Battle of Cambrai
On the first day, the British broke through the German Hindenburg Line with massed tanks and advanced several kilometers, but the following infantry failed to come up and consolidate in time, and ten days later a German counterattack retook most of the lost ground.
Belligerents
United Kingdom
- Commanders
- Julian Byng
- Strength
- Over 400 tanks committed, plus several infantry corps
German Empire
- Commanders
- Georg von der Marwitz
- Strength
- Defenders plus several reinforcing divisions
Background
With trench warfare on the Western Front deadlocked, the British aimed to use massed formations of the new weapon, the tank, together with a surprise bombardment to break through the carefully built German Hindenburg Line in one stroke.
Course of the battle
- Tank surprise attackWithout a long preparatory bombardment, the British suddenly launched a massed charge with hundreds of tanks and broke through the German trench lines at a stroke.
- Weak follow-upThe infantry and cavalry failed to exploit the success in time, and the advance gradually stalled.
- German counterattackThe Germans brought up reserves for a counterattack and used infiltration tactics to retake most of the lost ground.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1917 |
|---|---|
| Place | Cambrai (now northern France) |
| Result | On the first day, the British broke through the German Hindenburg Line with massed tanks and advanced several kilometers, but the following infantry failed to come up and consolidate in time, and ten days later a German counterattack retook most of the lost ground. |
| Winner | No decision (an initial British breakthrough, later retaken by a German counterattack) |
| Casualties | Each side suffered over 40,000 casualties. |
| Territorial change | The front largely returned to its pre-battle position, with no decisive breakthrough. |
Impact
The Battle of Cambrai was the first real test of tanks used on a large scale and in an organized way to break through prepared defenses. It proved that massed armor could break through a trench system and profoundly shaped the later development of armored tactics.
See the world in 1917 on the map →