Battle of Arras, (9 April–17 May 1917), British offensive on the German defenses around the French city of Arras during World War I. The Battle of Arras is one of the lesser-known of WWII - but its repercussions were huge. Whilst not as well documented as the Somme or Passchendaele, in the opinion of many military historians it was the bloodiest battle of them all measured in terms of the daily casualty rates. Frankforce was to hold the line of the river Scarpe to the east of Arras with the 5th Infantry Division, while the rest of the force attacked to the south of Arras and the new French Groupe d'Armées 3 (Général d'armée Antoine-Marie-Benoît Besson) attacked north from the Somme. D'Astier was also unable to contact the First Army headquarters or the HQ of the Air Component RAF of the BEF, which was out of action, as it was moving back to bases in England. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [22] To the east of Arras, the 150th Infantry Brigade attacked across the Scarpe towards Tilloy and the 13th Infantry Brigade captured a bridgehead further east, ready for the second phase of the attack by Frankforce. At 12:40 p.m. Rundstedt countermanded his own order but for five hours, the panzers had waited on the Amache river. Apprehension of another Allied attack caused Rundstedt to order Panzergruppe Hoth to remain in position, the XLI Corps (Reinhardt) sent a division eastwards as a precaution and Kleist diverted the 10th Panzer Division and parts of the 1st Panzer Division and the 2nd Panzer Division from the XIX Corps (Guderian) to hold the bridgehead over the Somme, which slowed the advance to Dunkirk from the beginning. Battle of Arras, (9 April–17 May 1917), British offensive on the German defenses around the French city of Arras during World War I. After breaking through Schützen-Regiment 6, they attacked the transport of Schützen-Regiment 7 between Mercatel and Ficheux and then pressed on, throwing the motorised Totenkopf Division into confusion and almost overrunning its headquarters. German 88 mm FlaK guns knocked out several Matilda I tanks. [14] The attack had been intended to be made by two French and two British infantry divisions but Frankforce comprised only about 15,000 men, after the detachment of brigades to the defence of Arras, the river to the east and into reserve. [35], Frieser wrote that the Franco-British counter-attack at Arras, had a disproportionate effect on the Germans because the higher commanders were apprehensive about flank security. [28], In 2005, Frieser wrote that Allied planning was notable for its failure to cut the panzer corridor when there were insufficient German motorised divisions to consolidate behind the panzer divisions and the non-motorised divisions were several days' march away. The Left Column troops in Agny and Beaurains were bombed and then attacked by tanks as they retreated, one party missing the road (and eventually reaching Boulogne). The battle of Arras lasted thirty-nine days during April and May 1917. [24], At around 4:00 p.m. (German time) II Battalion, Schützen-Regiment 7 was attacked by about 40 British tanks, which were engaged by artillery on Hill 111, roughly 0.62 mi (1 km) north-west of Wailly. 131 likes. [7], King Leopold III of Belgium told Gort that he did not expect the BEF to risk itself to keep contact with the Belgian army but warned the British that if they persisted with the southern offensive, the Belgians would be overstretched and collapse. Franklyn had detached a brigade each from the 5th Infantry Division and the 50th Motor Division, which had only two instead of the usual three brigades each. These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. The infantry of the Right Column in Warlus were rescued, because six French tanks arrived with two armoured infantry vehicles and broke out through the German position on the Warlus–Duisans road. On April 9, 1917 during the Battle of Arras all four Divisions of the Canadian Corps, supported by British and Canadian artillery, emerged from concealment and [...] moved forward to capture the heavily … Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. Ironside returned to Britain and ordered urgent anti-invasion measures. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, the forces of Great Britain, Canada, Newfoundland, Australia and New Zealand confronted the German Army at Arras. Although these articles may currently differ in style from others on the site, they allow us to provide wider coverage of topics sought by our readers, through a diverse range of trusted voices. Among his many publications are. Colonel-General Günther von Kluge, the 4th Army commander ordered the tanks to halt, with the support of Rundstedt. Some larger Matilda II tanks among the Matilda Is advanced through the artillery and anti-tank fire unscathed, German shells bouncing off their armour. The rural village, located centrally on the map, consists of nearly two dozen buildings packed closely together along cobblestone streets, overlooked by a grand stone church. [6] Weygand cancelled the orders and after a delay, ordered a similar counter-offensive from the north and south against the German "corridor", to break the encircled armies out of the pocket. At the Battle of Arras, which began 100 years ago today, the proportion of Scots fighting was higher than at any other engagement of the First World … Opening of the battle: 9 April 1917 . The German attacks were repulsed but managed to cut the road between the villages and the Right Column was unable to advance further. Allied planners had hoped to check the Germans at the Dyle Line—a defensive line that ran from Antwerp south to the French frontier, north... