British soldiers from the Loyal (North Lancashire) Regiment

 


British 57th Division patrolling the ruins of Cambrai following the Second Battle of Cambrai, October 9, 1918.

Today 105 years ago, on October 8, 1918, the Second Battle of Cambrai was launched by British and Commonwealth forces, as part of the Hundred Days Offensive.

In the Battle of the Canal du Nord in late September 1918, the Canadians had breached the German defenses in front of the city of Cambrai. The objective of this attack was now the capture of Cambrai, an important German railway and supply hub. It was hoped the capture of Cambrai along with the other Allied offensives along the Western Front would lead to complete victory.

For the attack, the British had assembled 21 Divisions as well as 3 Canadian Divisions and the New Zealand Division, totalling some 730,000 troops, who were up against just 180,000 German troops defending Cambrai. The British would attack along a 20-mile front between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin, with the Canadians being given the task of taking Cambrai itself.

On October 8, 1918, supported by aircrafts, artillery, and 324 tanks, the British, Canadians and New Zealanders all attacked at Cambrai. 

With the German defenses so weakened, the Canadians advanced with little resistance and succeeded in capturing Cambrai by the end of the day. Though the Canadians met German resistance as they pushed forward and were soon forced to dig in.

The British were able to advance 3 miles and captured several villages. The Germans counter-attacked 3 times but were eventually forced to fall back to the Selle river near Le Cateau. The British thus returned to the battlefields of August 1914.

By October 10, the British called off the offensive and began planning for a fresh assault on the new German line on the Selle.

In the Second Battle of Cambai the British, Canadians and New Zealanders had suffered a combined 12,000 casualties and had captured 10,000 German prisoners, as well as 150 guns.

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