Refighting the Spring Offensive in 1918
- warfulcrumgames
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
On this date in 1918, the German army began its final offensive of the First World War, the Spring Offensive, which our first release covers. In this article, we give an overview of the Spring Offensive, how the German Army fought it and how you can recreate the German tactics used in 1918: A First World War Miniatures Game.
By 1918, the war had stretched both Allied and Central powers to the breaking point. The morale of the allied powers had dropped significantly after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive of 1917 - unbeknownst to Germany, the French Army had suffered mutinies - and Russia had signed an armistice and left the war following the collapse of the Tsarist regime. The German Army was thus in a strong position, and its military, headed by Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff, pushed for an offensive to break the British and French lines and force a favourable peace. To this end, the Germans devised the Kaiserschlact, a series of offensives designed to push the British back to the sea and force both powers to settle before the American Expeditionary Force could arrive to shore up the numbers.
The first of these offensives, Operation Michael, began on the 21st March 1918. The initial aim was a focused attack near Saint-Quentin to draw the British to the Channel Ports, but this would be changed and expanded. To achieve these objectives, the Germans formed bespoke Intervention Divisions (or Eingreifdivision), and this force list is available in our core rulebook, 1918: Spring Offensive.
The Intervention Division
The German Army reorganised all of its best and elite troops into formations that would form the tip of the offensive. These would include the Stormtroopers (Sturmtruppen or Stoßtruppen), innovative new infantry born out of both the Battle of Verdun in 1916, where the German Army used assault battalions to keep momentum, and the Battle of Riga in 1917, which saw German infantry use fire and manoeuvre to bypass Russian held positions. This new, modern style of warfare would be key to the operations of the Spring Offensive.
These intervention divisions consisted of elite German infantry supported by light machine guns, mobile support weapons and artillery. Tactical doctrine had moved away from large scale, lengthy bombardment and moved to mixed and rapid artillery barrages, using a combination of gas and shell to keep positions locked down. These formations were used to great effect, bypassing allied strongholds and pushing deeper into enemy lines. Any positions the intervention divisions had bypassed would be taken by the follow up divisions, who would seize them and establish lines of supply. This was the principle in practice, but in reality it became a weakness - the intervention divisions had pushed beyond their line of supplies, and these elite troops would bear the brunt of allied counter-attacks, resulting in disproportionate casualties.
Operation Michael
“Punch a hole and things will develop” - German Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff.
On the 21st March 1918, the German Army unleashed a colossal bombardment. For five hours, over 6,600 guns fired 3.5 million shells across a 46-mile front. Communication lines, command centres and artillery barrages were targeted - locking those positions down and hampering the ability of the British forces to respond. Under the cover of this barrage and heavy fog, the German infantry advanced and pushed back allied positions.
At the tactical level, Operation Michael was a success. German infantry had captured considerable territory and punched a hole in British lines. However, the land captured was strategically worthless and the British had held vital positions such as railway junctions. These gains could not be exploited, and although the Germans launched numerous successive offensives, they could never quite achieve their goal. With the failure of the Spring Offensive, the Allied powers launched a counter attack of their own, the Hundred Days offensive and the German Army’s capitulation followed on the 11th November 1918.
Refighting the Spring Offensive in 1918
Our first release for 1918 contains the force list for the German Intervention Division, allowing you to field both an Intervention Rifle Platoon and a Stormtrooper platoon, so you can replicate these fire-and-manoeuvre tactics on your tabletop.
The list above features a core intervention platoon supported by Stormtroopers and mobile support weapons. The pre-registered bombardment should be attached to the most entrenched enemy position - such as a HMG team in a pillbox. This should be used as early as possible. By pinning your enemy in place, you can use the speed of your infantry to advance quickly. Remember, your light machine guns, the MG 08, are too heavy to fire on the move, so take advantage of the Squads keyword to have small fireteams that you can then use the Devil’s Paintbrush dugout ability to grant your infantry extra movement. Pushing up to those objectives is the name of your game. Use your Senior Leaders and the Mission Tactics ability to keep things going in spite of pins - the Elite keyword should serve you well.
If you should come across a fortification - use gas or flamethrowers to lock it down. If neither are available, simply bypass it. Your infantry can move, their positions cannot.
If, however, you find yourself on the defence, trust in your firepower and elite status, as this is where the list is weakest. By using K Bullets you may be able to bail out enemy tanks, and that should be enough. Trust in your troops to survive, because caution is not the way to play the German Intervention Division.
You can purchase a full Intervention Platoon on our webstore now, and if you wish to field some Stormtroopers, a couple of Rifle Sections and the Stormtrooper upgrade packs should be enough.
Oh, and if you’ve made it through to the Green Fields Beyond, something very large and heavy will be moving up to support your advance very soon…
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