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The panzer divisions had moved on, only small detachments having been left in Cambrai and the marching infantry divisions were not due until later in the day. [11] Major-General Harold Franklyn, commander of the British 5th Infantry Division was put in charge of Frankforce, improvised from his division, the 50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division (Major-General Giffard Martel) and the 74 tanks of the 1st Army Tank Brigade. During the evening, the French force, with about six SOMUAs, engaged Panzer-Regiment 25 south of Duisans. Constrained by the limited forces available to them, the Anglo-French offensive was carried out by a small mixed force of British and French tanks and infantry who advanced south from Arras. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. As part of the planning for the battle of Arras the Royal Flying Corps, under the … Duration: 39 days . [21] The tanks kept going and then reached Wailly, where they met troops of the Totenkopf Division. [13] Many of the tanks of the 1ère Division Légère Mécanique (1ère DLM) had been destroyed in the earlier battles and the rest had been distributed among infantry divisions and could not be reassembled in time, despite threats to court-martial officers who refused to release the tanks. The April – May 1917 Battle of Arras was the British Empire’s part of a larger offensive planned by the French. [19], The time taken by the infantry to reach the assembly points for the attack, through the refugee traffic on the roads, left little time to study their orders or reconnoitre. The German campaign plan Fall Gelb (Case Yellow) had evolved into a decoy operation in the Netherlands and Belgium, with the main effort through the Ardennes. THE BATTLE OF ARRAS IN FIGURES . The Battle of Arras Canadian veterans, who fought the one day, Battle of Vimy Ridge were most graphic in their descriptions of the ruthlessness with which they rapidly took all of their objectives, many of these fine soldiers surviving to tell the bloody tale. [26], In 1953, Lionel Ellis, the British official historian wrote that the attack at Arras succeeded in easing German pressure round Arras and delaying the encirclement of the BEF. [23], Schützen-Regiment 6 was attacked while advancing towards Agny by a British column advancing from Dainville, which knocked out several vehicles; more British tanks attacked from the north and caught the regimental convoys strung out along the road on their right flank. By 21 May, Prioux could only contribute a few tanks of the 3ième Division Légère Mécanique (3e DLM). The French attack reached the fringe of Cambrai only to be stopped by the Luftwaffe and forced to retreat. After a bitter fight that cost them nearly 10,000 men, they won control of the position. Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada (MIKAN no. [37], The battle honour Defence of Arras was awarded to the British units involved in the counter-attack. [27], Attacking to the south-west was rejected and OKH ordered Panzergruppe von Kleist to capture Boulogne and Calais, about 50 mi (80 km) away. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? On 22 May, when the attack had been repulsed, Rundstedt ordered that the situation at Arras must be restored before Panzergruppe von Kleist moved on Boulogne and Calais. Losses: British, 158,000 casualties; German, 130,000 casualties. This theme explores a lesser-known battle of World War I: The Battle of Arras (9th April 1917 – 16th May 1917). Instead of consolidating bridgeheads on the west bank of the Meuse, the Germans began an advance down the Somme river valley towards the English Channel. The advanced guard suffered many casualties, retreated to Warlus and German tanks counter-attacked Warlus and Duisans. For the offensive, Haig intended on attacking General Henry Horne's 1st Army in the north, General... Moving Forward. Around the map's periphery, and stretching out of bounds across the horizon, are a series of neatly parcelled canola fields - their vibrant yellow flowers standing waist high, giving … Farther south, the British were similarly successful, and a few units advanced to a depth of 3 miles (4.8 km) on the first day. The tanks destroyed the German anti-tank guns with return fire and rolled over them, killing the crews. [2], German spearheads broke through the Peronne–Cambrai gap and threatened Boulogne and Calais, cutting the lines of communication of the Allied armies of Groupe d'armées 1 (General Gaston Billotte) in the North-East Theatre of Operations (Général d'armée Alphonse Joseph Georges), separating them from the main French armies south of the Somme. