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| Summary | |||
One
of the most important campaigns in which the BEF was engaged, yet in
comparison with the Somme of 1916 and Passchendaele of 1917, terribly
neglected by historians. The
British Army launched a large-scale attack at Arras as part of a master
plan by new French Commander in Chief Robert Nivelle. Although initially
successful, it soon bogged down and became a terribly costly affair.
The British attack was against the formidable Hindenburg Line, to which
the enemy had recently made a strategic withdrawal. The battle can
be considered to be composed of a number of phases: the Battle of Vimy
and the First Battle of the Scarpe were the opening phases; the Second
and Third Battle of the Scarpe and the final Battle of Bullecourt and
other actions against the Hindenburg Line concluded the fighting. |
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| Which British formations took part? | |||
The Battle of Vimy First Army I Corps : 24th Division Canadian Corps : 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions, 5th Division The First Battle of the Scarpe - 9th - 14th April 1917 First Army XIII Corps : 2nd Division Third Army Cavalry Corps : 1st, 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Divisions VI Corps :3rd Division, 12th Division, 15th Division, 17th Division, 29th Division, 37th Division VII Corps :14th Division, 21st Division, 30th Division, 50th Division, 56th Division XVII Corps : 4th Division, 9th Division, 34th Division, 51st Division Included the Tactical Incidents : The Capture of Monchy le Preux, by the 3rd Cavalry and 37th Divisions. The Capture of Wancourt Ridge, by the 50th Division.
The Second Battle of the Scarpe - 23rd - 24th April 1917 First Army XIII Corps : 63rd Division Third Army VI Corps :3rd Division (8th Brigade), 15th Division, 17th Division, 29th Division VII Corps :30th Division, 33rd Division, 50th Division XVII Corps : 37th Division, 51st Division, 34th Division (103rd Brigade) This action included the Tactical Incidents: The Capture of Guemappe, by 15th Division. The Capture of Gavrelle, by 63rd Division. Subsidiary action: the Attack on La Coulotte - 23rd April 1917 First Army Canadian Corps : 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions, 5th Division The Battle of Arleux - 28th - 29th April 1917 First Army XIII Corps : 2nd Division, 63rd Division Canadian Corps : 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions Third Army VI Corps :3rd Division, 12th Division XVII Corps :34th Division, 37th Division The Third Battle of the Scarpe - 3rd - 4th May 1917 First Army XIII Corps : 2nd Division, 5th Division, 31st Division Canadian Corps : 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions Third Army VI Corps :3rd Division, 12th Division, 56th Division VII Corps :14th Division, 18th Division, 21st Division XVII Corps :4th Division, 9th Division Included the Tactical Incident: The Capture of Fresnoy, by the 1st Canadian Division. Subsequent action : The Capture of Roeux - 13th - 14th May 1917 Third Army VI Corps :3rd Division, 12th Division XVII Corps :17th Division, 51st Division Subsequent action : The Capture of Oppy Wood - 28th June 1917 First Army XIII Corps : 5th Division, 31st Division The Flanking Operations Round Bullecourt - 11th April - 16th June 1917 First Attack on Bullecourt - 11th April 1917 Fifth Army V Corps : 62nd Division 1st ANZAC : 4th Australian Division German Attack at Lagnicourt - 15th April 1917 Fifth Army V Corps : 62nd Division 1st ANZAC : 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions The Battle of Bullecourt - 3rd - 17th May 1917 Fifth Army V Corps : 7th Division, 58th Division, 62nd Division 1st ANZAC : 1st, 2nd and 5th Australian Divisions Actions on the Hindenburg Line - 20th May - 16th June 1917 Third Army VII Corps :21st Division, 33rd Division Fifth Army V Corps : 7th Division, 58th Division, 62nd Division 1st ANZAC : 5th Australian Division Note : the 20th Division relieved 5th Australian Division on 26 May. The Flanking Operations Towards Lens - 3rd June - 26th August 1917 Affairs South of the Souchez River - 3rd - 25th June 1917 First Army Canadian Corps : 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions Capture of Avion - 26th - 29th June 1917 First Army Canadian Corps : 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions The Battle of Hill 70 - 15th - 25th August 1917 First Army I Corps : 6th Division, 46th Division Canadian Corps : 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions |
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| What happened? | |||
| This part of the page has not yet been written! | |||
| Links to battles before and after | |||
| The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, 1917 | |||
| The Battle of Messines, 1917 | |||
| Click here for a virtual tour of the Arras battlefield | |||
