Cambrai 1917

Couldn't really let today pass without acknowledging that it's the anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai, 20 November 1917.

As an ex Black Hatter myself I always feel some degree of affinity with the day, although I don't know that I quite agree with the the view that it demonstrated that the tank was the secret weapon that would end the war. I've always thought that it was in fact the evolution of artillery tactics in particular, along with a huge number of lessons learned in so many other areas on how to conduct warfare (from secrecy, to infantry tactics, to simple exhaustion on the home and military fronts) that lay behind the breaking of the stalemate.

Food for thought anyway as we remember the role that the tank did play, especially on this day in 1917.