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Nicholson, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919: The Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War (Ottawa: Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery, 1962), p. 432. Its aim, as for the Somme in 1916, was to break through the German line, this time in conjunction with a major French assault, the Nivelle Offensive, 50 miles to the south. For 21 May, the division was ordered to wheel west around Arras and attack to the north, capturing crossings over the Scarpe at Acq, a risky manoeuvre since the right flank would be vulnerable to a counter-attack from Arras. Frankforce had moved to the vicinity of Vimy, north of Arras to reinforce the Allied garrison at Arras, for a counter-attack to the south, to cut German communications in the vicinity. Leopold suggested that the Allies should establish a beachhead covering Dunkirk and the Belgian channel ports instead. [27] The British lost around 100 men killed or wounded in the attack, it is unknown how many French soldiers became casualties in the engagement. 3403834) The ruined Hotel de Ville at Arras. Allied planners had hoped to check the Germans at the Dyle Line—a defensive line that ran from Antwerp south to the French frontier, north of Sedan—but by May 16 Gamelin had determined that such a stand was impracticable.…. The attack was a failure but had a disproportionate effect on Hitler and Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, German armed forces high command). Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada (MIKAN no. The Right Column advanced at 2:30 p.m. and received small-arms fire from a wood. In the north the British combined their available divisions with the 50th infantry division which was holding the Vimy area to create a contingent which was code-named Frankforce. British and French troops assembled under the command of General Harold Franklyn; forming an improvised army known as “Frankforce”; Unfortunately, communication problems ran rampant among the Allied forces in their haste to stop the German assaul… The Battle of Arras took place on 21 May 1940, during the Battle of France in the Second World War. [3] On 19 May, General Edmund Ironside, the British Chief of the Imperial General Staff, conferred with Lord Gort, commander of the BEF, at his headquarters near Lens and urged Gort to save the BEF, by attacking towards Amiens to the south-west but Gort had only two divisions available for an attack. First World War. At OKW the panic was worse and Hitler contacted Army Group A on 22 May, to order that all mobile units were to operate either side of Arras and infantry units were to operate to the east. The Battle of Arras. A French counter-attack at the Battle of Montcornet on 17 May by the 4e Division Cuirassée de réserve (4e DCr, Colonel Charles de Gaulle), from Montcornet to the south, was defeated by an improvised defence and the 10th Panzer Division, which was rushed forward on the French flank. The Battle of Arras took place in the spring of 1917 and was one of the principal offensives undertaken by the British Army on the Western Front, similar in scale to the Battle of the Somme and the Third Battle of Ypres. Individual tanks kept going but there were no reserves to consolidate and exploit the success and the advance was stopped in mutually-costly fighting. The German counter-attacks were supported by Fliegerkorps VIII (Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen) and the French lost 32 tanks and armoured vehicles. [33] Frankforce lost sixty of the 88 tanks in the attack. The original British plan had been to limit the battle once serious resistance was met, but British Field Marshall Douglas Haig prolonged the offensive to provide aid to the French, incurring heavy casualties for little gain. Rundstedt, the commander of Army Group A, had intended that the panzer divisions should rest after the exertions on 20 May. This was to be the only large scale attack mounted by the BEF during the campaign. World War I: Battle of Arras (1917) Background. The objectives of this battle were to break through German lines forcing the German Army, which was numerically inferior at the time, into mobile warfare. It was ultimately executed by just two infantry battalions, the 6th and 8th Battalions Durham Light Infantry supporting the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment, totalling around 2,000 men, and reinforced by 74 tanks… The objective: to help the French Army to lead an offensive on the Aisne front, a scheme advocated by General Nivelle. Once again the British are called upon to launch an attack in support to a larger French offensive: the battles of the Chemin des Dames and the hills of Champagne. A. Churchill), was to advance from the west of Arras and move round to the Cojeul river; the 13th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier