Second Battle of Champagne
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The Second Battle of Champagne begun on September 25-November 6, 1915. On September 25, The French commanders agreed to launch an offensive on Champagne
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[edit] September 25-October 6
On the first days, the offensive was successful and the Germans lost ground. Artillery fired a heavy bombardment for 3 days and then the advance began. 2 miles (3km) were gained. The next day, reinforcements arrived for the Germans and the offensive lost momentum until it finally ended on October 6.
[edit] The Offensive restarts
Due to intervention, The offensive was restarted but never really got on track again. The Germans counter attacked on October 30 and managed to reclaim all the territory lost to the French. The Plan was finally abandoned on November 6.
[edit] Aftermath
The battle had led to Verdun being stripped of its artillery, drawing the attention of the German commanders. French success was due largely to the weakness of German defense in the Champagne region.
[edit] Casualties
The offensive had been disastrous for the French. They had lost 145,000 Men, while the Germans lost about half that. The French had taken 25,000 prisoners and captured 150 guns. Overall, the offensive was almost a complete waste, because the French lost the land they had recaptured anyway.
