The Allies Strike Back. The 100 Days Offensive. The idea starts to form. July 24, 1918.

At a conference of Allied commanders, Marshal Foch, on this day in 1918, proposed taking advantage of the disarray in the German ranks which had been brought about by the failure of German efforts in their massive 1918 Spring Offensive.  The idea was a limited one at first, but as it came to be evident that the German Offensive had effectively destroyed the cohesion of the German forces, and as Germany disintegrated at home, the Allies were able to do what the Germans were not.  A series of offensive operations flowed which brought the war to an end.