1939-12-09 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 9, 1939

TRIUMPH OF THE TANKS: VICTORY

AT CAMBRAI

RECALLED

IN A THICK MIST at 6.20 a.m. on November 20, 1917, three brigades of British tanks, numbering 381 fighting and 98 administrative armoured vehicles, set out across no- man's land on an adventure that was to be the beginning of an era in the history of war. Next day bells were ring- ing all over London to acclaim a first-class victory.

The 3rd and 4th Army Corps, led by the tanks, had penetrated within 12 hours to a depth of five miles on a six-mile front opposite the town of Cambrai.

Casualties were light, less than 4,000, the Hindenburg line had been broken, and before our victorious men lay open country ready to be exploited by the waiting cavalry and the reserves.

bit-

The Third Battle of Ypres had re- sulted in so great

a penetration of the enemy defences only after ter hting during the whole of August, September, and October, at a cost of well over £50,000,000 in artillery ammunition alone and with a terrible casualty list.

The joy-bells were premature. There were no reserves and nothing could be done to make capital from an astounding success, but the. Tank Corps had shown a new way to vic- tory and had established an

ascen-

dancy over the enemy which it kept, and shared afterwards with its French comrades, until the end of the War. The anniversary of Cam- brai is being celebrated to-day all units of the Royal Tank ment at home and oversea,

IS HITLER SLIMMING?

The Amsterdam correspondent of The London Daily Telegraph states that neutral observers re- cently arrived from Berlin say that Herr Hitler has lost weight considerably during recent weeks and that his uniforms no longer fit him.

very

He is reported to little.

cat

by

Regi-

used

USED ON THE SOMME Though tanks had been their first appearance in battle-on September 15, 1916, in an attempt to revive the comatose Somme offensive and again a week later, they did not achieve any outstanding success despite much individual gallantry. The shell-torn ground ever which they had to move was against them, and there were not enough of them to give value to the surprise caused by their appearance.

added

There is, however, no justification for supposing that these methods could be used successfully' in the present war, even supposing that the defences of the "West Wall" were penetrated over a wide front. In recent years tanks have been used in Abyssinia, in Spain, and by the Germans for the murder of Po-

land.

In Abyssinia the mobility of the Italian light tanks was very useful, but they did not encounter any seri- ous anti-tank defence. Their cross-

country performance was not good.

light tanks did not give a very good account of themselves. They Ch- countered strong defences which the Nationalists had not sufficient artil- lery to neutralize. They were arm- ed with machine-guns only and had little true hitting power.

In Spain the German and Italian

།

BEST OF THE DAY

German propaganda in Poland Is making frantic efforts to throw on Britain the responsiblilty for the destruction and atrocities committed by Germany in Po land.

Huge posters are displayed in the streets of Polish cities, towns and villages, showing a wound. ed Polish soldier who, amid a scene of death and desolation, is holding Mr. Chamberlain by the hand and saying to him: "Eng- land, Thy Work!"

The chief preoccupation of de- signers and tactical experts at present la the problem of de. feating the anti-tank defence.

The light tank is easily defeated by a gun of the type of the Swiss Oerlickon, which fires its in. calibre 5oz: armour-piercing shell at a rate of 300 rounds a minute and can pene- fight-trate 1-1/4in. armour at 500 yards.

The Russian light and médium tanks, and the Spanish-built copies, were more heavily armed and better armoured, and proved useful ing vehicles despite the fact that, as one observer put it, "their stomachs are no better protected than a hedge, hog." They could be set on fire easily by flaming petrol cans rolled under them.

The present tendency in tank de- sign is towards a "low freeboard" to reduce the target presented, heavier armour and therefore lower speed. The tactical tendency is towards all PRESENT DESIGN

arms cooperation in the neutralizing of anti-tank defences followed The

by modern armoured fighting attack on a modified "Cambrai" me- vehicle as constructed for the British thod. One thing only seems certain, Army has a very good cross-country and that is that victory in battle can performance, and while shell-pound-be assured only by the very closest this they subsequently

ed ground is likely to be a serious cooperation between tanks and in- preliminary

"no obstacle, particularly in wet weather, fantry, with the artillery in support bombardment." This it will not be so serious as in 1916.- for both anti-tank defence neutraliza- was incidental to surprise, but they 18. now knew that the tanks needed

tion and counter-battery work. ground that had not been completely pock-marked with shell-craters. The Cambrai offensive in its original form was laid out exactly according to their ideas. They had asked to be allowed to put up a very big raid "to destroy the enemy's

personnel; {}}. and guns, to demoralize and dis- organize. him, and not capture ground."

to

STRATEGIC VALUE Other consideratisons were, however, in the mind of G.H.Q. British moral was at a very low ebb after the Third Battle of Ypres. The Russian volution had released German re-

re-

But the experiment had resulted in the accumulation of valuable experi- ence, and the War Office decided to expand the new arm to the strength of 1,000 armoured vehicles. The Mark IV tank was devised and was tried out in 1917 at Arras (April 9),inforcements for the Western Front, at Messines (June 7), and during the and the Germans were known to be Third Battle of Ypres.

contemplating a very strong thrust against Italy. For these strategic reasons the raid was turned into a large-scale offensive, but the mis- take was made of carrying it out on ground admirably suited to

a raid-

But again too few were used and the ground pulverized by heavy bom- bardment was not suited to tank manoeuvre. Some good work was done by the tanks against the Mes- sines-Wytschaete ridge, but they did not play a big part in that battle.

Two essentials to the successful use of tanks had been insisted upon by their

ing operation, but certainly not to a major operation. Despite its magni- icent opening, therefore, the Battle of Cambrai resulted in only a very enthusiastic originators. small gain in ground; but its strate- One was the element of surprise, gic value was high and it proved and the other was massed attack. To the tanks.

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The methods used at Cambrai were utilized in many major offensive ac- tions during the remaining year the War, and proved completely suc- cessful in both French and British hands.

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