To commemorate this centenary, the Stourbridge war memorial in the West Midlands, with its decorative bronze tank frieze, has been upgraded to Grade II*. It was a crucial learning experience for the military and a turning point in the war, leading to the eventual defeat of Germany and its Allies. An estimated 12,000 men died on either side.
However, insufficient numbers of troops meant that the chance to exploit the action was lost. The plan was for this surprise attack to rupture the enemy defences allowing Allied forces to break through. 20 November 1917, was the date of the first mass use of tanks in the First World War.ĭuring the Battle of Cambrai in northern France (20 October – 6 December 1917) 378 tanks smashed through the heavily fortified German Hindenburg Line.
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