Cambrai 1917: The Trial Of The Tanks (2001) DVD
 
The Battle of Cambrai saw the final allied attack on the western front in 1917. It is remembered chiefly as the battle in which tanks were used in numbers for the first time. Cambrai provides another example of British High Command struggling to accept or come to terms with the demands of the new modern warfare. Time and again, outdated and outmoded battle tactics had failed, costing hundreds of thousands of lives for no discernable gain. Now, they had to cope with the possibilities offered by the new-fangled tank and the challenge of how best to use it in battle. It seems incredible now that, after the new weapons had previously become bogged down in mud at Ypres, the Cambrai attack was planned for November. Not only this, but completely inadequate provision was made for support to exploit any success – an oversight that may have been a sign of blind faith in the capabilities of the tank, but was more than likely the complete opposite. Four hundred and seventy six tanks went into battle on November 20th and they achieved complete surprise, so much so that by early evening a 6km hole had been made in the German line at Cambrai; but with little infantry support, the Germans were able to counter-attack. A major German counter-offensive using the new infiltration tactics was launched on November 30th and by December 7th all lost ground had been regained. Although, it pointed the way for the future and provided the doubters within the British Army with evidence of the potential of the tank, Cambrai was a dreadful waste of a rare opportunity that cost some 45,000 British casualties. The LINE OF FIRE series is history with a difference. For the first time, the great battlefields of the war are presented in a unique animated environment, providing new insights into military history's most compelling events. Each powerful episode combines unrivalled graphics with atmospheric re-creations to analyse every facet of famous battles from medieval times to World War II.

Chapters:
￭ A Clear Cut Victory
￭ Steel Monsters
￭ Churchill's Prototypes
￭ British Plan Of Attack
￭ Surprise Barrage
￭ Harper's Command Error
￭ Early Tank Problems
￭ Battle For Bourlon Wood
￭ The Significance Of Cambrai
￭ Closing Credits