Charles Mangin

The battle of the Ailette marked a strategic turning point in reconquest of the Aisne. General Mangin's Tenth Army, after the capture of Noyon, attacked German positions entrenched along the Ailette Canal. This strongly defended sector formed the junction between German lines north of Soissons and the Aisne ridge. The French engaged powerful assaults supported by artillery, aviation, and light tanks. After four days of very hard fighting, German positions were broken and the enemy fell back toward the Chemin des Dames.

On 5 November 1918, Mangin's French 2nd Army captured the town of Guise, a strategic withdrawal point for the Germans. This victory contributed to the rupture of the German front in the Aisne, forcing a precipitate retreat. The action marks one of the last significant offensive engagements of the French army before the armistice.

The battle of the Matz pitted the French troops of General Mangin against German forces in the Oise, between Montdidier and Noyon. After an initial German breakthrough on 9 June, Mangin organised a surprise counter-attack from 11 June. Thanks to rapid concentration of troops and skilful use of artillery, the French regained control of the ground. This battle marks a turning point: German offensives began to run out of steam, while the Allies demonstrated reinforced strategic reaction capacity.

The battle of Montdidier and Lassigny was launched by General Mangin in order to widen the zone of rupture opened by the Allied victory at Amiens. While the British and Canadians drove into the German lines further north, French troops engaged in a local offensive to dislodge German forces solidly entrenched in the wooded Lassigny massif. The rapid success of the operation contributed to further weakening the German front.

The battle of Noyon constituted a key stage in the French breakthrough of the Hindenburg Line. French forces under General Mangin, supported by British and American units, launched a series of coordinated assaults aimed at retaking the strategic town of Noyon. Situated on the north bank of the Oise, Noyon was heavily fortified by the Germans, who concentrated their reserves there. After four days of bitter fighting, the town was entirely recaptured, marking a decisive advance toward the north.