history · 20 November 1917 · 107 years ago
At the Battle of Cambrai in France, the British Army launched its first full-scale offensive that was designed exclusively to accommodate a new British secret weapon, the Tank (so-called because when the first shipment came from England they were described as water tanks to maintain secrecy). Following a surprise artillery barrage 476 tanks, packed tightly for a mass attack moved against the German lines. Supported by infantry and 289 British aircraft the gains were dramatic, breaching the almost impregnable Hindenberg Line to a depth of 4-5 miles in some places. However, these gains seemed to surprise British High Command equally as much as the Germans and the following cavalry failed to take advantage. Ultimately most of the captured ground would be retaken within a few weeks. Nevertheless, Cambrai demonstrated how a well-thought out attack, combining tanks en masse with surprise, could be used to break the trench deadlock.
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