Product Description

This crucial new study on one of the seminal events in military history dispells many of the myths surrounding Cambrai 1917. Common perception classifies it as the 'world's first tank battle' but Alexander Turner shows us that the true importance of Cambrai was that it saw the first use of armour as an operational shock tactic. With this, the conduct of war was irrevocably changed. The battle also heralded the combined use of aircraft, armour and artillery, marking the birth of modern combined-arms techniques. Written by a military historian and serving soldier, this is a fascinating analysis of a battle which ended a stalemate, yet spawned a host of war-winning tactics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37663 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Review
This title, the latest offering from Osprey's Campaign series, covers the action so dear to all armoured enthusiasts, the Battle of Cambrai. It was an action which history tells us included the first use of armoured vehicles in the role for which they had been conceived. Commonly believed to be the world's first tank battle, Cambrai has a unique position in the battle honours of the British Army, claiming to be the birth of what we now know as armoured warfare. Alexander Turner's book is an intriguing study on the use of armour as an operational shock weapon, for the appearance of tanks on the battlefield changed the practice of war for ever. He also demolishes some of the myths surrounding the action and places the emerging role of the tank into its historical perspective. Cambrai was not the first appearance of tanks on the battlefield - they had taken part in the Somme offensive at Flers-Courcelette in September 1916 to support the infantry - but it was the first time that they were deployed in a concentrated mass as a means by which to break the enemy's defensive system by a coup de main. This title is perfect for the set-up provided by the Osprey's Campaign series. Alexander Turner is able to give a detailed account of all aspects of the battle through the series layout which has now become a standard format, covering such items as the origins of the battle; opposing commanders; opposing forces and opposing plans. It is also complemented by a good narrative of the battle itself. Add to this a detailed order of battle and some analysis of the action and its aftermath and we have a very comprehensive and readable account of the action at Cambrai. The tanks themselves were primitive examples and did not carry all before them as modern myths would have us believe. Turner explains that 'far from enjoying the invincibility popularly associated with them, early tanks were defined by their limitations; ponderous, unreliable and surprisingly vulnerable to all forms of enemy fire'. He also suggests that the success of the armour at Cambrai was largely as a result of all arms exercising a high degree of coordination and complementing each other by playing to their strengths. The tanks forged their way forward because they were assisted by fighter ground attack, unregistered artillery fire and well rehearsed tank/infantry cooperation. The book is fortunate to contain a good narrative, excellent maps and photographs and some quality art work from Peter Dennis. This is another winner from Osprey which will sit well in their list for many years. Published to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the battle, the book is a welcome addition to any military library. --warbooksoutnow.co.uk

About the Author
Alexander Turner is a serving British Army officer in the Irish Guards. His operational experience includes Northern Ireland, Kosovo, the Iraq war of 2003 and service as a United Nations Military observer. He has a BA in War Studies from King's College London and is a graduate of the UK Command and Staff College. He also wrote Campaign 151: Vimy Ridge 1917.

Customer Reviews

A good Osprey Campaign title on an important battle
Writing on WWI battles on the Western Front is not easy - although totally horrible for their participants, they make usually for a rather dull read (like for ex. "Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918", another Osprey Campaign title). Soldiers go out of their positions, get scythed by machine guns and artillery and capture a small parcel of positions, which they mostly lose to counter attacks. Period. Now, in this battle there was one new element - a massive use of tanks, which made this battle different, but not totally different from others. So this is a testimony to the performance of Alexander Turner, that he managed to make a quite interesting book, rather easy to read and explaining clearly and in good order the events (even more impressive - he did it for the second time, after an also very interesting "Vimy Ridge 1917"). I particularly well aprreciated the explanation of the tactics of tank attacks against trenches in 1917 - it was the first comprehensive tank tactics in the history and it is a really interesting read.
Black and white illustrations are very good and maps are clear and precise. There are three colour plates (thank you Osprey!) made by Peter Dennis, and they are VERY good! The first one, which is the less precise, shows the attack of the German trenches by British tanks and it illustrates very well the tactics. It also gives a good idea of the concentration of armour used to pierce German lines in this battle!
Second plate illustrates well the difficulty of anti tank fighting for German infantry - but also the terrible danger in which would find themselves tanks isolated from their own infantry and other vehicles.
Finally the third plate shows the counter-attack by German storm-troopers and a trench fight.
The fight at Cambrai saw a massive participation of regular infantry, storm troopers, armour, field and heavy artillery, cavalry and aviation (fighters and bombers) in a small parcel of front, all in the same time. It was a highly complex and terrifying battle and this book tells this story really well. If Osprey can keep the same level of quality for its incoming "Amiens 1918" it could be a masterpiece....

Cambrai 1917:The Birth of Armoured Warfare
A very handy and detailed overview of the Cambrai battle, which includes several beautiful paintings by Peter Dennis and also clear colour 'birds' eye' view maps of the various battles. The narrative is fairly condensed, as is to be expected, but the photos help to break it up and make it more interesting. A most useful book which can be kept close at hand for constant reference.

Brilliant !
Absolutely brilliant ! The striking accuracy the author gives us and the beautiful pictures make this book extremely vivid . Just like in his former book "Vimy Ridge 1917", Alexander Turner spoils us with a vibrant page of History written in a very beautiful way !