Figure 1.--This British military policeman with a little girl found abandoned in Masnieres (November 22, 1917). Masnières is a small town in the Nord department of northern France. The town was occupied by the Germans and set in the Battle of Cambrai . The British captured it on the first day of the battle (November 20). They held it 12 lve days. It protected critical ridgeheads between the town and Marcoing, anither small town. The British ultimately withdrew, unable to withstand the force of a massive German counter-attack. The photographer Ernest Brooks.

The Battle of Cambrai was an initially successful British attack launched on the Siegfriedstellung (November 20). The Germans who had largely been on the defensive in 1917, called their increasinly hardened lineSthe iegfriedstellung or Siegfried Line. The British called it the Hundenburg Line.) The British gains resulted in the most poewerful German counter-attack against the British since 1914. The town of Cambrai in Nord, was a major German supply center, vital for suppling the Siegfriedstellung. British seizure of the town and the nearby Bourlon Ridge would have endangered the entire rear of the German position in nothrn France. The British after the disaster of the Somme were developin new tactics which focused on botyh artillery and the new tanks. Especially imprtant was Major General Henry Tudor, Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of the 9th (Scottish) Division. He was developing artillery support tactics to aid the infantry. As part of the preparations, J.F.C. Fuller with the Tank Corps was advocating increased use for his tankss. General Julian Byng, commander of the Btitis Third Army hit on the idea of merging the two tactical innovations. Both the French and British had introduced tanks earlier in 1917, but with limited success. [Littledale] The British achieved a major success on the first day. They were, however, unable to follow up on their success. The mechanical unreliability of theor Mark mIV tanks combined with resiliant German artillery and infantry defences prrevented a break out. By only the secoind day, half of the tanks were no longer operational and the British advance ground to a halt. Some authors focus on the tank, but other authors describe ongoing evolution of artillery, infantry, and tank methods. [Miles] There is a general consensus that after 3 years of bloody trench warfare, major developments were finally maturing at Cambrai. They included artillery fire, sound ranging, infantry infiltration tactics, infantry-tank co-ordination and close air support. These tasctics would play a key role in the Allied Hundred Days Offensive that would win the War the following year. After Cambrai, imprtant improvements were made in the Mark IV tank with improved types. The Germans in contrast took other lessons from the battle and believed that tanks were not all that important. Their timely reinforcement and defence of Bourlon Ridge and the success of their powserful counter-attack led the Germans to believe that a massive Spring offensive strategy could win the War before American Expeditionary Force arriving in France be trained and brought to bear at the front. [Miles]

Sources

Littledale, Harold A. "With the tanks", The Atlantic (December 1918). Part I Anatomy and Habitat. pp. 836-48.

Miles, W. Military Operations France and Belgium 1917: The Battle of Cambrai (1991). Miles is a British official historian and also the author of History of the Great War in whicvh he discusses the importance of Cambrai.

Created: 2:07 PM 11/23/2021
Last updated: 2:07 PM 11/23/2021