BMMHS Talk by Ross Beadle 14th Oct 2026 at Woodcote Village Hall
Context & mission objectives
- To exploit a potential weakness (a kink) in the Hindenburg Line near to the town of Cambrai in northern France.
- To secure canal crossings at Masnières (Canal du Saint Quentin) & Canal du Nord.
- To secure Flesquières ridge & ultimately Bourlon Hill, prominent German positions.
Forces & environment
Commanders
- Field Marshal Haig CIC BEF Western Front
- General Byng GOC 3rd Army
- Lieutenant General Pulteney Commander III Corps Infantry
- Lieutenant General Woollcombe Commander IV Corp Infantry
- Major General Tudor Commander Royal Artillery
- Major General Harper
- Lieutenant Colonel Fuller Chief General Staff Officer Tank Corps
Force Strengths
- 15 Infantry Divisions (1 Div = 16’000 to 18’000 men)
- 4 Cavalry Divisions
- 1003 Artillery guns
- 476 Tanks
- Air support by RFC
Terrain & Weather
The topology of the region was undulating & well-draining due to being chalk. The ground was undamaged by shelling or troop movements.
Logistical conditions
Tanks could be hidden in the woods to the west of the Line. Specialist tanks had fascines, bundles of brushwood that would be rolled into a trench to allow the tank to maintain traction when exiting.
Main events
Tudor wanted to make use of the new 106 fuze that allows artillery shells to explode on impact (instead on embedding into the ground & casting craters). He also wanted to use new techniques in sound ranging & silent registration, technology that allowed enemy artillery to be located without the use of a pre-emptive barrage. Another of his ideas was Tudor also suggested the use of tanks to clear the way for ground troops.
The plan was to use a creeping barrage of artillery fire & smoke to knock out/confuse enemy guns & positions while the tanks flattened the barbed wire allowing the infantry & cavalry to advance behind.
The offensive was initially a success with the breach & advancement through the Hindenburg Line taking Flesquières Ridge & the canals, the tanks proving capable of breaching defences relatively quickly. This meant that the infantry struggled to keep up & combined with a lack of fuel & reliability issues many became sitting ducks.
Instead of pushing onwards Haig ordered the British forces to stop. This allowed the Germans to launch a counter attack effectively pushing the British back to virtually where they had started. Unbeknown to the British at this time is that the Germans had moved 107th division (relocated from fighting in Russia) into the region literally the day before sensing the Line was weakly defended/easy to attack.
consequences
Statistics:
- Casualties: Circa +/- 50’000 on each side (estimated British 40’000 on day 1)
- Tanks: 476 deployed (398 combat) – 196 survived
- Many ran out of fuel or simply malfunctioned
Tactical results and strategic effects
- The British gained a little ground in the north (holding Flesquières Ridge) & the Germans gained a little ground in the south.
- The Germans had already considered the Hindenburg Line to be weakly defended at this line & had set up a second line. This was bolstered the day before the battle by 107 Division.
Discussion
The battle showed up a general lack of coherent agreement in planning by the senior officers (too many cooks) as well as an overall lack of military intelligence.
- Fuller wanted a small tank raid to cause disruption to the Hindenburg Line
- Haig wanted a full-scale op taking Bourlon Hill but stopped troops on day 1 allowing time for the Germans to regroup
- Byng advanced tanks unsupported through to Flesquires ridge.
- Pulteney (considered a bit dim. by his peers) & Woollcombe wanted to stick to standard advance & stop tactics.
Although tanks were too fast for the infantry to keep up, they proved capable of breaking through defences. TBC
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