Battle of Cambrai

English: The Battle of Cambrai (November 20 - December 3, 1917) was a British campaign of World War I near the French city Cambrai. Noted for the first successful use of tanks, the British attack failed to achieve its more optimistic objective of breaking the German line of supply. Nonetheless, after the German counter-attack, it ended with the British line advanced into the rear of the Hindenburg line, something hitherto not achieved. The dispositions of the British units which are shown in the maps appear to be based on German intelligence of the time. While they mostly have an element of truth in them, they should not be taken as closely accurate.

Deutsch: Die Schlacht von Cambrai war die erste große Panzerschlacht der Geschichte und begann am 20. November 1917 nahe Cambrai in Frankreich, die 1917 eine Schlüsselversorgungsstellung für die deutsche Siegfriedstellung war.

Français : La Bataille de Cambrai fut la première bataille de l'histoire où les chars d'assaut furent utilisés massivement. Elle fut déclenchée par l'armée britannique le 20 novembre 1917 près de Cambrai en France, ville qui en 1917 occupait une position stratégique sur la ligne Siegfried allemande. L'attaque initiale fut un succès et permit de percer la ligne Hindenburg, bien que la contre-offensive allemande en ait réduit la portée.

Maps

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  Force level
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  After british attack
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  After german counter attack

Photos

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  Cambrai 1919
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  British soldiers in a trench
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  A British Mark IV tank at Wailly. This shows how it would appear to occupants of the German trenches during the Battle of Cambrai. This was the first occasion on which tanks were launched en masse in a surprise attack and it clearly demonstrated the potential of the armoured vehicle - 21 October 1917