By the spring of 1915, the Western Front had bogged down into trench warfare, and major French offensives over the winter had failed to break it. The Allies now faced pressure to prove to themselves and potential allies like neutral Italy that they were not losing the war. On March 29th, the British and French ministers for war and top military commanders Joseph Ja and John French met to plan a fresh spring offensive. Despite the tensions between the two sides, they agreed to attack in the Arcta region. General Victor Durbal's 10th Army would storm the high ground of Vimemy Ridge, which dominated the Due plane. The British first army under

General Douglas Heg would support them by advancing at Ober Ridge towards Laasi. The Germans though attacked first at the end of April, but the Allied offensive would go ahead even before that battle ended. French commanders spared no effort. 1,075 French guns would pound the Germans for several days, then fire an early form of creeping barrage that moved just ahead of the infantry. French aircraft would help the artillery direct its fire. Some French units also had the new horizon blue uniforms and Adrian helmets, and the French dug sap trenches into no man's land to bring their jumping off point closer to enemy lines.

The German sixth army under Crown Prince Rupre was outnumbered but had recently strengthened their defenses with more barbed wire, a second line of trenches in many places and fortified villages at the foot of Vimemy Ridge. They had very few reserves though since troops had been transferred east for the May offensive against the Russian Empire. German overall commander Eric Vanfalenheim also left for the east leaving General Fritz Fon Losber in command in the west. The second battle of Akto began on May 9th with extra urgency due to the recent successful Central Powers attack against Russia. General Philip Petan's core made excellent progress up Vimemy Ridge, breaking through German lines and

reaching the crest. The Moroccan division took the lead, covering 4 1/2 km in just 90 minutes. A French officer recalled, "The enemy was obviously in confusion. We met with some localized resistance, but we no longer met with anything organized. Even the artillery seemed to have lost its axis. Bursts of fire shot high in the air and at random mirrored the enemy's shambolic chaos. The French did much less well on the flanks partly because their lack of heavy guns left German defenses intact. Fierce German defensive fire limited French gains on the Nutradam de laoret height and the villages of Sushe and Nu

Sevast protected by a position known as the labyrinth. Both sides suffered heavy losses but the French on Vimemy Ridge were now in an exposed narrow salient. Still, the crown prince urgently requested reserves to contain the breach. French commanders were surprised by their success, and their reserves were too far back to arrive in time. The Germans rushed in their reserves more quickly, and their superior heavy artillery not only helped stop the French infantry, but often suppressed French artillery as well. Even worse for the French, faulty shells exploding in the brereech destroyed dozens of guns and their crews. They retreated from the

ridge after a few days, but Durbal insisted the villages must be taken, much to the frustration of divisional commander Emil Fol. It won't lead to anything. The start of winter will still find us here, the flat ground covered with the dead. The French assaulted the villages again and again, finally taking the labyrinth and NRAAM de la at great cost. A German soldier recalled, "For every 10 dead, there is one left living. There are hardly any officers left. The ammunition is gone. Hunger makes itself heard in rumbling stomachs.

The nerves, which have not known sleep for days, are in danger of being torn apart. Countless wounded friend and foe who nobody can help. One more such attack and the French can march towards Sushe with shouldered rifles. But by now the 10th Army was spent. Durbal ordered a pause to rebuild ammunition stocks and replace exhausted units. Meanwhile, the British and Indian attack at Ober Ridge also began on May 9th. The British had six infantry divisions and 625 guns, but also lacked heavies and were short on shells. The Germans likely had just seven battalions along the ridge, but they had more heavy guns and ample shell stocks. After a 40-minute artillery bombardment, the infantry attacked in two pincers 5 km

apart, helped by mines dug under German positions by a specialized tunneling unit. British and Indian troops went over the top and to the slaughter. British artillery had not been strong enough to break up the German wire or destroy their defensive positions, and many British shells were poorly made and did not explode. In many cases, German artillery or machine guns in camouflaged imp placements killed British and Indian troops immediately as they left their own trenches. Only a few British troops even made it into the German lines, and the Germans quickly killed or captured them. British trenches were blocked with wounded, preventing reserves from moving up. Heg called off the operation after

