Armentières was destroyed in ten days during The Spring Offensive that had begun in March 1918, a campaign the Germans had hoped would break the four-year stalemate on The Western Front. From April 9 to April 18, Armentières was subjected to unprecedented destruction.
Although there is scant evidence of such in the photograph, the area depicted had been a near-impenetrable forest, for centuries, prior to The Spring Offensive.
Once The Spring Offensive—initially successful—ground to a halt, Germany knew that the war was no longer winnable.
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