Following the Tanks

The 1/6th Black Watch on the right of 153rd Brigade, moving behind the tanks, overran the Outpost Line. At Mole Trench, the last in the main defences which ran behind the whole length of the German Line, they were held up by uncut barbed wire but Captain Brown attracted the …

1917-11-20

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The 1/6th Black Watch on the right of 153rd Brigade, moving behind the tanks, overran the Outpost Line. At Mole Trench, the last in the main defences which ran behind the whole length of the German Line, they were held up by uncut barbed wire but Captain Brown attracted the attention of three tanks which quickly smashed the wire, allowing them to capture the trench and take many prisoners. The tank commanders were well aware of the deep and wide trenches that the tanks would have to cross, they could "broach’ and become stuck. They devised a system of attack to reduce this possibility and a fascine to fill the gap of the trench. All of the fighting tanks would carry on their front a great roll of brushwood weighing almost two tons. Each roll would be held together by chains, two tanks being involved to pull it tight before it was secured. Tliey would be dropped into the enemy trench and act as a bridge.

Flequires, 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