The Ludendorff Offensives of 1918 – March 14

The Department of Military History of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the CGSC Foundation at Fort Leavenworth invite the public to attend the 14th in a series of lectures intended to educate the public about World War I during its 100-year commemoration. – Dr. Scott Stephenson will present “The Last Throw of the Iron Dice: The Ludendorff Offensives of 1918,” at the Stove Factory Ballroom in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas (417 S. 2nd Street), March 14, at 6 p.m. Attendees are also invited to the reception that begins at 5:30 p.m.

In this lecture Dr. Scott Stephenson will discuss how one hundred years ago, in the spring of 1918, the Germans launched a desperate bid to win the war. Three times they broke through Allied lines and, each time, they seemed to push the Allies to the brink of defeat. As a tactical achievement, the Ludendorff Offensives were an achievement unmatched in the Great War. As an example of operational art and strategic vision, it was something entirely different.

Dr. Scott Stephenson served 25 years as an Army officer, retiring in 2001. He has a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy, a master’s in history from Syracuse University, and a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas. He has taught military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College for 25 years. His book, The Final Battle: Soldiers of the Western Front and the German Revolution of 1918, won the 2010 Tomlinson Prize for Best Book in English on World War I.

Download the information flyer for this lecture.