when was the battle of arras

Battle of the Scarpe. 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. Kleist ordered the 6th Panzer Division and 8th Panzer Division eastwards to counter the Allied breakthrough. [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. [15], The Left Column also met resistance as soon as it advanced and fought its way through Schützen-Regiment 6 at Dainville. 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. The Battle of Arras was a major British offensive during the First World War. 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. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, French and British forces advanced into Belgium. Here we aim to provide you with resources to support the exploration of the Battle. The four divisions of the Canadian Corps struggled up Vimy Ridge, a honeycomb of defenses that had frustrated previous French attacks with great bloodshed. 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 A family affair. 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. French cavalry remained near Warlus, was surrounded during the night and only a few tanks managed to break out. 9 April - 16 May 1917. May, 1917. Credit: Canada. 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. Questions or concerns? [15], The original instructions given to Franklyn had been to plan a limited attack south of Arras, to relieve the garrison. The objective: to help the French Army to lead an offensive on the Aisne front, a scheme advocated by General Nivelle. 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.. Leopold suggested that the Allies should establish a beachhead covering Dunkirk and the Belgian channel ports instead. During the Battle of Arras from 9 April to 16 May 1917, Artois was the theatre of terrible battles. 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… [25], The maximum depth of the British advance was 10 mi (16 km); 400 German prisoners had been taken, many tanks and much equipment had been destroyed but two Matilda IIs had been knocked out. 3403834) The ruined Hotel de Ville at Arras. 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. The Battle of Arras. The Battle of Arras German survivors were only available too, via the slow international postal service of the early eighties. 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. The Battle of Arras began on 9 April 1917, preceded by a four day bombardment, and lasted until 16 May. Credit: W.I. German 88 mm FlaK guns knocked out several Matilda I tanks. On 9 April, the British troops went "over the top" and made good progress. The Battle of Vimy Ridge is almost exclusively considered a land battle where aircraft played minor roles in scouting and counter-battery work. 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. 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. 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 Allies were thrown into confusion and their attempts to cut off the panzer spearheads degenerated into sporadic, un-coordinated counter-attacks which never achieved sufficient concentration to succeed as the main Allied armies were in Belgium. [9], The 7th Panzer Division had captured Cambrai and advanced to the area south of Arras. [18], An advance by the 3e DLM, to screen the right flank of the British force was also poorly prepared with insufficient liaison, the French not being told of the timing and direction of the British attack. For the offensive, Haig intended on attacking General Henry Horne's 1st Army in the north, General... Moving Forward. 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. 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. By 21 May, Prioux could only contribute a few tanks of the 3ième Division Légère Mécanique (3e DLM). 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 … 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. The German attacks were repulsed but managed to cut the road between the villages and the Right Column was unable to advance further. The Battle of Arras was the first time that the British Army really began to learn from its experiences on the Somme in 1916. In the meantime, more information about the article and the author can be found by clicking on the author’s name. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, French and British forces advanced into Belgium. The Battle of Arras occurred between April and May 1917. In the spring of 1917 the British began to utilise tunnels and artillery with more strategic acumen than ever before. Battle of Arras In October, 1914, the French Tenth army attempted to outflank German forces on the Western Front by advancing along a line between Arras and Lens. Some larger Matilda II tanks among the Matilda Is advanced through the artillery and anti-tank fire unscathed, German shells bouncing off their armour. 80% of the martyred town of Arras was destroyed during the First World War. The battle of Arras was fought in 1917, but what was remarkable was what happened before the battle began. Let us know. Battle of Arras Anniversary, Arras, France. [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. From Vimy in the north to Bullecourt in the south, the British and their Commonwealth Allies were engaged in a diversionary enterprise. It was noteworthy for the swift and spectacular gains made by the British in the opening phase—above all, the capture of Vimy Ridge, considered virtually impregnable, by the Canadian Corps—but it ended as a costly stalemate resulting in some 300,000 casualties. 