The Final 100 Days - August 20, 1918

82 Days Until Armistice

Julian Byng

By August 20th, the Allied Forces under Ferdinand Foch had secured astonishing gains. The Canadian Corps alone had penetrated over 22 kilometres into German territory, recovering ground that had been lost in the Spring Offensives. Though significant progress had been (and continued to be) made in whittling down the German war machine, the blood cost of these victories had been high - 11,822 casualties over the course of 13 days.

Understandably, the 4th Army under Julian Byng advanced with caution, but did not produce the same results. Fresh assaults along the entirety of the Western Front tried to grind down the Germans, if only through a war of attrition. Small victories were celebrated every day, but a total Allied victory rested on an explosive breakthrough.