Mud and 血 remembered in WWI centenary

In winter bivouacs, in the 静かな section of the Western 前線 around Messines, the once-proud Australian 皇室の 軍隊 was exhausted, its 階級s 使い果たすd by the 大虐殺 of the Passchendaele 不快な／攻撃.

As the centenary approaches of the end of what was then called the 広大な／多数の／重要な War, it's sobering to 解任する that more than six thousand 軍隊／機動隊s died in October 1917 alone, in a 一連の 血まみれの 戦う／戦いs, before the AIF was 孤立した for 残り／休憩（する） and replenishment.

Many, の中で them 公式の／役人 特派員 Charles Bean, 疑問d the AIF would ever return to its previous 頂点（に達する） after this mauling.

Yet they did.

In a succession of 戦う／戦いs in 中央の-1918, the five Australian 分割s, formed into a 選び出す／独身 軍団 命令（する）d by General John Monash, played a central 役割 in 達成するing victory on the main 戦場, the only time this has occurred in Australian history.

The war finally ended on November 11, 1918. Most 推定する／予想するd war would continue into 1919 or beyond.

"1918 is the year when finally the tide turns. But there was no way the 兵士s could be sure the war was coming to an end, even when victory piled upon victory," says Australian War 記念の 上級の historian Ashley Ekins.

There was little 推論する／理由 for 楽観主義 as 1918 夜明けd. Losses at Passchendaele had been horrendous, about a ４半期/4分の1 of a million on the 連合した 味方する.

German losses were perhaps 類似の but there was little 指示，表示する物 their 敗北・負かす would happen anytime soon.

その上の, Russia's 撤退 from the war に引き続いて the 共産主義者 革命 in late 1917 meant Germany could 移転 軍隊／機動隊s from the Eastern 前線 and use them against the 同盟（する）s in フラン and Belgium.

最高の 指揮官 General Douglas Haig knew an attack was coming, just not where or when. For its part, Germany 手配中の，お尋ね者 to 勝利，勝つ the war before a large number of American 軍隊／機動隊s reached フラン.

The blow fell on March 21 and was 破滅的な. In days, German 軍隊s 掴むd 支援する much of the 領土 won at such cost in the previous two years.

"The Germans swept through all the Somme and 押し進めるd 支援する 15 British 分割s, （打撃，刑罰などを）与えるing 激しい 死傷者s," Ekins said.

At this time the AIF was still recuperating but it speedily joined the fight, in 活動／戦闘s at Hebuterne, Dernancourt, Morlancourt and then Villers-Bretonneux on April 24-25.

This last was a 戦う／戦い of 最大の ferocity as diggers fought at の近くに ４半期/4分の1s with ライフル銃／探して盗む, bayonet and 爆弾 to re-take the town. German 死傷者s were 7500. Few 囚人s were taken.

Australian 死傷者s totalled almost 2500 but this was still a 著名な victory, and Villers-Bretonneux was chosen as the 場所／位置 of Australia's 国家の 記念の to the dead and 行方不明の of the Western 前線.

It will host Australia's main centenary 記念 on Anzac Day, 2018, when the new Sir John Monash 訪問者 interpretive centre will be opened.

By this 行う／開催する／段階 the 大規模な German 不快な／攻撃 had run out of steam and in a 一連の attacks, 連合した 軍隊s began to 押し進める them 刻々と 支援する.

In May 1918 it was 発表するd that the Australian 軍団, formed in November 1917, would be 命令（する）d by Monash.

The Anzacs had gone to war in 1915 命令（する）d by English General William Birdwood and on the Western 前線, Australian 分割s served in different British 形式s によれば 勝つ／広く一帯に広がるing circumstances.

But now Monash was 解放する／自由な to use his かなりの organisational 技術s, which he did at Hamel on July 4, a date chosen because small numbers of newly arrived American 兵士s would fight within experienced Australian 部隊s.

Monash orchestrated 大砲, 航空機, 戦車／タンクs and infantry, calculating it would take 90 minutes. It 現実に took 93 and victory was total.

So too was victory at Amiens on August 8, when the Australian 軍団, along with British, French and Canadian 軍隊／機動隊s （打撃，刑罰などを）与えるd a 粉々にするing blow to German 軍隊s, such that German General Erich Ludendorff 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語d this the 黒人／ボイコット day of the German army in this war .

その上の victories followed, 顕著に Mont St Quentin on August 31-September 2, when Australian 軍隊／機動隊s 突然に 掴むd 高さs overlooking the 堅固に defended 要塞 town of Peronne, the AIF's 栄冠を与えるing 業績／成就 of the entire war.

By now the Australian 軍団 was very good indeed, with competent leaders at all levels, good 武器s and 策略 and support of supremely 効果的な 大砲.

But by October they were exhausted from 60 days at the 最前部 of the 連合した 不快な／攻撃. In the absence of conscription, the flow of 増強s wasn't の近くに to filling 使い果たすd 部隊s, with 大軍 that were once 1000-strong were 負かす／撃墜する to as few as 150.

The AIF's last 活動／戦闘 on the Western 前線 （機の）カム at Montbrehain on October 5. Then the infantry withdrew for 残り／休憩（する）, although engineers and 大砲 remained at the 前線 権利 to the end.

That finally （機の）カム at 11am on November 11, 1918. Many Australians - and 推定では many others - were 簡単に too stunned for any emotional reaction.

One 兵士 公式文書，認めるd in his diary how his 部隊 had 敗北・負かすd another 部隊 at サッカー, 追加するing, almost as an afterthought, the war had also ended.