The Battle of Cambrai, which commenced on November 20, 1917 and ended on December 7, 1917, was a proving ground for advancements in tactics both on the side of the British as well as the Germans. For the British, air support was a key addition to the battle plans in which the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was assigned ground targets to attack prior to ground forces commencing their advance. In addition, cooperation between tanks and infantry was improved and artillery methods modified (for example, predicted artillery fire) and sound ranging used to conduct counter-battery artillery fire. For the Germans, the battle showed the effectiveness of Stoßtruppen (Stormtooper) tactics which emphasized infiltration, small units which provided support for each other, and mobile heavy weapons (machine-guns, trench mortars, and flamethrowers) which provided the Stoßtruppen with a significant attack advantage. It also showed the Germans how effective their artillery was against British tanks which had the equal effect of showing the British how vulnerable their tanks were to such weapons.
Cambrai was a vital German supply point for the German's Siegfriedstellung, which was a defensive line known as the Hindenburg Line by the British. If the British could take it and the surrounding territory, especially Bourlon Ridge near the town, it would pose a serious threat to the German rear lines. Included in the attack were 378 combat tanks of the British Tank Corps. All of these tanks were the Mark IV, the main tank deployed by the British during World War One. These tanks came in two versions. The Mark IV Male was equipped with three .303in. Lewis machine-guns (one in the front hull and one in each sponson) and two Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk I guns, one in each sponson. The other type was the Mark IV Female which was equipped only with five Lewis machine-guns, one in the hull and two in each sponson. The purpose of the two types was that the Male tanks would engage enemy targets (for example, pillboxes) with the 6-pounder guns while the Female tanks would provide protection to the Male tanks by repelling any close assault attacks by enemy infantry and to bring down withering machine-gun fire on any exposed enemy troops that may be flushed out by the Male tanks. One of these Mark IV Female tanks, named “Blarney Castle“, took part in the combat in the commune of Fontaine-Notre-Dame, 2.5 miles west of Cambrai.
The tank was part of 6th. Company, 12th. Section, of B Battalion. It carried the serial number of 2873 and was commanded, alternatively, by either 2nd. Lieutenant Julian Cecil Lazonby or 2nd. Lieutenant Thomas Henderson. The tank's crew number was B57. As was tradition at the time, tanks were named by their commander and the name had to start with the letter of the battalion the tank belonged to. Thus, Henderson got to select the name and he chose “Blarney Castle“. This was because his parents were land owners in Ardrum, Inniscarra in County Cork in Ireland. Ardrum was where the owners of the famous Blarney Castle resided at the time. For the combat to come, “Blarney Castle“ was commanded by 2nd. Lt. Lazonby while 2nd. Lt. Henderson was in command of a tank from the 10th. Company, “Behemoth II“ (crew number B54; Serial No. 4516). The tanks, along with four others, sought to enter the village on November 23, 1917 and came under fire by elements of K.Flak Batterie 7. The German unit was equipped with Krupp 7.7cm L/27 anti-aircraft guns that were mounted on Daimler-Benz trucks. While normally used against enemy aircraft, German forces requested two of the trucks to be brought forward to contain the British tank attack. The 7.7cm gun was able to hurl a shell to a velocity of 1,520 feet per second and when used in the direct fire role, had a maximum range of 4.9 miles. This hitting power was more than adequate to punch through the thin armor of a Mark IV tank which was 12mm thick in the front, 8mm on the sides, and 6mm on the rear of the tank. The two vehicles from K.Flak Batterie 7 were supported by a company of troops from Reserve Infanterie Regiment 52. Together, they destroyed seven tanks in all, which included the wiping out of the 6th. Company. “Blarney Castle“ was struck multiple times by the accurate fire of the German gunners. Hits to the tank are evident on both sides which suggests the two trucks were not together and thus were able to engage the tanks in a cross-fire. The eight man crew had no chance. The interior of the Mark IV was open which meant fuel tanks, the engine and its components, crew positions, guns, and ammunition were not compartmentalized. Thus, the penetrations by the 7.7cm shells turned the inside of “Blarney Castle“ into an inferno and those crew fortunate enough to be killed outright were spared the agony of being incinerated. This grim photograph was taken by a German in the aftermath of the combat and shows one of the crew on the ground and at least one other crewman visible in the open hatch below the sponson. “Blarney Castle“ was a heavily photographed tank and another picture shows that on the other side of the tank, another charred crewman was on the ground and two others perished trying to get out through the hatches beneath the sponson. “Behemoth II“ also did not survive the battle, being destroyed with a loss of all crew.
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