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==Background==
The German army was under the direction of General Erich Ludendorff, by this stage in the war, his old collaborator Field Marshall von Hindenburg was only nominally German Chief of Staff. He was the mastermind of the Spring offensive in 1918, which is often referred to as the ‘Ludendorff Offensive’<ref> Zabecki, D.T, The German 1918 Offensives: A Case Study of the Operational Level of War, (Taylor & Francis, London, 2005), p 56 </ref>. On the face of it Germany and the Central Powers are in a strong position in early 1918. After the Treaty of Brest-Livotosk, the Russians had withdrawn from the war and the Germans had secured new territory in the east. Romania had been defeated and Italy and Greece are no longer a threat. By 1918, it was clear that WW I would be decided on the western front <ref> Zabeck, p. 57</ref>. The Germans knew that after America had joined the war, that they would tip the balance in favour of the allies, in the long term. By early 1918, the Americans had already begun to make a difference on the western front and if they were allowed to build up their strength, further, then the allies, eventually could inflict a decisive defeat on Imperial Germany. Furthermore, as a result of the allied naval blockade, Germany was on the brink of starvation and there was great unrest in the cities and strikes had become very common <ref> Pitt, Barrie, 1918 The Last Act. Pen & Sword Military Classics. Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 1962, p. 45</ref>.
Ludendorff was in a race against time. Germany had to defeat Britain and France or they faced almost certain defeat, Ludendorff believed that they had only one last chance to strike a decisive blow against the allies before it was too late. Ludendorff was a realist and knew that the situation was grave for Germany <ref> Pitt, p. 47</ref>. After the Treaty of Brest-Livtosk the German Army could transfer some 50 divisions from the Eastern Front to the western front, in early 1918. Ludendorff would use these divisions in his last offensive and Germany’s last effort to win WW I <ref> Pitt, p. 13</ref>.
[[File: German Offensive 1.jpg|thumbnail|German troops taking an allied trench in 1918]]