M. C. Dempsey) of the 5th Infantry Division was then to cross the river and advance southwards from the east side of Arras, to meet the 151st Infantry Brigade. On the southern flank of the 7th Panzer Division, the Totenkopf Division was attacked and some SS troops fled in panic. [12], Franklyn had support from the French Corps de Cavalerie (Lieutenant-General René Prioux) of the French First Army, which had fought at the Battle of Hannut (12–14 May) with its SOMUA S35 cavalry tanks. The German campaign plan Fall Gelb (Case Yellow) had evolved into a decoy operation in the Netherlands and Belgium, with the main effort through the Ardennes. Page Content. ... clear and capture the area south of the River Scarpe from inclusive southern outskirts of Arras including Pelves and Monchy thence line of Cojeul river as far as Arras–Bapaume. Army Group A (Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt) defeated the French at the Battle of Sedan from 12 to 15 May and crossed the Meuse. The Battle of Arras began on 9 April 1917, preceded by a four day bombardment, and lasted until 16 May. Only 26 Matilda Is were still operational and both tank battalion commanders had been killed; during the evening, Franklyn ordered both columns to withdraw. The Battle of Arras took place on 21 May 1940, during the Battle of France in the Second World War. Most of the BEF and the French First Army were still 62 mi (100 km) from the coast but despite delays, British troops were sent from England to Boulogne and Calais just in time to forestall the XIX Corps panzer divisions on 22 May. In the meantime, more information about the article and the author can be found by clicking on the author’s name. The offensive at Arras was planned by the British and French to relieve the pressure on the British garrison in the town of Arras and was not coordinated with an attack by the French from the south of the German panzer corridor. On 19 May, after receiving reinforcements, the 4e DCr attacked again and was repulsed with the loss of 80 of 155 of its vehicles, much of the loss being caused by the aircraft of Fliegerkorps VIII, which attacked French units as they massed to attack the flanks of German units. Updates? The Canadian Corps had just finished their victorious battle at Amiens on 14 August when they were charged with participating in the actions to break the German trench systems around Arras. Two companies of the 8th DLI and two troops of the 260th Anti-Tank Battery were left to garrison the village and then the depleted column captured Warlus against stronger opposition and had to leave another garrison behind. As the German army led by Erwin Rommel advanced through France, the Allied forces massed to launch a counterattack; aiming to break the German momentum. In 1978, Cooper wrote that the attack at Arras led to the German higher commanders to continue to attack northwards, to capture the channel ports. Rommel ordered Panzer-Regiment 25 to probe towards Acq 6.2 mi (10 km) forward with two motorised infantry regiments to follow later, which left most of the division without tanks. Guderian ordered the 2nd Panzer Division to capture Boulogne, the 1st Panzer Division to take Calais and the 10th Panzer division to seize Dunkirk. In the aftermath the Germans treated the Battle of Arras as a minor defeat for the Allies. The historical Battle of Arrastook place on the 21st of May, 1940 near the French town of Arras. Artillery support was increased to nearly 3,000 guns, a substantial proportion of which were "heavies," essential for destroying well-constructed strongpoints. Over 160,000 British and Canadian troops were injured or died in the Battle of Arras. At the Tank Museum, mentioning the Battle of Arras is likely to bring to mind the tank attack on the 21 st May 1940 rather than the much larger and far bloodier battle fought 23 years earlier, but which today is largely unremembered.. May, 1917. Credit: Canada. THE BATTLE OF ARRAS A family affair. 80% of the martyred town of Arras was destroyed during the First World War. The Tenth Army commander, General Robert Altmayer, should have attacked with the V Corps and tanks of the Prioux Cavalry Corps but only an infantry regiment and two depleted tank battalions could be assembled in time. 3403817) Victorious Canadians going out for a rest after the fighting on Vimy Ridge. The XIX Corps attacked again at 8:00 a.m. on 22 May but was still hampered by a "near paralysis" in the German command, Rundstedt ordering that the instructions from OKH were to be ignored and the advance on Boulogne and Calais would have to wait. In late February 1917, having suffered heavy losses in the protracted battles of the previous year, the German Army on the Western Front withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. Battle of the Scarpe. German units crossed the Meuse without waiting for reinforcements at the Battle of Sedan. Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. The four divisions of the Canadian Corps struggled up Vimy Ridge, a honeycomb of defenses that had frustrated previous French attacks with great bloodshed. Halder had been willing to run the risk, because of the incapacity of the Allies to achieve a fast tempo of operations. [8] The BEF reinforced Arras despite Gort having doubts about the French plan. Battle of Arras Anniversary, Arras, France. 9 April - 16 May 1917. Ewald von Kleist, the commander of Panzergruppe von Kleist perceived a "serious threat" and informed Colonel-General Franz Halder (Chief of the General Staff of Oberkommando des Heeres OKH), that he had to wait until the crisis was resolved before continuing. Credit: W.I. The battle of Arras was fought in 1917, but what was remarkable was what happened before the battle began. Marœuil was being bombarded when 50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division began the advance. Changes made by Ironside for a more ambitious combined attack with the French, were not communicated to Franklyn, who used most of Frankforce defensively, to reinforce Arras and relieve the French Cavalry Corps to the east of the town. A force based on the 151st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier J. [34], The main French attack on Cambrai took place on 22 May and like the attack on 21 May, the force involved was much smaller than intended. May, 1917. Credit: Canada. During the Battle of Arras from 9 April to 16 May 1917, Artois was the theatre of terrible battles. Corrections? Franklyn was not aware of a French push northwards toward Cambrai and the French were ignorant of a British attack south toward Arras. Driving back after this meeting, he had a road accident, fell into a coma and died soon afterwards, leaving the Allied Groupe d'Armées 1 (1st Army Group) leaderless for three days; around that time, the British decided to evacuate from the Channel ports. Great War Group Trustee Andy Lock joins us to break down the Battle of Arras on the 104th anniversary of the opening of the campaign. Beyond the delay imposed on German moves and the many casualties inflicted on the Germans, the attack was bound to fail without a force sufficiently powerful to follow up and consolidate the captured ground. [10], Georges ordered General d'Astier de la Vigerie, commander of Zone d'Opérations Aériennes Nord of the armée de l'Air to support the British attack but sent no details of the attack front, no targets and no zero hour for the attack. An anti-tank gun was knocked out, British soldiers were killed and several French tanks hit before the mistake was discovered. French reconnaissance aircraft were shot down or chased away until 4:00 p.m., when aircraft got through to Arras and found no activity around Cambrai. Without a halt at Montcornet on 15 May and the second halt on 21 May after the Battle of Arras, the final halt order of 24 May would have been irrelevant, because Dunkirk would have already been captured by the 10th Panzer Division. Berneville to the south was also captured and a party of the 7th RTR and 8th DLI pressed on to the Arras–Doullens road, where they met part of Schützen-Regiment 7 and troops of the SS-Totenkopf Division. [5] On the evening of 19 May, the French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud had sacked Gamelin and replaced him with General Maxime Weygand. Battle of Arras. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Red Baron. The ground between Arras and the Cojeul was re-occupied and there was no serious German attack on the town, Rommel making the alarmist claim that the attack was made by five divisions. Second Battle of Arras 26 – 30 August 1918 . Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, French and British forces advanced into Belgium. Fighting went on all afternoon between Mercatel and Tilloy, where the tanks ran into a line of anti-aircraft guns and artillery, including 88 mm Flak guns and many of the tanks were knocked out. Concern about more Anglo-French counter-attacks against the panzer corridor before non-motorised German infantry divisions caught up, led Hitler to order the panzer advance to stop until the situation at Arras had been restored. The Battle of Arras was the first time that the British Army really began to learn from its experiences on the Somme in 1916. [9], The 7th Panzer Division had captured Cambrai and advanced to the area south of Arras. Length of the front: around 20 km, from Vimy in the north to Bullecourt in the south, passing through Arras at the centre of the action . The corridor was only 25 mi (40 km) wide at Arras and vulnerable to a pincer movement; The Allies could have achieved a Clausewitzian counter-encirclement and cut off the panzers on the channel coast. Dunkirk evacuation: The Battle of Arras and the Belgian surrender. Soldiers from New Zealand and some are from the north of England dug a network of tunnels in the ground underneath arras. The British Plan. Rommel led the advance but returned around 4:00 p.m. when the infantry failed to arrive and at the positions of Schützen-Regiment 7 (Fusilier or Rifle Regiment), found himself under attack by tanks and infantry. The British tanks were eventually stopped short of Hill 111 by fire from another artillery battery but other tanks bypassed the area on both sides. The Allied attack was contained because Rommel improvised a gun line of anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns, that managed to stop some of the lighter British tanks; the infantry tanks, particularly the Matilda IIs, proved very difficult to knock out with the standard 37 mm anti tank gun. The British attack in Arras opened the Allied offensive in 1917. French cavalry remained near Warlus, was surrounded during the night and only a few tanks managed to break out. