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Battle of Cambrai (1918)

 

 
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Battle of Cambrai (1918)
 
 
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The 1918 Battle of Cambrai, also referred to as The 2nd Battle of Cambrai, was an engagement fought between troops of the Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps

For other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France....
, British First
British First Army

The First Army was a army of the British Army that existed during the First World War and Second World Wars....
 and Third
British Third Army

The Third Army was a British Army unit....
 Armies and German Empire forces. The Battle of Cambrai was one in a long series of battles across the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line

The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defenses in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germanys during the winter of 1916–17....
. The battle took place October 8 - October 10, 1918.

The battle incorporated many of the newer tactics of 1918, namely tanks, meaning that the battle was an overwhelming success with light casualties in an extremely short amount of time.

Battle
Although there were three German lines, spanning some 7,000 yards, the sector had been quiet for some time so it was lightly garrisoned: the 20th Landwehr and the 54th Reserve, supported by no more than 150 guns.






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The 1918 Battle of Cambrai, also referred to as The 2nd Battle of Cambrai, was an engagement fought between troops of the Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps

For other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France....
, British First
British First Army

The First Army was a army of the British Army that existed during the First World War and Second World Wars....
 and Third
British Third Army

The Third Army was a British Army unit....
 Armies and German Empire forces. The Battle of Cambrai was one in a long series of battles across the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line

The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defenses in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germanys during the winter of 1916–17....
. The battle took place October 8 - October 10, 1918.

The battle incorporated many of the newer tactics of 1918, namely tanks, meaning that the battle was an overwhelming success with light casualties in an extremely short amount of time.

Battle


Although there were three German lines, spanning some 7,000 yards, the sector had been quiet for some time so it was lightly garrisoned: the 20th Landwehr and the 54th Reserve, supported by no more than 150 guns. The German defenders were unprepared for the "hurricane bombardment" by 324 tanks.

On October 8, the 2nd Canadian Division
2nd Canadian Division

The 2nd Canadian Division was an infantry formation that saw service in the First World War. A 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was raised for the Second World War....
 entered Cambrai and encountered sporadic and light resistance. However, they rapidly pressed northward, leaving the "mopping up" of the town to the 3rd Canadian Division
3rd Canadian Division

The 3rd Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Corps during the First World War.The 3rd Canadian Division was formed in France in December 1915 under the command of Major-General M.S....
 following close behind. When the 3rd entered the town on October 10, they found it deserted. Less than 20 casualties had been taken.

Aftermath

Although the capture of Cambrai was achieved significantly quicker than expected, German resistance northeast of the town stiffened, slowing the advance and forcing the Canadian Corps to dig in.

See also

  • List of Canadian battles during World War I


External links