page_title: 50th (Northumbrian) Division
section_title: Spring Offensive
hierarchical_section_title: 50th (Northumbrian) Division / World War I / Spring Offensive
caption_attribution_description: English: Map, German advance 21-23 March 1918
context_page_description: The Northumbrian Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force with units drawn from the north-east of England, notably Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The division was numbered as 50th (Northumbrian) Division in 1915 and served on the Western Front throughout World War I. Due to losses suffered in the Ludendorf Offensive in March 1918 it had to be comprehensively reorganized. It was once again reformed in the Territorial Army as the Northumbrian Division in 1920.
context_section_description: It had been known since the Russian ceasefire that the Germans would use the troops freed from the Eastern Front to launch an attack on the West. Preparations were begun for a defence in depth but were incomplete by the time of the first assault.
  The division was to be particularly unfortunate that Spring in being caught in three of the German's assaults, together with the 19th, 21st and 25th Divisions.
caption: German advance, 21–23 March 1918
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