The Battle of Cambrai – November 1917 by Keith Burns

Description

– Assault on the Hindenburg Line –

The Battle of Cambrai wasn’t the first time the tank had been seen in action; these newly-invented British weapons had been used in small groups ever since their introduction during the Battle of the Somme a year earlier. In that time, lessons had been learned and significant developments heralded the introduction of the ‘Mark IV’, a much improved and deadlier machine that was soon rolling out of factories across Britain to be transported by rail in secret to the front line.

At daybreak on Tuesday 20 November all was revealed. For the first time in history large numbers of tanks were to be used en-masse and also for the first time, tanks, infantry, artillery, cavalry and aircraft would be fighting alongside one another in a fully integrated battle plan. Their target was to capture a 40 kilometre section of the St Quentin canal that formed part of the German Hindenburg Line near Cambrai.

The initial results were devastating with a blistering thrust through the German lines that saw the Allies advance some five miles, something unheard of for a long time. Despite the fact that the Germans would eventually counter-attack to regain most of their lost ground, and bad weather reduce both sides to an exhausted stalemate, the power of the tank was proven.

Overall matted size: 27” wide x 17 ½” high
Image size: 19 ¾” wide x 9” high

Few images could capture the sense of occasion that morning than Keith’s haunting painting. With this graphic depiction of the desolation found on the mud-soaked battlefield of Cambrai, he superbly portrays the crews of two Mark IV tanks of ‘C’ Battalion Tank Corps, supported by elements of the Essex Regiment and the Canadian 5th Cavalry Division, capturing a brief respite from the fighting near a fortified position known as ‘Bleak House’ on the first morning of the battle.