William and May honour men who finally beat back might of Germany
IN a sunlit medieval cathedral Prince William yesterday led centenary commemorations of the battle which marked the beginning of the end of the First World War.
The Duke of Cambridge joined Theresa May and thousands of descendants of the troops from as far away as Australia in marking the Battle of Amiens.
Mrs May gave the Prince a respectful low curtsey as they met on the steps of the 13th-century Amiens Cathedral.
The breakthrough battle’s surprise attack was launched in thick fog on August 8, 1918 and triggered the “100 Days Offensive” that defeated the Kaiser and brought the Armistice of November 11, 1918.
But though France also took part in the battle, President Emmanuel Macron was represented by armed forces minister Florence Parly.
Other dignitaries included former German president Joachim Gauck.
The four-day battle saw a revolutionary combination of Allied forces – tanks, warplanes, artillery and infantry – which turned the tide on the Germans.
Prince William, who wore an Irish Guards tie and performed a reading to the 2,000 inside the cathedral while 1,200 watched outside, said: “The Battle of Amiens brought the Allies hope and optimism after four long years of bloodshed and stalemate.
“The Battle of Amiens was a Armed Forces chief Sir Nick weeks, the Allies adopted a number of tactics at the Battle of Amiens which continued that success: secrecy and surprise, the use of targeted air power by the RAF, the phasing of the attack to allow for rest and consolidation and, perhaps most importantly of all, the coordination of Allied troops working together in coalition.” Yet in a reading in the Cathedral, Mrs May revealed that at first the Allies had not realised the significance of the breakthrough. Quoting the memoirs of wartime premier David Lloyd George, she said: “The fact of the matter was that the British Army itself did not realise the extent and effect of their _triumph they had won that day.
“The effect of the victory was moral and not territorial. It revealed to friend and foe alike the breakdown of the German power of resistance.
“More finally even than by the French counter-offensive of July 18 were the Germans driven by the British stroke of August 8 to realise that all hope of victory had passed.”
She concluded with the admission of senior German commander Erich Ludendorff after the battle: “An end must be put to the war.”
Among the dignitaries was the head of Britain’s Armed Forces, chief of the defence staff General Sir Nick Carter, who told how it was “deeply humbling” to honour soldiers who had made the supreme sacrifice. But he said the battle had marked a transition to modern warfare – and an escape from the trenches.
He said: “About 600 to 800 aircraft were used in this battle providing close air support for the first time thanks to a rudimentary radio.
“It also saw tanks, artillery and infantry come together in a combined sense which created the opportunity for something so loved by generals, manoeuvre, and unlocked four years of trench warfare into something that became open warfare again.”
At the end of the ceremony William and Mrs May laid wreaths in the cathedral’s Chapel of the Allies and met some of the descendants of soldiers who fought in the battle.