great Austrian offensive into a rout, killing thousands, taking thousands of prisoners, and capturing an immense amount of war material including the Austrian’s heavy caliber guns.  The whole Austrian scheme to advance into the fertile Italian plains where they hoped to find food for their hungry soldiers, failed completely.  It was practically the end of Austria and the beginning of the end for Germany.  Bulgaria gave up September 26, due to heavy operations by the French, Italians and Serbians during July, August and September, in Albania, Macedonia and along the Vardar river to the boundaries of Bulgaria.  They signed an armistice September 29 and the king of Bulgaria abdicated October 3.  Turkey being in a hopeless position through the surrender of Bulgaria, and the success of the British forces under General Allenby, kept up a feeble resistance until the end of October when she too surrendered.  The collapse of Austria-Hungary followed closely on that of Turkey.  They kept up a show of resistance and suffered a number of disastrous defeats until the end of October when they raised the white flag.  An armistice was signed by the Austrian representatives and General Diaz for the Italians, November 3.