Warfare

  Picture courtesy  wikipedia.org The World War I Battle of Cambrai first battle marked the first large-scale use of tanks for a military offensive. British force of nine infantry divisions, five cavalry divisions and three tanks brigades was led by General Julian Byng sprung a surprise attack near Cambrai, France, on November 20, 1917. Although the British tanks and infantry overwhelmed German defenses on the first day, the cavalry exploitation was slow to develop. On Nov. 30, the Germans counterattacked and regained most of the ground lost. Officially finished by Dec. 7, the battle decisively demonstrated the power of tanks and altered the course of future warfare. The battle of Cambrai was famous for two things: it saw the first greatest tank attack in history and, of equal importance, the first preregistration of artillery for an offensive. The idea for the large-scale use of British tanks started in early August 1917, when J. F. C. Fuller (second general staff officer, Tank Corps)