A Brief History
On August 8, 1918, the Allied offensive known as the “Hundred Days Offensive” began with the start of the Battle of Amiens. Allied forces swept 7 miles into German lines, an incredible distance when in the previous 4 years, progress had been measured in feet or yards. The Battle of Amiens was the first in a string of victories that would carry the Allies to victory in World War I but also inevitably sow the seeds of World War II!
Digging Deeper
Both sides experienced tremendous effects on morale due to the huge early Allied success of the Amiens offensive; the Allies elated and encouraged, while the Germans became despondent and began surrendering in large numbers. The German commander, Erich Ludendorff, called it “the black day of the German Army.”
The Allies used tanks in one of the most effective, early mass armor attacks. Finally weapons and tactics had changed the face of trench warfare. With over 500 Allied tanks facing virtually no German tanks, 32 Allied divisions facing 14 German divisions and over 1,900 Allied aircraft facing 365 German aircraft, the tired and worn out German defenders were not likely to withstand the onslaught.
An interesting tactic at Amiens was the Allied use of unarmed tanks to provide protected transport of resupplies of food, water and ammo across the battlefield, as well as the evacuation of wounded.
As the Allied victories piled up, it became clear to both sides that Germany must surrender or face invasion and annihilation. An armistice was signed that went into effect on November 11, 1918, and the infamous Treaty of Versailles followed in 1919. The seeds of World War II are said to have been sown with the Treaty of Versailles and its harsh terms against Germany, blaming World War I on German aggression and belligerence, which was actually only partly the case. Onerous reparations would continue the sting for years to come. Truth be told, all the nations involved in the early part of the war share the blame for starting it, not just Germany. In addition to the bitterness generated by the terms of the treaty, propaganda caused the German people to believe that Germany had not been defeated militarily on the battlefield but rather that Germany had instead lost because politicians had mishandled the war (which was not true, as the military played a big part in losing the war).
The unhappy peace that followed is seen by many to have inevitably led to a second world war. Thus, it might be concluded that the Battle of Amiens, as the beginning of the end of World War I, can be thought of as the beginning of World War II. Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think? Is this fair analysis, or are we reaching too far? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please read…
Dennis, Peter and Alistair McCluskey. Amiens 1918: The Black Day of the German Army (Campaign). Osprey Publishing, 2008.
Kearsey, A. The Battle of Amiens 1918. Naval and Military Press, 2009.
The featured image in this article, 8th August, 1918 (oil-on-linen, 107 cm x 274 cm, 1918-1919) by Will Longstaff, Australian official war artist, is available from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: ART03022. This image is Crown Copyright because it is owned by the Australian Government or that of the states or territories, and is in the public domain because it was created or published prior to 1970 and the copyright has therefore expired. The government of Australia has declared that the expiration of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide. This has been confirmed by correspondence received by OTRS (Ticket:2017062010010417).
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3481 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3481">123 Comments
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I don’t consider the Battle of Amiens to be the start of World War II.
I think that the harsh terms towards German was what started WWII
I also agree that the battle of amienes could have been the cause of WWII
I feel like this could’ve been a small piece of what would excel into WWII but it don’t consider it the actual start or cause.
I feel that this battle was not the start of WWII. It may be a factor that lead to the war but I don’t think it started the war.
The battle itself didn’t sow the seeds for WWII, but I do believe that the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles played a major role. Yes, Germany needed to be punished, but I think it went past the point of punishment. The treaty began to debilitate Germany.
Although the treaty may have played a small part I think the Writer is wrong for saying it started the war.
Amazing how outnumbered the Germans were by the Allies. With 500 more tanks, 18 more divisions and 1,535 more aircrafts, the Allies were obviously in good position!
I don’t think this battle is what started the War, but I’m sure it had a factor that lead to the start of the war.
The Allies has had done great work in term of military support, meanwhile I don’t think it caused WWII
I’m not sure I would consider this the start of the war, though it was certainly a contributing factor. The major cause was the resentment felt due to the Treaty of Versailles. That was the breaking point.
I think it is a possibility that it was a factor that lead to the WWII, but no the beginning.
I don’t think that this battle was the start of WWII. The Treaty of Versailles was the main factor in the start of WWII.
This could have ignited WWII, but it was not the starting point.
I don’t know if I would consider this the beginning of WWII. There were a lot of different factors that involved the US.
Very interesting read.
I do not think this was the start of the WWII.
I do not think this was the ignition but rather one of the straws placed before the camels back broke.
They had no idea that they were starting another war instead of ending one.
