Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
Part of Operation Michael (German spring offensive)
1918 map showing vicinity of Villers-Bretonneux
Date 24–25 April 1918 Location Villers-Bretonneux, Northern France 49°52′03″N 2°31′15″E / 49.86750°N 2.52083°E / 49.86750; 2.52083 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
British Empire Australia  United Kingdom  France French Morocco French Madagascar French Foreign Legion	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ferdinand Foch Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Harold Edward Elliott Thomas William Glasgow Talbot Hobbs	Erich Ludendorff Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria Georg von der Marwitz
Strength
Australian 13th, 14th and 15th Brigades 173rd Brigade of British 58th Division Remnants of British 8th Division Moroccan Division 3 Mark IV tanks (one male, two female) 7 Medium Mark A Whippet tanks	228th Infantry Division 4th Guards Infantry Division 13 A7V tanks
Casualties and losses
2,473 9,529 3,470	c. 10,400
Villers Bretonneux class=notpageimage| Villers-Bretonneux, a commune in the Somme department of northern France

The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (also Actions of Villers-Bretonneux, after the First Battles of the Somme, 1918) took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the first occasion on which tanks fought against each other; it was the biggest and most successful tank action of the German army in the First World War.

Three German A7Vs engaged three British Mark IV tanks, two of which were female tanks armed only with machine-guns. The two Mark IV females were damaged and forced to withdraw but the male tank, armed with 6-pounder guns, hit and disabled the lead A7V, which was then abandoned by its crew. The Mark IV continued to fire on the two remaining German A7Vs, which withdrew. The "male" then advanced with the support of several Whippet light tanks which had arrived, until disabled by artillery fire and abandoned by the crew.

A counter-attack by two Australian brigades and a British brigade during the night of 24 April partly surrounded Villers-Bretonneux and on 25 April the town was recaptured. On 26 April, the role of the Moroccan division of the French army was crucial in pushing back German units. Australian, British and French troops had almost restored the original front line by 27 April.^[a]

Villers-Bretonneux - where Australian and British forces defended against a German invasion, as well as the follow-up attack only three weeks later. Villers-Bretonneux was a desirable point of advantage for both sides of the battle because it was less than 20km from the British transport hub, where if the Germans advanced, they could be overthrown by the infantry.

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