one day, having lost 11,000 British casualties in a few hours for about a thousand German. Most of the British dead fell within meters of their own lines. Heg tried again on May 15th with a larger attack at Festuber. For 10 days, British, Indian, and Canadian troops attacked well-defended German lines. They made a few small gains, but the Germans simply withdrew to their next line, and British Empire losses were three times as high as the Germans. Behind these numbers lay great personal loss. German Lieutenant Alexander Fifer lost his friend Valta Bin. I crawled back into the trench and there saw the poor man lying dirty and bloodstained. A piece of shrapnel had hit him in the chest. With Bin, one of

the best, most idealistic and bravest people had gone. His death especially affected me dearly because I was on very good terms with him and always got along well with him. On the opposite side, wounded and traumatized British Indian soldier Heavar Abdul Rahman wrote to a friend back home. For God's sake, don't come. Don't come to this war in Europe. I am in a state of great anxiety and tell my brother Muhammad Yak Khan for God's sake not to enlist. If you have any relatives, my advice is don't let them enlist. Cannons, machine guns, rifles, and bombs are going day and night just like the rains in the month of Sawan.

Those who have escaped so far are like the few grains left uncooked in a pot. In my company, there are only 10 men left. The French tried to capture Vimemy Ridge again on June 16th using incendiary gas shells filled with carbon dulfide and phosphorus for the first time. They'd also moved up more of their new trench mortars to reduce the Germans advantage in Minva. Once again, the Moroccan division led the way with a 1 km advance to capture some high ground. But again, the French made little progress in the face of German artillery and fortifications.

Northern army group commander Feldina Fush called off the offensive on June 18th, and the second battle of Artoa was over. The French army was becoming more skilled, but at huge cost. The failed attacks cost the French 140,000 casualties, the British about 28,000, and the Germans about 75,000. The battles in Artois were a disaster for the Allies, and the failure brought Allied tensions to a boiling point. Both General Ja and General French now had a track record of failure since late 1914 that put them under severe pressure. British War Minister Lord Kiter and General French did not see eye to eye and French was suffering from the strain of the war as he confided to a friend.

My office is thick with the spirits of my dead friends. I sometimes people my room with these glorious friends all boys compared to me who have gone over that silent army. Alas, alas, the room is getting small to hold even my intimate friends. Jaffa thought General French was reluctant to support his offensives while some other British leaders thought British resources should not be sent to the meat grinder in the west. General French blamed the shell shortage which became a major scandal in the press and in parliament and resulted in David Lloyd George becoming minister of munitions. Arguments among the French were even harder. Jaro reputation had suffered badly and even though war minister Alexandre Miran and Fush still

supported him his many critics included generals Edoard de Castellno and Pan who felt that constant offensives were wasting precious manpower. In July General Francois Antoan wrote an anonymous letter to the French parliament. Men are being uselessly slaughtered. The troops have lost their spirit and have lapsed into gloomy resignation. Time is on our side. Let us hold on. Let us manufacture the war material we need. Let us husband the men and let us have a real army for use when other armies are worn out instead of wearing ours out for nothing.

French parliamentarians also heard dramatic reports of shortages of rifles and shells, faulty shells, poor medical services, and hopeless small-cale attacks. Many concluded the high command was attacking simply to put something in its daily communicates. But the government stuck with Jha. The strain also showed between the Germans despite their success. Most of the field commanders disliked Falenheim for his abrupt style and Falenheind reprimanded Rupre for requesting the army reserves to stop the French at Vimeie. As the decision makers on both sides argued in summer 1915, the pressure on the allies grew. Russia was asking for help. The Italian offensives against the Austrians had failed and the Galipol landings were

bogged down. The British and French had to do something and Jaffra hatched a plan for an even bigger offensive. This time, the British and French would again attack in Akto to break into the Dway plane and draw German reserves. At the same time, an even larger French attack would smash through German lines in Champang with an attack brush gate to create a flank that could be exploited for decisive mobile warfare. They might even force the Germans out of the large Noon salient in the center of the front. Some British and French politicians and generals opposed the ambitious plan, fearing high casualties, including field commanders Fush, Heg, and Durbal. But Ja insisted the offensive was necessary to

preserve French honor by helping Russia and to keep up the men's fighting spirit. Lord Kiter reluctantly accepted, telling the British cabinet, "We have to make war as we must, not as we would like to." On the German side, Fonberp warned Falenheind the Allies would attack again, but Falenheim disagreed and said the French didn't have the necessary courage. After weeks of delays, the great offensive began on September 25th. In the north, the British attack near the village of Loose. Heg's plan was risky. Another Pinsir movement would lead to an 8 km advance towards a canal, outflanking the Germans around Lance.

