Battle of Arras (1915)

The Battle of Arras was a major British offensive on the Western Front during World War I, launched on 9 April 1917. It was part of the wider Nivelle Offensive, a coordinated Allied assault intended to achieve a decisive breakthrough against the German army. Unlike the French offensives at the same time, the British assault was better planned and executed, at least initially.

The British objective was to capture the high ground around Arras, a strategically important city in northern France, and advance towards the German-held city of Douai. The initial attacks, supported by a massive artillery bombardment and utilizing new tanks, were remarkably successful. The British achieved significant gains in the first few days, capturing several villages and inflicting heavy casualties on the German defenders. The Battle of Arras is notable for the large scale employment of tanks for the first time in British history, where they proved effective in breaking through German defenses.

However, the initial success was not sustained. The German army, initially surprised by the scale and intensity of the British assault, quickly regrouped and launched counterattacks. The terrain proved difficult for the advancing British forces, and the German defenses, although breached in places, remained strong. The offensive gradually slowed, and by mid-May, it had stalled. Despite a number of subsequent British attempts to advance, the overall offensive fell short of its objectives and the British suffered significant casualties. The battle continued with smaller scale actions until the end of May.

The Battle of Arras, despite not achieving its ultimate aims, offered valuable lessons in combined arms tactics and the tactical use of tanks. The high initial success and subsequent slow down is often seen as a lesson in the challenges of sustaining offensive momentum against a determined and well-defended enemy. The battle marked a significant step in the evolution of warfare on the Western Front. The high casualty rates, both British and German, added to the grim statistics of the First World War.