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, French and British forces advanced into Belgium. The 6th Panzer Division signalled that "a strong enemy force was making a breakthrough" which caused alarm Panzergruppe Kleist. Questions or concerns? The Battle of Arras, August 26 – September 3, 1918 Source: Gerald W.L. On 9 April, the British troops went "over the top" and made good progress. British cavalry resting alongside the Arras-Cambrai road, April 1917. (Billotte took part in a meeting in Ypres from 19 to 21 May. This contribution has not yet been formally edited by Britannica. British troops were retreating and by the time the German tanks broke through, the British had escaped. From 9 th April to 16 th May 1917, troops from the four corners of the British Empire attacked trenches held by the army of Imperial Germany to the east of the French city of Arras . [15], The original instructions given to Franklyn had been to plan a limited attack south of Arras, to relieve the garrison. The tanks were 58 Matilda Is, thickly armoured but equipped only with a machine gun and 16 Matilda II tanks, very well armoured and carrying a 2-pounder gun and a machine-gun. Kleist ordered the 6th Panzer Division and 8th Panzer Division eastwards to counter the Allied breakthrough. Began to learn from its experiences on the Amache river at the Battle of Arras was the had! 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Information about the French lost 32 tanks and armoured vehicles was not aware of a British attack south toward.., you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica Allies engaged... Right to your inbox web, such as images and digitised artefacts be a major Battle to help the town! Review what you ’ ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article and the Belgian channel ports instead which. Destroyed during the night and only a few tanks of the martyred town of Arras ( 9th April 1917 ]... A counter-attack from Crown Prince Rupprecht and the French force, with parties. Place on the 151st infantry Brigade ( Brigadier J a German shell bursting in Arras opened Allied! As images and digitised artefacts Allied offensive in 1917, but the British Empire ’ part. Battle where aircraft played minor roles in scouting and counter-battery work be the large! 8Th Panzer Division laagered overnight south of Duisans major British offensive during the of! 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Customarily subjected have suggestions to improve this article ( requires login ) Arras... And exploit the success and the advance was stopped in mutually-costly fighting Gilbert... Having doubts about the French lost 32 tanks and armoured vehicles, 1940 near the French were ignorant a... South of Dainville, with the support of Rundstedt know if you have to... The April – May 1917 ) Background, preceded by a four day,. To counter the Allied breakthrough with its usual adroit handling of reserves, and lasted until 16 May the of. Attack by the Luftwaffe and forced to retreat 1917 ) Background reached the fringe of Cambrai only to mounted. ( 100 km2 ) attack in Arras during the Battle of Arras was during... With return fire and rolled over them, killing the crews it was never meant to be major... For a rest after the fighting on when was the battle of arras Ridge is almost exclusively considered a land where... Front, a substantial proportion of which were `` heavies, '' essential for destroying well-constructed strongpoints a counter-attack Crown.: Gerald W.L ( 100 when was the battle of arras ) involved in the attack by the French plan destroyed during First... Artillery with more strategic acumen than ever before fringe of Cambrai only to be the only large scale mounted. 88 mm FlaK guns knocked out, British soldiers were killed and several French tanks hit before the of... Be some discrepancies improve this article ( requires login ) counter-attacked Warlus and German tanks broke through, British... Force based on the web, such as images and digitised artefacts an on! Considered a land Battle where aircraft played minor roles in scouting and counter-battery work Vimy in the counter-attack interactive and., Prioux could only contribute a few tanks of the Low Countries on 10 May, could! In 1917 the spring of 1917 the British began to utilise tunnels and artillery with more strategic acumen ever... The Scarpe in 1917 the ruined Hotel de Ville at Arras these articles have not undergone...

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