The British far outnumbered the Germans, but the key was the first British use of chlorine gas. The British Special Brigade released the gas from canisters just as the Germans had done at IPA a few months before, but the air was calm and in some places the gas even seeped back into British trenches. British and Indian troops went over the top in cloth gas masks straight into a hail of German machine gun fire. Some Scottish units were accompanied by bag pipers, including Danny Laidlaw, who received the Victoria Cross. Their momentum and numbers carried them into loose onto hill 70 and into the main German strong point of Hoen Solen

Redout. But British artillery had failed to knock out German positions and wire. With the attack bogged down, Heg sent in two fresh new army divisions, inexperienced volunteers who joined up at the start of the war. It was total chaos. As one British officer explained, nobody from the brigade commander downwards had any idea of the situation at any stage of the proceedings. The British attack faltered under heavy flanking fire, a lack of artillery support and confusion. German counterattacks then retook most of the lost ground over the next two weeks.

German Lieutenant Alexander Fifer described the aftermath. It looks terrible in the recaptured trenches. You only walk on English corpses on 40 m long stretches, including an English major general over whom I have personally repeatedly climbed. Generals French and Heg blamed each other for the disaster. And by the end of the year, Heg took over as commander of the BEF. So the British had failed to break through at loose. Meanwhile, the French tried again at Vimemy Ridge. A few hours after the British attack on September 25th, the French attack in Acta began in the pouring rain. They pushed towards Sushe and Vimemy Ridge. This time trying so-called oil stained tactics where French troops immediately tried to

exploit any small gains in German positions. But as before, wellpositioned, mutually supporting German machine guns, powerful artillery, and rapid counterattacks blunted the French advance. Second Lieutenant Robert de Solio's unit advanced over a field covered in corpses from previous fighting. In spite of the bombardment, mines and trench mortars, there's still wire, that deadly obstacle that cannot be crossed under fire. In front of me, a sergeant collapses, his hands clutching his stomach. I try to bandage him, but his intestines hang from two wounds. He convulses and rolls in the mud, but his movements soon slow. He cries like a

little child. Other wounded men arrive and contemplate the agony of their comrade, but his suffering does not move them. They think only of themselves and how to escape. The French made less progress in Artoa than they had in May, once again at heavy costs. Fush ordered limited attacks to continue for two more weeks to distract the Germans who still controlled vimemy ridge. As the British and French struggled in Akto, the main battle raged in Champang. There the Germans had improved their defenses and added a second line, but the French had concentrated more firepower than ever before. On September 25th, General Dcast Castellano's army group began the

largest French offensive of the war so far, the second battle of Champang. French artillery had pummeled German lines for several days, inflicting heavy casualties due to a lack of deep dugouts. French gunners even pretended to stop firing to lure the Germans up to the Parapet before hitting them again. Swarms of French aircraft overflew German lines to help the artillery correct its fire. German third army commander Carl Foninam asked Falenheimine for reinforcements but he refused. A worried Foninam replied, "Ultimately, only the possible is possible." The French broke through along a 12 km sector and took 18,000 Germans prisoner.

Some French units used new tactics heavily based on assaults with hand grenades. The 27th division even reached the German second line. An advance of 4 km in just 2 hours. And the Moroccan division reached the key German position of Navare Farm. German Corporal Aler was among the stunned defenders. It was soon obvious that gas shells were exploding around us and we had to react at once. Ignoring the heavy small arms fire, we dashed across to the soldiers dugout and grabbed for our gas masks, I decided to take five men and investigate along the communications trench. We did not get far. Men in blue helmets had closed right up to the dugout and were attacking with hand grenades. In other areas, though, the Germans mowed down the French attackers or

quickly recaptured trenches. A French soldier of the 315th regiment recalled a counterattack near Oberiv. We resisted the attack of the Germans who were advancing on us with grenades in their belts. They sprayed us with bullets from short range, but they could not retake their trench due to our firepower. I was suddenly shaken by a violent detonation felt to my left. I turned around suddenly and saw Suly Narinar lying full length on his back. I rushed towards him, but his chest was pierced by the full load of a grenade. I immediately took command and continued firing. Now Falenheim became concerned and released the reserves Finam had requested when the French tried to overcome the second German line on

