1-217-157 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Third Battle of the Aisne, Chemin des Dames, France, 1918. A lorry carrying French infantry passes a unit of cavalry. A strategically important ridge overlooking the River Aisne, the Chemin des Dames was the site of several major battles between 1916 and 1918. The ridge was the initial objective of the Germans during the Third Battle of the Aisne, their great Spring Offensive designed to defeat the Allies before the large-scale deployment of American forces was completed. They launched their attack on 27 May and rapidly broke through the Allied lines. For a while it appeared that the Germans had achieved a decisive breakthrough and Paris was gripped by an atmosphere of crisis, but by 6 June the attack had run out of momentum and was halted at the Marne.