| The last large German offensive of World War I, the Second Battle of the Marne, was called off on this day just as a great Allied counteroffensive began. Launched in Champagne on July 15, 1918, by German Supreme Commander General Erich Ludendorff and intended to draw French troops away from the Flanders front, the German offensive sought to capture Reims and split the French armies. But French General Ferdinand Foch foresaw the offensive and counterattacked successfully from several directions, ... |