"More to it than tanks: The Battle of Cambrai"
In this talk Ross Beadle shares with us his views and research into the battle of Cambrai.
In the popular memory, Cambrai is all about tanks, but is that really the case?
As Ross puts it "Cambrai is part of my portfolio because it is an a battle where the General Staff and Generals were developing new solutions to the problem of trench warfare. It is not just about the tanks, but new artillery techniques as well. And we also see a good example of a planning process gone horribly wrong – a brilliant new idea produced from below which is then over blown and twisted by senior management".
Ross describes his interest in the Great War below:
"I was drawn to the First World War at the age of eleven by the famous BBC 26 part documentary. Fascinated ever since. A history graduate and also an MA in First World War history from Birmingham. I specialize on strategy and civil military relations so my most frequent lectures are on William, Robertson, The Schlieffen Plan and the Marne".