The First World War was remembered by mankind for many things: the use of poisonous gases, a dirty trench war, the widespread use of super-powerful artillery, the use of aviation, the greatest loss of life among soldiers in history and, of course, tanks. This conflict literally turned the whole military business upside down, making it what it is known today.
What kind of operation are we talking about?
The Battle of Cambrai is a large-scale offensive by British forces during World War I against German forces on the Western Front. It happened not far from the French city of Cambrai. Despite the fact that the operation ended in success for the Entente, the British army could not fulfill its original goals. However, the battle of world history is remembered not by this at all, but by the fact that this operation essentially became the first battle in the history of mankind with the widespread use of tanks.
The decision to carry out the operation was made by the British command after the failure in Flanders. Then the leadership of the army decided to succeed in the new mission. The positive result in it was to be achieved mainly due to the large number of tanks. And this was a big risk in the eyes of contemporaries.
Preparatory stage
The fact is that the British army had already tried to use tanks before. In a certain amount, armored vehicles participated in the Battle of Paschendale and showed themselves (in the opinion of contemporaries) very badly. Despite the excessive skepticism among the troops, the command nevertheless decided to create a full-fledged British tank corps. Particular attention in the new operation was paid to the interaction of tanks and infantry on the battlefield. Before the start of the operation, the infantry began to train to take enemy positions along with combat vehicles.
By the way, the location for the operation was not chosen by chance. The fact is that the section of positions at Cambrai is almost 12 kilometers of flat terrain. The British have deliberately selected the site with the most suitable terrain for the formidable, but very clumsy cars. Also, the British command has devoted great influence to camouflage, wanting to catch German soldiers by surprise with their tanks. It is also curious that for the first time in history such a large operation was carried out without artillery preparation at all on the positions of the anti-tank.
The tanks were delivered to the contact line as stealthily as possible. They were distilled only at night. Under their own power, the vehicles moved only on the very line of fire, and so that the German soldiers did not suspect anything, the roar of tank engines was diligently hidden by the conduct of dense and continuous fire from machine guns and mortars.
How was the operation
The operation began early in the morning of November 20. Tanks occupied a 10-kilometer front line for the offensive. At 6 o'clock in the morning, the vehicles moved to the German positions with the support of the infantry. Artillery was used in battle only for fire support, and although aviation was present in the sky, due to the fog, it could not play a large role.
In those days, tanks could not pass through the trench. There was a risk that the car would fall into it and get stuck. That is why the British have prepared more than 400 fascines from wood. In battle, tanks acted as follows. The first car approached the German trenches and opened fire on them. Meanwhile, the second and third tanks were dropping fascines (bundles of rods) into the trenches and passed further into the rear of the enemy. The infantry following the tanks was also divided into groups. The first one cleared the trenches. The second one occupied and blocked them. The third group of infantrymen provided fire support.
A surprise attack by the British using 400 tanks yielded results. The offensive was powerful and swift. The effective interaction of armored vehicles and assault infantry units sowed panic among the German soldiers. By 11 o'clock in the morning, the British had already passed 6-8 km of the enemy's position. By 13 o'clock in the German front, there was a gap of all 12 km.
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