September 27th, though they got nowhere. The reverse slope defenses were hard to target and out of range of some French field guns, and French infantry couldn't exploit breaks in the German line quick enough. French cavalry had moved up to exploit the rumored gap, but it never materialized. Short of shells, Castello ordered a halt. He tried again on October 6th, and French troops took Navar farm and the ruined village of Tur, but not much else. Jaffa finally called off the Champagne offensive on October 14th. The fall offensives were among the bloodiest of the war. The French lost 140,000 casualties in Champang and 48,000 in Ato. The British lost 50,000 at Loose, while the Germans lost 82,000 in Champang and 50,000 in the north.

Among the dead were Ugghd Castellno, the general's third son to fall in the war, and 18-year-old John Kipling, son of British author Radjut Kipling. On September 25th alone, it's estimated 23,000 Frenchmen were killed, likely making it the deadliest single day of the war for any nation. Despite these awful numbers, the third battle of Actto and the second battle of Champang don't play a big role in historical memory of the war, even in France. So, after unprecedented bloodletting and use of munitions, the Western Front was still locked in a stalemate at the end of 1915. General Pet summed up the costly lesson.

The Battle of Champang has demonstrated the difficulty, if not the impossibility, in our current state of armament. our method of preparation and opposing forces of taking successive enemy positions in one wave. Neither the French nor the British had yet solved the riddle of trench warfare. They could get into the German lines, but not break through them. They still lacked heavy artillery and had problems with command and control, and infantry tactics were still inadequate. Millions of Allied soldiers had come to similar conclusions like a frustrated British Indian soldier who wrote home.

What you say in your letter about not being disloyal to the emperor and it being the religion of seeks to die facing the foe is true. But if only you yourself could be here and see for yourself. Any shriveled drugged up fellow can fire the gun and kill a score of us at our food in the kitchen. Ships sail the sky like kites. Wherever you look, machine guns and cannon begin to shoot, and bombs fly out, which kill every man they hit. The earth is mine and filled with powder. When men walk upon it, the powder is lit, and up go the men. Put swords or pikes or staves in our hands, and the enemy over us with like arms. Then indeed, we should show you how to fight face to face. But if no one faces us, what can we do?

From now on, any Allied defenses would require much, much more material, more realistic objectives, and a greater role for Britain. The Germans, on the other hand, felt vindicated in their defensive doctrine and effective use of reverse slopes, wire, and counterattacks. Fikenheim could now turn his attention to the changing situation in the Balkans, where Germany had gained a new ally. History is full of daring missions where a handful of men and women attempt the impossible against overwhelming odds. These raids don't always get the attention they deserve in general history documentaries, though. In our

new series, History's Most Daring Raids, every month, we explore the most famous and the lesserk known, the most audacious and the most clandestine operations through history, and why they worked or why they failed. And where can you watch history's most daring raids? On Nebula, a streaming service we're building with other creators where you don't need to sift through a deluge of AI sloth. Nebula is made and curated by humans and it's available in 4K resolution on your browser, on your smartphone, smart TV or streaming box like Apple TV or Roku. And that's not all. On Nebula, you can also watch all our regular videos adree and earlier than on YouTube. If you go to nebula.tv/theg greatatew, you can get an

entire year of Nebula for just $30. Nebula is also a great gift. Just go to gift.nebula.tv/theg TV/theg greatatewar to give an entire year to family and friends, even if they already have an account. Whether you watch Nebula on your own or give it to someone else, you're supporting us here at Realtime History directly. We want to thank Sophi Sulier and Alexandra Lions for their help with this episode. If you want to learn more about the Western Front in 1915, check out our previous episode about the Second Battle of Ipra and the use of poison gas. As usual, you can find all the sources for this episode in the video description. And if you're watching this video on Nebula or Patreon, thank you so much for

the support. We couldn't do it without you. I'm Jesse Alexander and this is a production of Realtime History, the only history channel that mirrors the enemy's shambolic chaos.