Battle of Cambrai (1918)

Late in September 1918, shortly before the end of the First World War, the Canadian Corps burst through the German defences on the Canal du Nord west of Cambrai, France, but encountered increasing opposition as it attempted to encircle the town. Cambrai was an important logistical centre, and the battle for it was fierce – for some of the men, the hardest they had faced. The Germans retreated on 8 October. The Canadian forces had won another stunning victory, but again at a staggering cost.