page_title: Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson
section_title: Battles of 1918
hierarchical_section_title: Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson / First World War / Battles of 1918
caption_attribution_description: English: H.m. the King With British Army Commanders at Buckingham Palace. Left to Right: Sir William Birdwood, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Sir Hubert Plumer, H.M. The King, Sir Douglas Haig, Sir Henry Horne, Sir Julian Byng
context_page_description: General Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG, known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, 2nd Baronet between 1895 and 1919, was a senior British Army officer in the First World War who commanded the Fourth Army of the British Expeditionary Force at the battles of the Somme and Amiens as well as the breaking of the Hindenburg Line. He commanded the Indian Army from 1920 to 1925.
context_section_description: On 28 March, 1918, Rawlinson took over Fifth Army from Hubert Gough, sacked in the wake of the German "March Offensive"; his Fourth Army Staff joined him and Fifth Army became Fourth Army on 3 April. By this time the German Army's offensive, Operation Michael, had been checked, and the Allies were preparing a counter-offensive. Following the success of the Australian attack at Le Hamel on 4 July, Rawlinson proposed to Haig a larger attack, designed to force the Germans back from the city of Amiens and further to damage the German Army's weakening morale. At lunch on 16 July Haig agreed, saying he had already proposed such an operation. Rawlinson had learned from his experiences on the Somme. "The immeasurable superiority of the planning for 8 August 1918 over that for 1 July 1916 testified to the distance the BEF had travelled in the interim." The attack was to be on a relatively narrow front, with no prior bombardment and limited objectives. To ensure a breakthrough, Haig gave Rawlinson command of virtually the whole British armoured forces. By this stage of the war British manpower was severely depleted, and to achieve the breakthrough, the 4th Army comprised four Canadian, five Australian, five British and one American division.
  The Allies achieved complete surprise, and the Battle of Amiens proved a striking success. On 8 August, described by General Erich Ludendorff as "the black day of the German Army", the Allies took 12,000 prisoners and captured 450 guns. Both the German and Allied commands were struck by the collapse in German morale and the high number of Germans surrendering without a fight. Nevertheless, the Allies were still cautious about pressing their advantage too far. On 11 August Rawlinson advised Haig to halt the offensive.
  In September, again commanding a mixed force of British, Australian and American divisions, Rawlinson led his Army in the successful Allied effort to break through the Hindenburg Line of German defences, a major part of the Hundred Days Offensive. Initial planning was by Monash, the Australian commander, but Rawlinson broadened the front and gave him more tanks. The Allied attack was preceded by a massive artillery bombardment. Allied success was most striking in the centre where 46th Division crossed the St Quentin Canal and stormed trenches beyond, advancing up to three miles and taking over 5,300 prisoners.
  Fourth Army's advance enjoyed continued success in the Battles of the Selle and the Sambre and Oise Canal. In the Hundred Days, Rawlinson's men had gained 85 miles, taking 80,000 prisoners and 1,100 guns.
caption: Henry Rawlinson, second from the left, with King George V and senior officers in 1918
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