The Duke of Cambridge (R), British Prime Minister Theresa May and former German president Joachim Gauck attend a ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of Amiens at the cathedral in Amiens, France.
The Duke of Cambridge (R), British Prime Minister Theresa May and former German president Joachim Gauck attend a ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of Amiens at the cathedral in Amiens, France.
BENOIT TESSIER/AFP/Getty Images
CNN  — 

The Duke of Cambridge and Prime Minister Theresa May attended commemorations on Wednesday for the centenary of the Battle of Amiens – the turning point in the Allies’ victory in World War One.

Amiens Cathedral in northern France played host to the event, which remembered the battle in 1918 that marked the beginning of the “hundred days” offensive, the closing chapter of the war.

After 103 years since her loss, HMAS AE1 was located in waters off the Duke of York Island group in Papua New Guinea in December 2017. The Royal Australian Navy and the Silentworld Foundation commissioned the most comprehensive and technologically capable search ever committed to finding AE1 and the 35 Australian, British and New Zealand men entombed within. The team of maritime surveyors, marine archaeologists and naval historians scoured the search area with a multi-beam echo sounder and side-scan technology in an underwater drone flying 40 metres above the sea bed on pre-programmed 20 hour missions. The data collected was analysed and a three-dimensional rendering of the underwater environment was produced before dropping a camera to confirm the find. The search led by Find AE1 Limited, and was funded by the Royal Australian Navy and the Silentworld Foundation, with assistance from the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Fugro Survey and the Papua New Guinea Government.
After 103 years since her loss, HMAS AE1 was located in waters off the Duke of York Island group in Papua New Guinea in December 2017. The Royal Australian Navy and the Silentworld Foundation commissioned the most comprehensive and technologically capable search ever committed to finding AE1 and the 35 Australian, British and New Zealand men entombed within. The team of maritime surveyors, marine archaeologists and naval historians scoured the search area with a multi-beam echo sounder and side-scan technology in an underwater drone flying 40 metres above the sea bed on pre-programmed 20 hour missions. The data collected was analysed and a three-dimensional rendering of the underwater environment was produced before dropping a camera to confirm the find. The search led by Find AE1 Limited, and was funded by the Royal Australian Navy and the Silentworld Foundation, with assistance from the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Fugro Survey and the Papua New Guinea Government.
Royal Australian Navy

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“The Battle of Amiens marked the beginning of the end of the First World War,” said Gen. Nick Carter, head of the British armed forces, the Press Association reported.

A string of military victories following the Battle of Amiens led to the surrender of Germany’s armed forces and the armistice that brought the war to a close in November 1918.

Prisoners arriving at a "cage" near Amiens, following fighting for the town in August 1918.
Prisoners arriving at a "cage" near Amiens, following fighting for the town in August 1918.
Windmill Books/UIG via Getty Images

Over 500 tanks from the UK’s fledgling Tank Corps were sent into the battle, along with more than 1,900 British and French aircraft. Some 2,000 artillery guns supported the tens of thousands of troops – many of them Australian and Canadian – that led the offensive.

The Allied troops captured several miles from the Germans on the first day of the offensive, which ended the deadlock of trench warfare that epitomized the entire conflict. The result of the battle convinced the German high command that the country could not win the war.

Prince William and May gave readings during Wednesday’s commemoration service and wreaths were laid as a mark of respect. They also met with relatives of soldiers who fought in the battle.

General Carter said: “It was a remarkable achievement over the course of the war to expand the military, molding a new citizen-based force into a very accomplished fighting force, against a backdrop of rapid technological change.”