Published to celebrate the 90th anniversary of this pivotal battle, Cambrai was very much unlike the offensives that had been tried earlier by the Allies. Normally, an offensive operation would be preceded by days of shelling that would increase in intensity until the day that troops would finally start moving over the wall. Besides making a real mess of the land in between the opposing forces, it would alert the enemy to an oncoming assault and allow them to bring in reinforcements outside the range of the guns. It also allowed them to concentrate forces where the assault would begin.

Cambrai was different.

There was no intensive shelling and every effort was made to precede the battle by 'sneaking' up troops so that the Germans would not realize an assault was to be made. This time, there would be tanks in the forefront of the operation. These would be crushing and clearing the mass of barbed wire. As they were generally impenetrable by normal small arms fire, they would clear a path for the troops following behind. A relatively clean landscape would provide proper movement for the rather unmaneuverable tanks and for the men who relied on them.

While the operation was a huge surprise to the defending Germans, things did not go quite as planned and the end result was only a small gain at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. However, it did show the strengths and weaknesses of the tank at its time of development, allowing it to be improved in later versions.

As is the norm for a book in the Campaign series, this one starts with a preamble of events leading up to the battle, a look at the commanders of both sides and the men under their command. Then there is an inspection of the plans of both sides. The 'meat' of the volume is next with the various stages of the battle (and in WWI, there were many of these). Finally, introspection on how the battle went, what was learned from it, and how it affected future events. There is also a look at the battlefield today. All of this is superbly illustrated with period photographs and the artwork of Peter Dennis, whose work has graced literally hundreds of books over the years.

If you want insight into the first major armored assault or just a fascinating read, then this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will as well.

November 2007

For more on the complete line of Osprey books, visit www.ospreypublishing.com. In the US, it is Osprey Direct at 44-02 23rd St, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101., where you can get a catalogue of available books.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.