AMIENS

In August 1918, the 2nd Battalion, CEF (whose history and honors are perpetuated by the Governor General’s Foot Guards) took part in a highly secretive surprise offensive east of Amiens. The operation was designed primarily to liberate the vital Amiens-Paris railway.
Launched at 4:20 a.m. on August 8, 1918, a historic date famously declared by German General Erich Ludendorff to be “the Black Day of the German Army”—the assault caught the enemy completely off guard. Attacking alongside armored tanks assembled in Gentelles Wood, the Battalion swept forward to capture its initial objectives, including Happaglene Farm, the hamlet of Ignaucourt, and Cayeux-en-Santerre. The following day on August 9, they continued their relentless advance across the open Santerre Plain, successfully capturing Beaufort and Rouvroy.
The spectacular two-day victory severely broke the German will to resist but was achieved at a high cost, with the Battalion suffering 170 casualties. In recognition of this pivotal triumph, the Regiment was awarded the battle honor “Amiens”.