During the First World War, the tank was a completely new type of weapon system. The first major tank offensive took place on 20 November 1917, south-west of the northern French town of Cambrai. Seven British divisions and the entire Tank Corps attacked a section of the so-called Siegfried Line. The well-developed but rather weakly manned defence system was breached by the British attackers at the beginning of the battle. However, leadership errors and increasing German resistance prevented complete operational success. Ten days later, the German divisions surprised the British enemy with a counterattack and recaptured the lost territory. In his book, Karsten Richter describes the background, the course of the battle, selected military cemeteries as places of remembrance, and special events related to this operation. Cambrai 1917 marks the starting point of mechanised warfare in the 20th century.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Richter, Karsten
Title
Cambrai 1917
Details
Some bw-illustrations and maps. 268 pages.
State
new
Subtitle
Die erste große Panzeroffensive
Schöningh Postfach 2540 33055 Paderborn Deutschland
