Battle of Albert (21–23 August 1918) was the third battle by that name fought during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, following the First Battle of Albert and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart. This smaller third battle was significant in that it was the opening push that would lead to the

Second Battle of the Somme The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...

and involved the

Australian Corps The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire in France. At its peak the Australian Corps numbered 1 ...

. This attack opened the advance; the main thrust was launched by the Third Army along with support from the Fourth Army. The

Second Battle of Bapaume The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of the First World War that took place at Bapaume in France, from 21 August 1918 to 3 September 1918. It was a continuation of the Battle of Albert and is also referred to as the second phase of that ba ...

, from 25 August to 3 September, was a continuation of this battle. The attacks developed into an advance, which pushed the German 2nd Army back along a

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

. On 22 August, the

18th (Eastern) Division The 18th (Eastern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army formed in September 1914 during the First World War as part of the K2 Army Group, part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. From its creation the division trained in England u ...

took Albert, with the British and Americans advancing on

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

. The following day, the Australian 1st Division, which was advancing north-east from Proyart, attacked German fortifications around

Chuignes Chuignes () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Chuignes is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, near the banks of the river Somme, some east of Amiens. Population See also *Communes of ...

, and succeeded in capturing the town. On 29 August, during the Second Battle of Bapaume, the town of

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a farmi ...

fell into New Zealand hands. This resulted in an advance by the

, who crossed the

Somme River The Somme ( , , ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geological ...

on 31 August and broke the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

lines during the

Battle of Mont St. Quentin The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin was a battle on the Western Front during World War I. As part of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive on the Western Front in the late summer of 1918, the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of ...

. The (German armies on the Western Front) was pushed back to the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

, from which they had launched their spring offensive.

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

Map of Allied Advance in World War I

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 1918 Battles of the Western Front (World War I) 1918 in France Conflicts in 1918 History of Somme (department) Battles of World War I involving Germany Battles of World War I involving France August 1918 events France–Germany military relations