Battle of Cambrai

The Battle of Cambrai was a WW1 battle fought between the British Expeditionary Force and the Imperial German Army, from November 20 to December 7, 1917, at the town of Cambrai and its surrounding area, France. As most military encounters in this armed conflict, it had no victor, with little territorial changes as both sides continued with the static war of trench warfare after it. However, it was the first time that infantry, tanks, and artillery were employed together in coordination, to execute a military offensive, which, by the way, was not successful. Tanks were too slow and cumbersome back then, as many of them were destroyed by the German artillery.

Summary

The Battle of Cambrai began at 06:30 hours, on November 20, with a British surprise assault on the German fortified sector of the front line, which was defended by the 2nd Army, led by Georg von der Marwitz. This sudden offensive of the BEF was carried out by the 3rd Army’s III Corps, under William Pulteney. This attack was reinforced by 420 tanks of the Tank Battalion and was done under the protective umbrella of creeping barrage. Three divisions of the IV Corps accompanied this assault at Flesquieres.

Two of the main objectives of the British High Command were Bourlon Ridge, with the wood, and then Cambrai itself. However, the offensive lost steam and ground to a halt as almost 200 tanks were knocked out and more than 4,000 men were mowed down by vicious machine gun fire on the first day. The Germans had reacted quickly, reinforcing their already strong positions, launching a savage counterattack, which would also be stopped by the stiff British resistance.

The BEF’s divisions could not achieve one of their main objectives, which was Bourlon Ridge, but they were able to capture Flesquieres and Havrincourt. However, the Germans managed to take and secure Gonnelieu. So much savagery for nothing.

Below, map of the Battle of Cambrai at the moment of the German counteroffensive.

Below, a destroyed British Mark IV tank after the battle