I do not necessarily think that the Battle of Amiens was the official start of WW2. It could have definitely been a factor, but not the official start.
I think that it was more so the Treaty of Versailles and its harsh treatment of the Germans that really was a catalyst for the start of the next world war. While the Germans were in the wrong with World War I, I do believe that if we had shown more clemency to them that things could have been different.
As a few others have previously stated, I believe that this was not the official start of the second world war. I do think this event caused more tensions that lead to the start of the world war.
The Germans were out numbered and out resourced from the start and were bound to be upset after this battle. While I do not think that this was the trigger that started WWII, I do think it played a significant role.
It was a factor for sure but in no way was it the major reason for starting a World War. Very interesting to read however.
I think Germany was and still is a very powerful nation. A war cannot only be blamed in one nation so I think more nations were responsible for the start of World War II, but I also think that Gernamy had a great influence on it.
It’s crazy to think that the Allies got 7 miles into German territory! Though I don’t think this battle was responsible for WWII, I do think it played an influential role.
I believe it’s fair analysis to conclude World War II started with the battle of Amiens. If it weren’t for the Allies crushing the German in this battle leading to the treaty of Versailles and it’s harsh conditions on the German, World War II may have been avoided. All countries involved in World War I should have accepted responsibility and move forward in peace instead of insisting on punishing the German for their involvement.
I do not believe that the battle of Amiens was the official start of WW2. All the history facts could not be wrong leading up to the article to now say the war started at a different time. The battle of Amiens was not the offical start or reason but I believe had a major impact on the war.
I thinks it would be a stretch to say that one battle two whole decades earlier led to the start of humanities largest war. But at the same time there are many clear connections. The use of tanks in battle was huge for the Allies. And it was a brilliant idea to use them as armored transportation as well.
It’s crazy to think that in recent years progress was measured by feet and inches and now the Allied troops had made it 7 miles into German territory insane! I guess thats what happens when you have nearly 500 tanks when your enemy has almost none, you nearly doubled them in divisions and over 1900 aircrafts compared to their 365. I would agree with most in their comments to say that I do not believe that this solely start World War II but definitely had an impact.
This is a very interesting take on when a war starts. With this idea, one could say that wars were started years before there was actually any declaration. I never realized the Allies started off so strong during WWI. It makes sense why they were the clear victors.
The Battle of Amiens was not a good time for the Germans. They were clearly out numbered in men and aircrafts compare to the Allies. It is unfortunate that they got all the blame for World War 1 in the Treaty of Versailles.
I feel that with any war there are probably a bit of clouds around the start of the war or the event that caused the start of the war. Often times, this date is different from the date of the official documented start of the war. This is an interesting take on when WWI began.
The Germans were certainly bitter about losing the war and then taking all of the blame for it. It makes sense that the treaty could leave them with a bad taste in their mouth and wanting revenge. It seems that things could have been handled better to potentially prevent another war, although that is unlikely.
Finally this battle started what would be the end of WWI. The battles before this had been measured by feet and yards. The time finally came to measure a battle by miles. This victory pushed the allies 7 miles into Germany. The allies had more resources than Germany and this battle led to more victories by the allies.
With a bad ending to one war there is always one to be followed. Because the treaty generated bad feelings and a sense of unfairness there should have been a guess that a second world war was going to pop up.
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were harsh against Germany. No wonder a second world war happened years later. Germany was still upset about the Treaty of Versailles and wanted to change that. World War II began with the Treaty of Versailles.
It is surprising that there are different known dates to the start of a major war. It is cool to learn about different opinions. I wonder when the real start to WWII was.
The large blame placed on Germany for World War I put them in extreme debt causing depression. This was a cause of World War II starting. It is interesting to find out that Germany also blamed government and politicians for the great suffering post World War II, but that would explain Hitler and Nazi Germany coming to the forefront of politics for Germany during World War II.
The Allies had a great advantage over the Germans. The Germans seemed to have no other choice but to surrender. I never knew that the seeds of World War II are said to have been sown with the Treaty of Versailles.
With all the political and military events occurring in Europe around that time, I am not surprised that many believe that to be the start date of WWII. I am sure if you talk to historians from around the world, most will likely give a different start date of the war. It is personally interesting to learn different perspectives on it. This was one I never knew about.
Never knew tanks were used for more than cover and knocking down doors. Smart to produce armored vehicles for transport. Resupply is the most crucial thing during long conflicts.
