The Battle of Cambrai 1917

Mœuvres and Bourlon, Cantaing and Graincourt to Flesquières, Masnières, Gouzeaucourt and Gonnelieu

Jerry Murland

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Year: 2022
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781399017442
• Subtopic: World War I
• Index: History

The 1917 Battle of Cambrai featured the first massed tank attack in military history and provoked the biggest German counter-attack against the British since 1914. The British aimed to break through the German Hindenburg Line, then threaten the rear of the German positions to the north. The battle is one of the most famous and controversial episodes of the First World War, and the battlefield is one of the most commonly visited on the Western Front. Jerry Murland's clearly written, highly illustrated guide is the ideal introduction to it. Visitors can trace for themselves the course of the battle across the modern landscape and gain a fascinating insight into the nature of the fighting – and the wider conflict across the Western Front – throughout the war. Included are a series of routes that can be walked, cycled or driven. Among the key sites covered are Haverincourt, Flesquières, Mœuveres, Graincourt, Cantaign, Marcoing and Masnières, Bourlon, La Vacquerie and Villers-Plouich, Gouzeaucourt and Gonnelieu. In each place Jerry Murland describes the fighting that occurred there, recording what happened, exactly where it happened and why, and he points out the sights that remain for the visitor to see. His guidebook is essential reading for visitors who wish to enhance their understanding of the Battle of Cambrai and the war on the Western Front.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• FM1
• Title
• Copyright
• FM2
• Contents
• Introduction and Acknowledgements
• Visiting Military Cemeteries
• Historical Context
• Visiting the Area
• Route 1: Havrincourt
• Route 2: Ribécourt-la-Tour and Flesquières
• Route 3: Mœuvres
• Route 4: Graincourt-lès-Havrincourt
• Route 5: Cantaing-sur-Escaut and Fontaine-Notre-Dame
• Route 6: Bourlon
• Route 7: Marcoing and Masnières
• Route 8: Villers-Plouich and La Vacquerie
• Route 9: Gouzeaucourt and Gonnelieu
• Route 10: Car Tour
• Appendix 1: VC Winners during the Cambrai Offensive
• Appendix 2: Writers, Artists, Poets and Composers who Took Part in the Cambrai Offensive
• Further Reading