Battle of St. Quentin Canal

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 in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line. Under the command of Australian general Sir John Monash, the assault achieved all its objectives, resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance and, in concert with other attacks of The Great Offensive along the length of the line convinced the German high command that the writing was on the wall regarding any hope of German victory.

Prelude

After the German Spring Offensive, British, Commonwealth, French and American counter attacks (the Hundred Days Offensive) brought the Allies back up against the outposts of the Hindenburg Line close to the village of Bellicourt by the Autumn of 1918 (the Battle of Épehy).

American forces were ordered to attack on 27 September, to finish clearing German forces from outposts in front of the line. However, due to a shortage of American officers (there were only 18 officers in the 12 attacking companies - the remainder were absent receiving further training), the attack was unsuccessful. As a result of the confusion created by this attack (with the Corps command being unsure of where the American troops were), the attack on 29 September had to be started without the customary (and highly effective) artillery support -...
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