It is important to know the source of who is telling information before going and believe what they say. It is though interesting that not everyone has the same start date to WWII
WWI was supposed to be the “war to end all wars.” I think a less punishing Versailles treaty could have kept the Germans complacent enough to avoid fascism. But we still have Mussolini and Tojo to deal with who could still start a (smaller) world war.
There’s always at least two sides of every story!
It would have been a better idea to punish Germany less severely. A disgruntled and desperate Germany probably wouldn’t have allowed the rise of a crazy man like Hitler otherwise.
I think we are reaching too far. We already have a date stating it and maybe that was just the battle that lead to the whole war.
I don’t think this battle was responsible for the war.
punishing Germany the way we did is where we messed up. and a lot of he reason for the war
In my personal opinion, I could see how this link could contribute to WW2, but in actuality, wouldn’t this date be recorded? On top of that, we shouldn’t have punished Germany so badly otherwise they ended up rebelling it seems with the need of a leader like Hitler to guide their country.
In my opinion, I think that this battle is one of the things that lead to WWII. We already have the set date, why should one battle change that?
It is very true that Germany was not the only country to be put to blame for starting World War I. It is also interesting to point out the extreme influence of propaganda during that time. After all, that was during 1918/1919ish and it’s use literally caused German citizens to believe that Germany had not been defeated militarily on the battlefield. I find it astounding that propaganda had that kind of power during that point in history. -ACL
I believe that this was one reason that WWII started.
The use of unarmed tanks sounds like an expensive delivery vehicle.
its amazing just how out numbered the Germans were for this last stitch effort battle.
Germany was extremely outnumbered and bound to lose. 500 less tanks, 18 less divisions and 1,535 less aircrafts is quite drastic. The German’s never seem to have good luck!
This is why u don’t mess with america, we are THE best
It’s crazy to think how outnumbered Germany was compared to the U.S
I think the overwhelming defeat left many unsettled and wanting to defend their reputation, attributing to the Second World War.
The Treaty of Versailles is the number one reason why a second World War took place, but to say that it started on the same day the first World War ended is a stretch.
I can see the writer’s point of view about this battle sowing the seeds for the next war. Good use of the unarmed tanks to get supplies to the troops and to remove the wounded.
It is something to think about! There is a possibility that this started the bad feelings country toward country! I would not personally say that this was the date WW II started.
I think it seems a little premature to say that this alone was sowing the seeds of WWII
I would not say that this is the exact date that WWII started but I think that it set the stage for WII.
I learned about the Treaty of Versailles previously and it was very harsh on German. They were restricted in many areas and were not allowed to have a military. This created a lot of bitterness in Germany because they were not the only reason that there was a war.
This is an interesting point to think about, but I do not think that this alone would start WWII.
Un easy tensions add up when national pride comes into play for starting a war
This is a very interesting question. Maybe it more set the stage for WWll and not necessarily the exact start of the war.
I do not think this would start the war on its own. I do believe that it could have been an influence.
This is definitely something to consider but I personally do not think it was the start of WWII. Many things influenced the war and this may have been a part of it.
After reading this article I would have to stay that I would not consider this the start of World War II but I do believe that this would be a contributing factor. This obviously made people upset and would contribute to the decision of World War II.
This topic brings a lot of questions out about what actually caused WWII. This could have definitely influenced the start of the war, but I’m not so sure that it was the sole causation of the war.
I guess I never realized how little Germany was prepared compared to the Allies. The fact that the Allies had 1,900 aircraft facing 350 German Aircraft showed very strong evidence to surrender. Overall, this most likely led to the end of world war one.
I don’t think that this should be considered as the start of WWII, but it could be a factor as to why the war would begin.
In my opinion, I do not agree with the assertion. But, I think it could be a possible event to cause the WWII to start.
This article seems to point at the fact that the very first battle of WWI was actually the start of WWII because of the less than agreeable treaty that was signed ending WWI.
With all those tanks, I can see why the German commander considered it the “black day of the German army.”
I don’t believe this was the start of World War II, just a factor that added to it.
I think this topic brings a lot of questions and wondering about what really started WWII.
This article made me stop and think about a lot of different things. It is definitely something to stop and think about!
I agree with Daina, I don’t think this was the start of the second world war. It’s almost as unrelated as the first battle of the first world war.
I do believe that the victories in WWI played a part in WWII mainly because history seems to repeat itself.
History always repeats itself. However, hopefully another world war will never be seen again.
I can only hope that nothing like this would ever be seen in our world again.
I defiantly don’t think this was the cause of the war but it might’ve contributed.
