STORMING THE LINE

- The Battle of Cambrai, 20 November 1917 -

Taking the enemy by surprise, British Mk.IV tanks supported by infantry, rapidly advance through the heavily-defended German ‘Hindenburg Line’ on the first day of the Battle of Cambrai, 1917.

Daybreak on the morning of Tuesday 20 November 1917; and some long-held tactics of land warfare were about to change. The war had already claimed countless casualties, and with staggering losses at Passchendaele fresh in mind, a new strategy was called for. It came at Cambrai when the British unleashed a fierce assault on a section of the heavily-defended German ‘Hindenburg Line’ involving three hundred and seventy-eight fighting tanks, the largest number seen on a battlefield to date.

For the first time the tank, recently invented by the British, would play a significant role as part of a new ‘combined arms offensive’ in which infantry and cavalry divisions, tank battalions, artillery and ground-attack aircraft would work in support of each other. It was the tanks’ task to smash their way through the enemy’s defences and establish an impregnable bridgehead. As depicted by award-winning artist Keith Burns in his dramatic painting ‘Storming the Line’, they did so in style.

Portraying an event that took place during the first hours of the British advance, we see infantry from the 6th Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry advancing as three British tanks from the Tank Corps’ ‘A’ Battalion storm their way through the German defences. Advancing some five miles and taking around 7,500 prisoners, the assault was a triumph. But then the weather turned, with heavy rain preventing reinforcements to exploit the day’s gains. After a month of bitter fighting the British had been driven back. The tank, however, had proved its worth; from now on armour would now play a key part in battles of the future.

This is the second time Keith has depicted events on that fateful day – the first, titled ‘The Battle of Cambrai’ depicts a haunting scene of the Mk.IV tanks from ‘C’ Battalion Tank Corps supporting elements of the Essex Regiment and the Canadian 5th Cavalry Division near a fortified position known as ‘Bleak House’ on the first morning of the battle. Matching-numbered prints are available whilst stocks allow.

Commemorative First World War piece – every copy includes a unique remarque in the lower border and is issued mounted to full conservation standards.