A week of warfare had seen the Allies achieve 3 major breakthroughs. In Bulgaria, the Vardar Offensive had shattered the line and driven back German and Bulgarian Forces. By September 23rd, the combined force of French, Serbian, and British forces had effectively routed the Central Powers, forcing a retreat along a 100 mile front. 

The Palestinian Front was also falling apart. Edmund Allenby’s assault on the combined forces of German and Ottoman troops had produced similar results as the Vardar Offensive, though with fewer casualties. To say the Ottoman Army was destroyed is no stretch - the resounding victory on the part of the Allies had seen over 25,000 Axis prisoners taken and 260 guns captured. The Allies would continue their push through Palestine, with eyes on Damascus and Aleppo. 

Though discussed in previous posts, the Battle of Epehy stands as a monumental success on the Western Front. Sitting on the edge of the Hindenburg Line, the combined forces of Henry Rawlinson’s 4th Army, the French Fist Army, and a supporting corps drawn from the British Third Army captured the town, and forced a German retreat to their positions along the St. Quentin-Cambrai portion of the Hindenburg Line.

With victory drawing ever-closer, French forces continued to gain ground along the eastern portion of the St. Quentin Canal, moving into a position allowing a strike on the town proper.