The tank changed the way we fight a war and are still used today.
I think that is a fair analysis of what happened regarding the Germans feeling blamed for WW1. Although, Hitler and his fevered brain also had ideas. Maybe we would not have faced a second world war if it weren’t for him. His rise to power does not seem to have anything to do with the first world war.
I more see this contributing to the reason for WWI but not the main reason.
Without the harsh treatment of the Germans after WW1, Hitler may well have never risen to power. He based most of his speeches on nationalist ideals which because of the sanctions had been all but crushed in Germany.
The idea of the unmarked tanks was a great idea! without that tanks could of been destroyed.
I would say this is a fair statement. If I remember my history correctly Hitler referred to the treaty many times in speeches when inciting the German people to go to war. The terms of the treaty were harsh on Germany, but who can blame the Allies for enacting such harsh terms from the conclusion of such a gruesome and bloody war.
You can go either way on whether the writing was on the wall or not for a second war.
Considering the tension that was built around the treaty of Versailles it is no surprise ww2 happened
Germans had no choice but to surrender. It was interesting to read about the treaty of Versailles, sadly this was the first that I had ever heard of it.
I think history blames many things on Germany. They were not portrayed as civil people. Given the whole Nazi Germany and Hilter era, they weren’t viewed as very innocent.
I find it highly risky that the Amiens used unarmed tanks to transport goods across the battlefield. I’m wondering what the people driving the tanks used in case of an attack to defend themselves!
Even though I did not know it, it does makes sense that the possibility that the Treaty of Versailles is what set the precedent for WWII.
The Treaty merely provided a means for an excuse to build a military empire the world had never seen. The Germans unleashing their wrath was inevitable.
I think that it is stretching it to say that it caused WWII. I think that Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Germans behind WWII would have done what they did regardless of anything that had already happened. Hitler was set in his ways and was going to do what he did regardless of anything else.
I agree with the article that treaty was the start of WWII because the treaty was unfair and cause German people to look for someone to stand up for them and that how Hitler came into the picture.
I do believe that this was a factor to the start of WWII, but I don’t think it was the main reason.
The fact that because they lost WWI and was not happy about it, so it sparked the start of WWII is just unbelieving and just crazy.
The use of unarmed tanks to provide protected transport of food, water and ammo across the battlefield and then to bring the wounded back out seems to be a very risky move. Why would you send them in unarmed?
One would think that loosing WWI would prevent them from wanting to start another war, I guess not. But the use of the tanks to protect the food and water was a very smart idea.
Great tactic with the unarmed tanks, I wouldn’t want to be the poor sucker in one of those though!
The power of propaganda. It is scary. I know we see this all the time, especially during election season, but it controls people without them even realizing it. If you see something enough, or hear it enough, the average person starts believing it.
I must say it was a genius idea to use unarmed tanks to provide the protected transport of resupplies. Furthermore, after giving it some thought, it does sound that the Battle of Amines may indeed have been the beginning of World War II. I know Germany was hot happy after its loss in World War I and wanted another chance at victory on the world stage.
Propaganda is a powerful tool. Once the German people started believing that their forces did not lose on the battlefield but because of decisions made by the politicians, it was all downhill from there. Led them right into another war down the road.
The Treaty of Versailles was poorly written when it blamed Germany for the entire war, and I think it being interpreted by the wrong man, Hitler, definitely was the start of World War II. In his jail cell a defeated Hitler wrote about the atrocities the German people faced in his eyes, thus began his take over.
The Battle of Amines does seem to be the bridge from one war to the next. It doesn’t help Germany knowing how they felt after a huge lose of the first war.
Propaganda is a very powerful tool that is still used today.
I suppose it is not a far reach to assume this.
I think that it may have helped the start of WW II, but not the only reason behind it.
Or could this battle be considered a bridge and there was no real break between the wars. With that being said, I believe it was just that, a battle. There was much more that went into declaring WW2; however, everything is up for interpretation.
I agree that this could have been a step in starting WW II, but for sure not the only contributing factor.
It definitely sounds like Amiens was part of the beginning of World War II.
Even though Germany was losing the war, but it was a kind of reminder that help them improve their own country’s army and equipment.
Germany were not having alliance and were having depression. It finally leads Germany gave up fighting the war.
It sounds like Amiens was the start of World War II.
I’ve always enjoyed learning about the Treaty of Versailles – even back in high school. This time of history really interests me.
While I am relieved that August 8th signifies the start of the “Hundred Days Offense” that ended WWI, I can’t help but consider where we are with world relations today.