On the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai, we look back at how the victory was celebrated with the ringing of joy bells back home in Britain….
Operation Michael
The awaited German attack came on the morning of the 21st March 1918. Codenamed Operation Michael, it was the first of a series launched over the next few months….
Action Debut of The A7V
The first action of the German A7V tank, on 21 March 1918, is not very well known from the British side. Probably because most of those in action against them were either killed or captured and very little information reached the British authorities at the time. However we now have a German account to work…
The Legacy of Cambrai
After the Battle of Cambrai, what lessons were learned by both the Allied and German troops? How did the affects of a battle which is seen as a draw influence the last year of the First World War? …
The Battle of Cambrai: The German Counterattack
The Battle of Cambrai had begun at 6:20am on the 20th November with a stunning advance, spearheaded by tanks and supported by new artillery techniques, but within a few days the British had been fought to a standstill. …
The Battle of Cambrai: Graincourt
Pride of place at the entrance to the Tank Men Exhibition is the Graincourt gun – captured by Albert Baker during Cambrai. This is its story. …
The Battle of Cambrai: Flesquières Ridge
The Battle of Cambrai (20 November 1917) is always deemed to have been a British success, this is true, up to a point, although it had its setbacks. The earliest of these, which caused a significant, if temporary delay, occurred on Flesquières Ridge at about ten o’clock in the morning of that first day….
The Battle of Cambrai: The Fascine
One of the adaptations added during the Battle of Cambrai was the fascine, enabling tanks to cross deliberately widened trenches. …
The Battle of Passchendaele – Into Battle
Third Ypres, or Passchendaele, was a controversial battle at the time and has remained so ever since. Disagreement exists over whether it should have been fought at all, over the tactics used and over whether the casualties were worth the gains. …
The Battle of Passchendaele – Operation Hush
One of the reasons for launching the Third Battle of Ypres was a British desire to capture the Belgian coastline from the Germans….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Tanks at Third Ypres
Third Ypres was planned as an infantry and artillery attack, with tanks in a supporting role….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Background & Planning
The German invasion in August 1914 led to the conquest of almost all of Belgium. …
The New Mark IV
The first Mark IV tanks arrived in France in late April 1917, and were issued to units in May….
The Battle of Arras
The April – May 1917 Battle of Arras was the British Empire’s part of a larger offensive planned by the French….
