GW21: The Hundred Days’ Offensives and the End of the War

Key Battles of American History

History

4.6 • 936 Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

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Summary

In this episode, Sean and James return to the Western Front to examine the Hundred Days’ Offensives—the relentless Allied campaign that finally broke the German Army in 1918. From the stunning combined-arms victory at Amiens to the grinding battles against the Hindenburg Line and the massive American-led offensives at St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, the episode traces how coordinated Allied attacks shattered German resistance. The discussion highlights the decisive roles of tanks, airpower, unified command under Ferdinand Foch, and the growing impact of American forces. Together, these operations forced Germany to seek an armistice and brought the First World War to its dramatic conclusion.

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0:00.0	War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding
0:10.7	right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its size,
0:17.1	and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential for understanding American history.
0:24.0	Welcome to Key Battles of American History,
0:26.7	a podcast in which we discuss American history
0:28.9	through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.
0:32.7	Here is your host, James Early.
0:43.3	Thank you. host, James Early. Hello and welcome back to the Great War, our 10,000-foot survey of the cataclysmic conflict
0:48.7	that changed the world forever.
0:50.5	I'm your host, James Early, as always.
0:53.9	And as always, I'm joined by my co-host and my good buddy,
0:57.5	Sean McIver. Well, as you recall probably in our last episode, Sean and I examined the dramatic
1:03.4	final campaigns of World War I in the Caucasus, the Balkans, and Italy before turning to the
1:09.2	decisive 1918 Allied offensive in the Middle East.
1:12.9	We focused on General Edmund Allenby's brilliantly executed victory at the Battle of Megetto,
1:18.5	where British, Indian, Australian, and Arab forces shattered the Ottoman armies.
1:23.7	We explored the use of deception, air power, and fast-moving cavalry that turned Megito into one of the war's most complete operational victories.
1:32.6	Finally, we showed how the fall of Damascus, the collapse of Ottoman resistance, and the armistice of Mudros re-shaped the political landscape of the modern Middle East.
1:42.3	This week, we head back to the Western Front again to wrap up
1:45.7	the war there. Although Germany failed in its 1918 spring offensives, the war was not over.
1:53.0	Britain and France were severely depleted in manpower, so the outcome of the war was far from a
1:58.0	sure thing. Still, the Germans failure, together with the constantly
	...

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