![]() ![]() Heavy 6 inch 26 cwt howitzers, which had a maximum range of 8,700m. Thanks largely to this development over 80% of the German guns around Arras were neutralised during the five day preliminary bombardment. Gunners could now accurately locate and fire on German artillery, forcing the crews to seek shelter and preventing them from shelling the advancing British infantry. Flash spotting and sound ranging were highly advanced techniques based on cutting edge scientific research. In the lead up to the battle the artillery used new techniques to target German positions. Both emphasised the importance of coordination between units and the use of combined-arms tactics when attacking German positions. Pamphlet SS135 concentrated on the use of the Division of around 18,000 men, whereas SS143 focused on the Platoon of around 40. Two training pamphlets introduced these tactics to the British Army. 18 pounder guns at Arras, the standard British field gun. Arras would both divert German attention from the French attack, to be launched further south along the Aisne, and allow the British to test newly developed offensive tactics. The April – May 1917 Battle of Arras was the British Empire’s part of a larger offensive planned by the French. 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. ![]()
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