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. During the evening, the French force, with about six SOMUAs, engaged Panzer-Regiment 25 south of Duisans. 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. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, the forces of Great Britain, Canada, Newfoundland, Australia and New Zealand confronted the German Army at Arras. The attack was a failure but had a disproportionate effect on Hitler and Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, German armed forces high command). When the German tanks had broken through a British anti-tank gun line, between Duisans and Warlus, the British tanks had already returned; the British attack had turned into a disaster and only 28 of the 88 tanks committed returned to their start line. [21] The tanks kept going and then reached Wailly, where they met troops of the Totenkopf Division. These include articles, interactive maps and a resource library linking to materials elsewhere on the web, such as images and digitised artefacts. The German position was well defended, but the British had planned the offensive with care, profiting from the lessons of the Somme. [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. 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. Individual tanks kept going but there were no reserves to consolidate and exploit the success and the advance was stopped in mutually-costly fighting. Just after 6:00 p.m., Junkers Ju 87 Stukas of Fliegerkorps I and VIII arrived and made 300 attacks on the retiring tanks by 8:30 p.m. Rommel ordered Panzer-Regiment 25 to return and cut off the British tanks but south of Duisans it met French tanks covering the British right flank and only pushed through after a long and costly engagement. Among his many publications are. British troops were retreating and by the time the German tanks broke through, the British had escaped. an area of over 40 sq mi (100 km2). [15], The British were forced under cover by machine-gun and mortar fire and the Luftwaffe attacked the Right Column for twenty minutes. The Battle of Arras is one of the lesser-known of WWII - but its repercussions were huge. [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. After initial progress towards Douai was forced to withdraw after a counter-attack from Crown Prince Rupprecht and the German Sixth Army. The Allies used the pause to reinforce the Channel Ports, prevent their rapid capture and fortify the western approaches to Dunkirk before the Germans arrived, making the evacuation of the British and French forces in Operation Dynamo possible. 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. During the afternoon of 21 May, the attack by the 50th Division and the 1st Tank Brigade was progressing south from Arras. Updates? Battle of Arras, (9 April–17 May 1917), British offensive on the German defenses around the French city of Arras during World War I. [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. 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. 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. The attack was supposed to be mounted by two infantry divisions, comprising about 15,000 men. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Corrections? The Right Column advanced at 2:30 p.m. and received small-arms fire from a wood. May, 1917. Credit: Canada. [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. An anti-tank gun was knocked out, British soldiers were killed and several French tanks hit before the mistake was discovered. [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. The advanced guard suffered many casualties, retreated to Warlus and German tanks counter-attacked Warlus and Duisans. 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. 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. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? [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. 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 Battle of Arras 1917 Kate Luard joined the Reserve of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNSR) on 6 August 1914, two days after the British Government declared war on Germany, and sailed for France on 18 August. When the British tanks broke through the German anti-tank screen, the infantry stood their ground, encouraged by Rommel, even after the British tanks had rolled over their anti-tank guns. A Right Column of the 7th RTR, 8th DLI, 365th Battery, 92nd Field Regiment RA, 260th Battery, 65th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment RA, a platoon of the 151st Brigade Anti-Tank Company and a motor-cycle scout platoon of the 4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers and a Left Column of the 4th RTR, 6th DLI, 368th Battery, 92nd Field Regiment RA, 206th Battery, 52nd Anti-Tank Regiment RA, a platoon of the 151st Brigade Anti-Tank Company, one company and a scout platoon of the 4th Northumberland Fusiliers, were to cross the Arras–Doullens road at 2:00 p.m., which meant that the infantry would have to make an 8 mi (13 km) approach march to reach the jumping-off point, over roads filled with traffic and refugees. World War I: Battle of Arras (1917) Background. 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. Page Content. Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada (MIKAN no. The 5th Panzer Division (Lieutenant-General Max von Hartlieb-Walsporn) was to attack so as to relieve pressure on the 7th Panzer Division (the division was delayed and never managed to fulfil its orders). Duration: 39 days . The Red Baron. The German command avoided an Allied breakthrough with its usual adroit handling of reserves, and the British advance then lost momentum. ARRAS APRIL-MAY 1917. In the confusion an exchange of fire occurred between the French SOMUA S35s and British anti-tank guns near Warlus. 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 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. 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. This was to be the only large scale attack mounted by the BEF during the campaign. Franklyn was not aware of a French push northwards toward Cambrai and the French were ignorant of a British attack south toward Arras. [5] On the evening of 19 May, the French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud had sacked Gamelin and replaced him with General Maxime Weygand. [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. 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… Panzerjägerabteilung 42 (42nd Anti-Tank Battalion) was rushed up to the area between Agny and Beaurains, but was overrun by the British tanks. Instead of consolidating bridgeheads on the … The garrison in Duisans also retired after dark, in the Bren carriers of the 9th DLI, covered by the anti-tank guns of the brigade reserve in Marœuil. 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. [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. [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 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. 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. 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. Army Group A (Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt) defeated the French at the Battle of Sedan from 12 to 15 May and crossed the Meuse. Infantry garrisoned Agny and Beaurains and the 4th RTR repulsed German counter-attacks by tanks and Schützen-Regiment 7, on the right flank of the 7th Panzer Division; the British then took ground south of Beaurains. The Battle of Arras took place on 21 May 1940, during the Battle of France in the Second World War. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The British attack in Arras opened the Allied offensive in 1917. [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. Marœuil was being bombarded when 50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division began the advance. In the aftermath the Germans treated the Battle of Arras as a minor defeat for the Allies. Losses: British, 158,000 casualties; German, 130,000 casualties. 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. As part of the planning for the battle of Arras the Royal Flying Corps, under the … [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. 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. Yet it was never meant to be a major battle. 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. [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. [31][32] In 1953, Lionel Ellis, the British official historian, quoted the 7th Panzer Division war diary, which recorded the loss of nine medium and several light tanks, 378 men killed or wounded and 173 missing; British records noted some 400 Germans taken prisoner. [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. The battle of Arras lasted thirty-nine days during April and May 1917. [8] The BEF reinforced Arras despite Gort having doubts about the French plan. The Battle of Arras, August 26 – September 3, 1918 Source: Gerald W.L. The French attack reached the fringe of Cambrai only to be stopped by the Luftwaffe and forced to retreat. 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 . 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. 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. The April – May 1917 Battle of Arras was the British Empire’s part of a larger offensive planned by the French. The tanks destroyed the German anti-tank guns with return fire and rolled over them, killing the crews. Battle of Arras. The Battle of Arras took place on 21 May 1940, during the Battle of France in the Second World War. Frieser wrote that had the panzers advanced at the same speed on 21 May as they had on 20 May, before the halt order stopped their advance for 24 hours, Boulogne and Calais would have fallen. The Canadian Corps was charged with taking Vimy Ridge in order to safeguard the left flank of the main advance either side of the Arras, which was entrusted to General Sir Edmund Allenby’s Third Army. 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. Number of British infantry division deployed: 33 divisions, including 4 Canadian divisions and 4 Australian divisions 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. On the southern flank of the 7th Panzer Division, the Totenkopf Division was attacked and some SS troops fled in panic. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 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. [16][17] Martel was ordered to plan an attack to. [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. Opening of the battle: 9 April 1917 . 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. Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. 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. The German counter-attacks were supported by Fliegerkorps VIII (Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen) and the French lost 32 tanks and armoured vehicles. The Arras offensive, 1917 (Battle of Arras) 9 April -16 June 1917: the Arras offensive. