A German assault on Australian lines near Dernancourt was repulsed, preserving Allied control of high ground blocking the German advance toward Amiens.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 April 1918
- German operation name
- Unternehmen Sonnenschein (Operation Sunshine)
- German attacking force
- XXIII Reserve Corps
- Australian defending force
- 4th Division (12th and 13th Brigades)
- Strategic objective
- Advance toward Amiens along Albert–Dernancourt railway
- Outcome
- Australians retained most high ground northwest of Dernancourt
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Germany's spring offensive of 1918 pushed toward Amiens, prompting the Australian 4th Division to be sent south to hold a defensive line west and north of the Ancre river along the railway between Albert and Dernancourt, blocking the German advance.
On 5 April 1918, the German XXIII Reserve Corps launched a concentrated assault at the boundary between the Australian 12th and 13th Brigades near Dernancourt, overwhelming front-line troops and capturing some support trenches before an Australian counter-attack in the afternoon checked further German progress.
The German attack petered out, leaving Australians in possession of most of the high ground northwest of Dernancourt. This preserved a critical barrier on the route to Amiens and denied Germany the positional gains needed to continue the spring offensive in that sector.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent