Desmond7 Posted 31 January , 2005 Share Posted 31 January , 2005 Apologies folks - have my 36th Div head on again ... Re -Cambrai .... reading the contemporary newspaper accounts it seems 36th were given the task of 'wide boys' in this attack. Thus they were not at the epicentre of operations but were detailed to 'work down' the trenches in Canal Du Nord area to 'widen the base' of any salient created by the main armour/infantry attack. Thus Gibbs has them fighting a traverse by traverse bomb and bayonet battle. He and several others state that the Duv cleared THREE MILES of enemy trenches in this manner. The war corrs. also make the point that they did not have tanks on their front. I have Falls' history of the Div. but would love to hear any more FACTUAL detail on this action. It is to go with the sub-section of my 'hometown' project which deals with those who died/wounded in this battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 31 January , 2005 Share Posted 31 January , 2005 Des I can scan the relevant sections of the British Official History for you. Email me off line. On day one, the German defenders were pretty thinly spread and the rapid advance on the flanks was possible. After that, it got a lot harder. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 31 January , 2005 Author Share Posted 31 January , 2005 As always, it's nice to get the all-round picture. Thanks for the offer Robert - message on the way. Thanks Des Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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