108 years ago today, November 20, 1917 (October 6, 1917 in the lunar calendar), the Battle of Cambray broke out in the First World War. British tank train waiting to go to the front line When World War I was underway until November 1917, the Italian army was in a difficult situation during the Battle of Caporetto. In order to support the Italian army and once again test the role of tanks as offensive weapons, General Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, was determined to launch an attack in the southwestern region of Cambray in northern France, where the terrain was flat and suitable for tank warfare, with the intention of breaking through the German army's Hindenburg Line in one fell swoop. The British army participating in the war consisted of 8 infantry divisions, 3 cavalry divisions and 3 tank brigades of the Third Army, equipped with more than 470 tanks, about 1000 aircraft, and more than 1000 artillery pieces. The garrison in the Cambray area consisted of four divisions of the Second Army of the German Army, equipped with nearly 500 artillery pieces. On November 20, 1917, under the cover of artillery and aviation fire, the British Army used more than 400 tanks to accompany the infantry attack, quickly broke through the German defense line, captured several German support points, advanced 8.2 kilometers forward, and wiped out more than 8000 enemy troops. However, the cavalry failed to enter the battle in time, so the German Army was able to close the breakthrough. After that, the British army focused on attacking the Bourlong Forest to consolidate its established positions. From the 22nd to the 23rd, the German army quickly mobilized troops, using artillery and aircraft to deal with British tanks with phosphorus bombs. On the 29th, the British army stopped attacking. Starting from the 30th, after receiving reinforcements from 11 new divisions, the German army repeatedly launched sudden counter-attacks on the British army from the left and right wings. Under the strong offensive of the German army, the British army was forced to withdraw on December 5, and the German army was able to recover most of the lost territory. While withdrawing, the British army used 70 tanks with still fighting capacity to repel the German counterattack, breaking the German army's attempt to encircle and annihilate the British army. On the 7th, the battle ended. In this battle, the British Army lost 43,000 people and the German Army lost 41,000 people, setting a precedent for large-scale use of tanks in combat.