Detail showing the plaque for 1918 from the monument to the Tank Corps, Pozières, France. The base bears plaques commemorating the Tank Corps and the years 1916, when tanks were first used in battle, 1917, when they were proven to be a weapon that could change the war, and 1918, when tanks were decisive in the Allied victory. The plaques for each year list the engagements in which the Corps fought. © 2013 by John M. Shea
19182nd SommeRiver LysHamel — Marne — MoreuilAmiens — BapaumeArras — EpehyCambrai — St. QuentinSelle — Mormal Forest
"The morning of December [1, 1917] was cloudy again, after a clear, mild night. The worsening weather kept most of the aircraft of both sides on the ground, and from this point on, air activity played little part in the battle. From 6.30 a.m., an hour before sunrise, the British attacking force of tanks, cavalry and infantry gathered to the west of Gauche Wood. Thirty-one tanks had been collected, twenty-two of H Battalion, seven of B, and two of A; all the others that had arrived from Fins and Havrincourt Wood the previous day, apart from those hit by enemy fire, had mechanical trouble, and were unfit for action. Behind the tanks were two Cavalry Divisions, the 4th and 5th, and the 1st and 3rd Guards Brigades."
The British launched the largest tank offensive yet seen on November 20, 1917 with three tank brigades, 380 tanks in all, most of them Mark IVs, near Cambrai, France. The first day was a success, with an advance of as much as 4½ miles on a 6-mile front. With no fresh reinforcements, specifically none trained to coordinate with tanks, the advance bogged down, with the role of the tanks diminishing. German forces counterattacked on November 30, and were preparing to attack at 9:30 AM on December 1 when the British struck. British commander General Douglas Haig still hoped for a breakthrough his cavalry could exploit.
The Battle of Cambrai by Brian Cooper, page 208, copyright © Bryan Cooper 1967, publisher: Stein and Day, publication date: 1968
1917-12-01, 1917, December, Battle of Cambrai, Cambrai, tank
