Battle of CambraiNov. 20 – Dec. 7, 1917

WHO? Britain vs. Germany WHAT? British offensive against Germany WHEN? Nov./Dec. 1917 WHERE? Cambrai (France) WHY? To defend against German advances HOW?

◦ Tanks! Lots and lots of tanks! (476)◦ 1000+ guns

Basics

SPLATTER MASK

Were a surprise to the enemy, but no real advantage was gained

First time tanks were used in significant force (350+ tanks were used)◦ Initially, tanks were good for element of surprise,

but Germans thought that tanks were easily destroyed, and thus, didn’t use tanks until much later

◦ However, they often malfunctioned and were difficult to control

Those darn tanks…

British tanks surprised Germans, pushing them back over 3 miles

British forces could not follow up on this initial attack, so Germany regained their ground

Result? Stalemate – no decisive victory

What happened?

First Battle of YpresOct. 19-Nov.22, 1914

Belgium, Britain and France (+others)vs.

Germany (+others)

Strategically located along the roads leading to the Channel ports in Belgian Flanders, the Belgian city of Ypres had been the scene of numerous battles since the sixteenth century.  With the German failure at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the subsequent Allied counter attacks, the “Race to the Sea" began.

WHY YPRES? (“ee-pray”)

Germans were advancing into Belgium, pushing the Allied Forces back

Belgium had little choice and decided to open the waterway, flooding the area between the Allies and the Germans

Germany would have a strong attack, but would be met with a strong counter-attack from Allied Forces.

Fighting halted when winter came In the end, Britain won the area and would

defend it through the rest of the war

What happened?

Second Battle of Ypres

April 21-May 25, 1915France, Britain, Canada

vs.Gemany

Divert attention from Allies Test chlorine gas German army gave up its attempts to take

the town, choosing instead to demolish it through constant bombardment

WHY?

5,700 canisters containing 168 tons of chlorine gas were released at sunrise on 22 April against French Algerian and territorial division troops

A veil of greenish-yellow mist could be clearly seen rolling across from the German front lines to the French positions

Covering four miles of trench lines, the gas affected some 10,000 troops, half of whom died within ten minutes of the gas reaching the front line.  Death was caused by asphyxiation.  Those who lived were temporarily blinded and stumbled in confusion, coughing heavily.  2,000 of these troops were captured as prisoners of war.

Chlorine Gas

Lance Sergeant Elmer Cotton, described the effects of chlorine gas in 1915.◦ It produces a flooding of the lungs – it is an

equivalent death to drowning only on dry land. The effects are these – a splitting headache and terrific thirst (to drink water is instant death), a knife edge of pain in the lungs and the coughing up of a greenish froth off the stomach and the lungs, ending finally in insensibility and death. The colour of the skin from white turns a greenish black and yellow, the colour protrudes and the eyes assume a glassy stare. It is a fiendish death to die.

Quote:

The Germans released a second batch of chlorine gas two days later, on 24 April, this time directed against Canadian troops situated north-east of Ypres and again prefaced by a sharp artillery bombardment

Continued warfare…

Fighting renewed around Ypres on 8 May and continued until 13 May, and then again from 24-25 May, with repeated use of gas attacks.  Still the Allied lines held, although German forces secured additional high ground to the east of the town from 8-12 May.

Continued warfare…

Losses during the Second Battle of Ypres are estimated at 69,000 Allied troops (59,000 British, 10,000 French), against 35,000 German, the difference in numbers explained by the use of chlorine gas.  The Germans' innovative use of gas set the trend for the rest of the war.

Germans were halted – Allies “won” In Flanders Fields was written

Results

Third Battle of Ypres(Passchendaele)

July 31-Nov.6, 1917Britain, Canada (France)

vs.Germany

Haig had long mulled the idea of launching a major offensive in Flanders.  It was his preferred choice for 1916, although in the event the Battle of the Somme took precedence that summer.

Germany didn’t attack first!

Goal: destroy German submarine bases Why? Rumours that Russia would leave the

war meant that if Germany attacked Russia, they would gain a lot of land

It started with artillery bombardment and NO element of surprise, which led Germany to hold off British and French forces

“Final Great Battle”

British attempts to renew the offensive over the course of the next few days were severely hampered by the onset of heavy rains, the heaviest in 30 years, which churned the Flanders lowland soil into a thick muddy swamp.  

Tanks found themselves immobile, stuck fast in the mud. 

Soldiers found their mobility severely limited.  The force of the preliminary bombardment

had itself destroyed drainage systems

Raining on the Parade

Small movements forward, rather than expending all efforts at once

The Allied attackers were nearing exhaustion as German reserves released from the Eastern Front were poured into the ridge. 

Germans made full use of mustard gas (as opposed to chlorine gas in The Second Battle of Ypres), which resulted in chemical burns.

Baby steps

British and Canadian forces captured Passchendaele ridge

Results