Landships II

Pody

  Sorry I have been unable to respond to your emails you have sent me, The only way I no how to answer you, is to find a program to reduce the size of your photos. I use Microsoft JASC paint shop photo application. Thats the only thing I can think of.

All the Best

Tim R

Gentlemen!
Thanks for your proposals. Now I could reduce the single pic's to 380 kb.
Will try to post my stuff directly. In case of worst-case scenario I've mailed
the pics to Peter K. and Tim R.

Thanks again

Hello Centurion, Gentlemen!

Let me have a try with translating this quite ancient German. Be lucky the book is not printed in German but latin letters. (I can cope with both of them). When shortening things, words, passages I'll try to stick to NATO-standards:
For shure there will be some shortcomings in translation as I am no native speaker.
Please feel advised to return them to me that I can improve my state of knowledge
even if British Politeness says otherwise......
Text of Original:

"2nd tank vs. tank battle at CAMBRAI on the 8th of Oct. 1918
Defence-situation: the anglo-american breaktrough of the SIEGFRIED - line led to an advance of the enemy north of Cambrai on the 7th of Oct. The 2nd Army had to be taken aback to the east. It was vital for the most western fighting armies (4th, 6th and richt wing of 17th) north of the SENSÉE-canal that the defence around CAMBRAI must be prolonged by all meansFollowing to the enemy assault to the northeast in the morning of the 8th of Oct., south of CAMBRAI along the line CREVECOEUR-NOYELLES, the 2nd Reserve-"Ersatz"-brigade (the reserve of the reserve(!)) was put into action with tanks for a counterattack.

Tank Deployment:
Tanks: 10 heavy Beute-tanks Mk. IV

Set-Up and tactical aims:
Beute Kampfwagen Abteilung 15 (reinforced by Beute Kampfwagen Abteilung 11)
with together 6 tanks is to advance through NIERGNIES with Infantery-Reg. 65 in the direction of RUMILLY.
Beute K. Abt.16 (4tanks Mk.IV) is to advance from WOMBAI over SÉRANVILLERS -
la TARGETTE contre the hills of LESDAIN supporting Infantry-Regt. 185

Plan of Attack:
Initially tanks cum infantry shall repel enemy. Afterwards without taking care if infantry can follow, throw back enemy. Afterwards returning to emplacement area.

Attacking terrain:
north of the river SCHELDE along the line MARCOING-CREVECOEUR and along the ESNES-creek deeply cut-in troughs and low-lands are to be found in hilly landscape with slopes at northeast towards the road CAMBRAI-ESNES thus giving the enemy wide insight to the backlands of CAMBRAI. Many transversal cuts are positive for concealed approach to enemy lines of the dominant hilly heights.

Course of the battle:
To counter the German tank attack of K.-Abt.15 that is initially very successful through devastating fire for effect on the hilltops eastwards VIERGNIES, enemy on his side let's attack tanks from MASNIERES (A Coy with 4 Mk.IV from 12. Bat.)
bumping into 4 german tanks of K.Abt.15 near the Fermé Mt. St. Neuve. Both oipponents have 2 male and 2 female tanks. (transl. remark: now comes thetricky passage:)
While 1 german male is put out of order by direkt hits at close quarters(40m) by a
british male which is defeated itself by his german opponent, the other german tank is knocking out 1 brit. male and 1 brit. female but is itself knocked out by a german field-cannon captured by the crew of one of the defeated british tanks which re-layed and aimed the cannon very quickly (blitzschnell). The 2 other tanks of K.W.Abt. 15 are bringing forth theirattack without taking notice of the present tank-vs.-tank battle.
At about equal chances in type and number 3 british losses (75%) in comparison to 2 german losses (50%) are making this a german victory.(end of tricky part)
K.Abt. 16 , when advancing towards WAMBAIX, met the brit. C. Coy, 12th Bat.and suffered 2 losses through well aimed fire from the movelessly waiting enemy Coy. The 3rd german tank that evaded the enemy shelling and was not able to take notice of the intrinsic tank-vs.-tank fight advanced the heights southwest of FORENVILLE fought than in direction of SÈRANVILLERS until its return to its starting position over WAMBAIX and CATÈNIERES. This 2nd tank-vs.tank battle of the day well may be declared a brit. victory on the grounds that the enemy awaites our attack well pepared with higher combat-readiness.
By a heavy enemy counterattack with tanks later that day the entire ground up to the road CAMBRAI-ESNES was lost and CAMBRAI had to be given up that following night.

Losses:
shelled and lost: 4 tanks
fallen: 8 men
wounded: 3 officers, 48 men
missing in action: 1 officer, 14 men

Tactical Results:
The adhered doctrine about tank-vs.-tank fighting is validated.(see page 127)
On the contrary to the tank-battle at VILLERS-BRETONNEUX here at NIERGNIES two absolute compatible contraries have met. Taking into consideration that one loss could have been avoided through disablement of the german cannon by its retreating crew but simultaneously proving the vim and clevernessof the dismounted british tank-crew.
Abandoned fighting equipment is to be made unservicable at all times by retreating troops (remove optics, canon-breeches, Feeding devices, el. tubes, magnetos and the likes are to be removed and made unservicable) otherwides the fate of this fight will be renewed in the future.
This fight tank-vs.-tank is giving vital instruction about the superiority of a tanker that can await the onslaught of an enemy waiting in covered defence-position and is able to fire before the enemy has reconnoitered the situation.

Technical results:
The fitting of 2 TUF-Guns per tank is insufficient anti-tank purpose. As long as no around-the-clock-observation(?) is possible for the crews, no mutual support of tank-crews is possibleby the lack of visional aids.

In the book of William Ellis: "the Tank Corps" there should be a very detailed report on this tank - vs. - tank fight.

End of text:

Hello Centurion:
This translation seems as "dry" as its original but I can't make more of it on the grounds that there is no more.
Hope to have you served well.
It's now up to you to cross-check my "new" entry at the artillery-part of landships:
"On the Projectile Fuzes of WW I." for possible mistakes. As a native speaker this might be far easier to you than to me.
Thanks for your support,

Pody