Cambrai (Siegfried Stellung Line Part 2)

After a short bombardment, the 36th Infantry Brigade with Tank Battalion F attacked the German forward line of trenches, south of the village of La Vacquerie. The tanks had no difficulty crushing paths through the belts of wire in this …

1917-11-20

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After a short bombardment, the 36th Infantry Brigade with Tank Battalion F attacked the German forward line of trenches, south of the village of La Vacquerie. The tanks had no difficulty crushing paths through the belts of wire in this sector and the infantry, that followed closely behind, confidently made their way through the narrow openings in the matted down beds of wire. Once over the first trench line, the tanks turned to the left, to rake the second support trench, while the infantry cleared the first trench of any remaining German Resistance. Part 2.

Cambrai, France

The Battle of Cambrai was a British attack followed by the biggest German counter-attack against the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) since 1914, in the First World War. The town of Cambrai, in the département of Nord, was an important supply point for the German Siegfriedstellung and capture of the town and the nearby Bourlon Ridge would threaten the rear of the German line to the north. Major General Henry Tudor, Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of the 9th (Scottish) Division, advocated the use of new artillery-infantry techniques on his sector of the front. During preparations, J. F. C. Fuller, a staff officer with the Tank Corps, looked for places to use tanks for raids. General Julian Byng, commander of the British Third Army, decided to combine both plans. The French and British armies had used tanks in mass earlier in 1917, although to considerably less effect.

Wikipedia: Battle of Cambrai (1917)

German

British