Battles & Campaigns · 1918
Battle of the Lys
Lys valley, near Armentières, France
What happened
British Empire, Portuguese, French and Belgian forces under Douglas Haig fought a German offensive planned by Erich Ludendorff. On 9 April German troops broke through about 15 km of front, overrunning a Portuguese division. Allied reserves, including an Australian division near Hazebrouck, finally stopped the advance.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Both sides suffered very heavy losses.
What came next
French reinforcements arrived in late April, and the German high command called off the offensive on 29 April.
Did you know?
A Portuguese soldier, Aníbal Milhais, held off two German attacks alone with a machine gun, earning the nickname 'Soldier Millions', meaning 'worth a million men'.
Timeline
- 7 April 1918The German bombardment begins.
- 9 April 1918German troops break through the Allied line.
- 11 April 1918Haig issues his 'backs to the wall' order.
- 8 July 1924Milhais's village is renamed Valongo de Milhais.