Battle of Lihons

Two days after the opening of the Amiens offensive, French forces engaged in fierce fighting for the recapture of Lihons, a strategic village on the ridge line. The Germans, well entrenched in the ruins of the village and the surrounding woods, resisted fiercely against the attacks. The battle was marked by violent hand-to-hand fighting, notably around the positions of Lihons château and the Bois de la Garenne. After 36 hours of bitter combat, French troops succeeded in seizing the locality.

Within the framework of the Amiens breakthrough, the French Third Army was assigned the objective of liberating the heights of Lihons in order to secure the southern flank of the Allied advance. Lihons, held by strongly entrenched elements of the German army, occupied a key point enabling control of several supply routes. The French attack took place in continuation of the momentum given since 8 August, in a coordinated effort with the Canadians further north and the Australians to the west.

The assault began with an infantry advance supported by artillery and light Renault FT tanks. Progress was impeded by minefields and numerous machine-gun nests concealed in the woods. The Bois de la Garenne was the scene of intense attrition fighting, where the French advanced metre by metre. On the morning of 11 August, a general assault on the village, preceded by intense bombardment, enabled the capture of the château ruins and the capitulation of the last pockets of German resistance. Fighting continued until the end of the day to clear the surroundings.

The capture of Lihons consolidated the French advance on the southern flank of the Amiens breakthrough and secured the lines of communication toward Chaulnes. This success further weakened German morale and disorganised their withdrawal. It opened the way to the continuation of fighting toward the east, in the direction of Roye and Noyon. It is also an illustration of the effectiveness of Allied tactical methods put in place since 1917 (infiltration, tanks, combined-arms coordination).