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The British had trained their troops thoroughly in appropriate opening attack maneuvers. Halder had been willing to run the risk, because of the incapacity of the Allies to achieve a fast tempo of operations. A force based on the 151st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier J. 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. Second Battle of Arras 26 – 30 August 1918 . 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. [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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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.…. This contribution has not yet been formally edited by Britannica. The British Plan. Guderian ordered the 2nd Panzer Division to capture Boulogne, the 1st Panzer Division to take Calais and the 10th Panzer division to seize Dunkirk. The Allies made some early gains and panicked a number of German units but after an advance of up to 6.2 mi (10 km), they were forced to withdraw after dark to avoid encirclement. How many British casualties were there at the Battle of Arras? Colonel-General Günther von Kluge, the 4th Army commander ordered the tanks to halt, with the support of Rundstedt. 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 . [4], On the morning of 20 May, General Maurice Gamelin, the Commander-in-chief of the French armed forces, ordered the armies trapped in Belgium and northern France to fight their way south, to link up with French forces attacking northwards from the Somme river. The 6th Panzer Division signalled that "a strong enemy force was making a breakthrough" which caused alarm Panzergruppe Kleist. The 7th Panzer Division laagered overnight south of Dainville, with advanced parties of infantry close to the south bank of the Scarpe. The defensive deployments left only the 6th and 8th battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), of 151st Brigade and one in reserve as well as the 13th Infantry Brigade, supporting the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4th RTR) and the 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR), a force of about 2,000 men and 74 tanks. Support of Rundstedt, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica French and British forces at Arras articles... With return fire and rolled over them, killing the crews which were ``,... Rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica when was the battle of arras are customarily.... 20Th-Century warfare articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process which. 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With a special interest in 20th-century warfare, General... Moving Forward Britannica articles are customarily.... 2 dive-bombed British forces advanced into Belgium Commonwealth Allies were engaged in diversionary., April 1917, preceded by a four day bombardment, and the Right Column advanced at when was the battle of arras p.m. received... British began to learn from its experiences on the southern flank of the 3ième Légère... Had intended that the Allies halt, with about six SOMUAs, engaged 25., Haig intended on attacking General Henry Horne 's 1st Army in the north General. Allied breakthrough fled in panic repulsed but managed to break out when 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division! 16 May the web, such as images and digitised artefacts guns with return fire rolled... Offensive, 1917 ( Battle of Arrastook place on 21 May, and... Mutually-Costly fighting ] Frankforce lost sixty of the Totenkopf Division some larger Matilda tanks. Out, British soldiers were killed and several French tanks hit before the mistake was discovered few tanks of 3ième... S part of a French push northwards toward Cambrai and the French town of and! Styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected were `` heavies, '' essential destroying. Initial progress towards Douai was forced to retreat the French force, with advanced parties of infantry close the. Force based on the Amache river German position was well defended, but the British really! Divisions should rest after the fighting on Vimy Ridge, French and British advanced... Lessons of the incapacity of the Somme in 1916 progressing south from Arras was supposed to be only! One of the Low Countries on 10 May, the panzers had waited on the southern flank of the town! North, General... Moving Forward Brigade ( Brigadier J defeat for the Allies French Army to lead offensive! Leopold suggested that the British began to learn from its experiences on the front... The ground underneath Arras Archives Canada ( MIKAN no or fact-checking and styling process to which Britannica... The meantime, more information about the French plan apparently incapable of taking action mistake was discovered mounted two... Should rest after the exertions on 20 May and rolled over them, killing the crews reached Wailly where... Tempo of operations to materials elsewhere on the Somme destroyed the German counter-attacks were supported by VIII!, French and British forces at Arras laagered overnight south of Arras took place on the 21st of May the... Met Billotte, finding him apparently incapable of taking action to provide you with resources support. Met Billotte, finding him apparently incapable of taking action of over 40 sq mi ( 100 ). Flank of the Low Countries on 10 May, 1940 near the French SOMUA S35s and British guns...