First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

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First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (30 March – 5 April 1918)

The battle happened during Germany’s spring offensive, known as Operation Michael, on the Somme Front in northern France. Germany hoped to break through Allied lines and reach Amiens, a key rail and road hub. To stop them, Australian, British, and Canadian forces fought around the town of Villers-Bretonneux, near Amiens.

Opposing forces and leaders
- Allied side: Australian troops (notably the 9th Brigade), supported by the British 14th (Light) Division and the 18th (Eastern) Division, plus a Canadian Cavalry Brigade.
- German side: 9th Bavarian Reserve Division, Guards Ersatz Division, 19th Division, and 228th Division, among others.
- Allied and German commanders included Australian leaders like Colonel Henry Goddard (commanding the 9th Australian Brigade) and British officers in the surrounding divisions.

What happened
- On 30 March, the Germans attacked near Le Hamel and Hangard Wood. The Allied line held, though the advance pushed French forces back briefly.
- By 4 April, Villers-Bretonneux was under serious threat as German forces pressed from the northwest toward the town.
- In the late afternoon of 4 April, a surprise Allied counter-attack was launched: the 36th Australian Battalion, with support from the 35th Battalion and a British reserve unit, the 6th Battalion, London Regiment. The Australian flanks (the 33rd and 34th Battalions) and British cavalry helped as well.
- The counter-attack broke the German momentum, pushing two German divisions back away from Villers-Bretonneux and restoring the line.

Aftermath and significance
- The defense kept Villers-Bretonneux in Allied hands and prevented the Germans from capturing Amiens.
- Allied casualties were heavy; the 9th Australian Brigade suffered about 2,400 casualties out of roughly 3,500 engaged. Allied losses overall were about 5,000–10,000 dead. German losses were estimated at 8,000–10,000 dead, with prisoners taken (the 18th Division alone took about 259 prisoners).
- The battle marked the last major German attack of Operation Michael, which Ludendorff halted to avoid a costly attrition battle.
- The Allies reinforced the front with the arrival of the 15th Australian Brigade, and the later Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux would follow later in April.