Battle of Cambrai, 20 November - 7 December 1917

This was to be the third major British offensive of the year. 500,000 British and German soldiers faced each other along a six mile front and although the British used hundreds of aircraft to fly reconnaissance missions, they achieved an element of surprise by not employing a preliminary artillery barrage. For the first time in the history of warfare tanks were deployed as the main offensive tactic, with 324 being used on the first day.

They were remarkably successful, causing a degree of panic in the German lines after they had crushed the belts of barbed wire defending their trenches. Although the tanks were unreliable in combat and many broke down, they did play a crucial role in pushing back the German troops by up to 5 miles on the first day, allowing the British press to hail the battle as the 'greatest British victory of the war' and causing bells to be rung in churches throughout the kingdom.

The tide of the offensive began to turn on November 23 at Bourlon Wood where cavalry was used, supposedly to exploit gaps in the German line created by the tanks. Neither the tanks nor the cavalry broke the German stronghold, and elsewhere the early success of the tanks was faltering. At the village of Fontaine tanks were deployed in the narrow streets and, with their maneuverability much reduced, they became easy targets for the German defenders.

British Commander-in-Chief Haig called off the offensive on November 27, but the German Second Army's response was to counter attack with a bombardment on the 28th, followed by an infantry attack on the 30th. The British forward positions were quickly recaptured and within a week most of their gains had been lost.

Casualties from the battle numbered over 40,000 British and Canadian dead and wounded, and over 50,000 German.

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