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Battle of St Quentin Canal 1918

Battle of St Quentin Canal: Breaking the hindenburg line
Image: Will Longstaff, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

Year1918Wikidata P585 (point in time)
EraWorld War I era (1914–1918)derived from year
LocationFranceNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentEuropeNatural Earth
War / conflictWorld War IWikidata P361
ParticipantsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United StatesWikidata P710
Coordinates49.9750, 3.2317Wikidata P625

About the battle

The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces operating as part of the British Fourth Army under the overall command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson. Further north, part of the British Third Army also supported the attack. South of the Fourth Army's 19 km (12 mi) front, the French First Army launched a coordinated attack on a 9.5 km (6 mi) front. The objective was to break through one of the most heavily defended stretches of the German Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line), which in this sector used the St Quentin Canal as part of its defences. The assault achieved its objectives (though not according to the planned timetable), resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance. In concert with other attacks of the Grand Offensive along the length of the line, Allied success convinced the German high command that there was little hope of an ultimate German victory.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of St Quentin Canal (revision 1377441779), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

49.9750, 3.2317 · France

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Nearby battles

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Browse more: battles in France · Europe · World War I era battles

Further reading