The weather had been throughout November fine and foggy, so much so that aeroplane observation had been next to impossible. This foggy weather greatly assisted preparatory arrangements by securing them from observation.
The artillery preparations were as follows:—Over 1,000 guns of various calibres were concentrated in the Third Army area for the attack. None of these, however, were permitted to register before zero hour. Briefly the following was the artillery programme from zero hour on.
At zero the barrage was to open on the enemy’s outpost line; it was to consist of shrapnel and H.E. mixed with smoke shells. It was to move forward by jumps of approximately 250 yards at a time, standing on certain objectives for stated periods. Simultaneously with this jumping barrage smoke screens were to be thrown up on selected localities, notably on the right flank of the IIIrd Corps and on the Flesquières ridge; counter-battery work was to open and special bombardments on prearranged localities such as bridgeheads, centres of communication, and roads likely to be used by the German reserves were to take place.
Tank Corps reconnaissances were started as early as secrecy would permit, but it was not until a few days before November 20 that commanders were allowed to reconnoitre the ground from our front-trench system. Meanwhile at the Plateau station tanks were tuned up and tank fascines fixed. All detrainments were carried out by night, the tanks being moved up to their position of assembly under cover of darkness. These positions were: Villers Guislain and Gouzeaucourt for the 3rd Brigade, Dessart wood for the 2nd Brigade, and Havrincourt wood for the 1st Brigade. At these places tanks were carefully camouflaged.
DISTRIBUTION OF FIGHTING TANKS
| Tank Bde. | Tank Bn. | Corps. | Divn. | Bde. | No. of Tanks. | Objective. | Exploit towards— | Remarks. |
| 3rd Bde. | C | IV | 12th | 35th | 24 4[A] | Blue | Crèvecœur | Number of tanks used for exploitation varied according to condition of units after gaining Blue and Brown Lines. |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | 37th | 12 2[A] | Brown | ||
| „ | F | „ | „ | 36th | 24 4[A] | Blue | Masnières | |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | 36th | 12 2[A] | Brown | ||
| „ | I | „ | 20th | 61st | 18 3[A] | Vacquerie | Crèvecœur | |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | „ | 12 2[A] | Blue | ||
| „ | „ | „ | „ | 62nd | 6 1[A] | Brown | ||
| „ | A | „ | „ | 60th | 18 3[A] 3[A] | Blue | Canal, Masnières to Marcoing. | |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | „ | 6 1[A] | Brown | ||
| „ | „ | „ | 29th | „ | 12 2[A] | Rumilly to Nine wood | ||
| 2nd Bde. | B | „ | 6th | 16th | 24 4[A] | Blue | Marcoing. | |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | „ | 12 2[A] | Brown | ||
| „ | H | „ | „ | 71st | 24 4[A] | Blue | Nine wood | |
| „ | „ | „ | „ | „ | 12 2[A] | Brown | ||
| 1st Bde. | D | III | 51st | 152nd | 42 | Blue | Fontaine | 1st Bde. used all tanks in mechanical reserve. |
| „ | E | „ | „ | 153rd | 28 | Flesquières | Bourlon wood, Bapaume-Cambrai road | |
| „ | „ | „ | 62nd | 186th | 14 | Brown | ||
| „ | G | „ | „ | 185th | 42 | Havrincourt | Bourlon village, Graincourt |
[A] In mechanical reserve, to replace breakdowns.
BATTLE OF CAMBRAI
November 20th 1917.
The allotment of tanks to infantry units is given in the table on page 146. Besides these, each Brigade had eighteen supply tanks or gun carriers and three wireless-signal tanks. Thirty-two machines were specially fitted with towing gear and grapnels to clear the wire along the cavalry lines of advance; two for carrying bridging material for the cavalry and one to carry forward telephone cable for the Third Army Signal Service. The total number of tanks employed was 476 machines.