[43]“Although throughout the major part of the Ypres battle, and especially in its later stages, the condition of the ground made the use of Tanks difficult or impossible, yet whenever circumstances were in any way favourable, and even when they were not, very gallant and valuable work has been accomplished by Tank Commanders and crews on a great number of occasions. Long before the conclusion of the Flanders offensive these new instruments had proved their worth, and amply justified the labour, material and personnel diverted to their construction and development.” It was not to be long before the Corps had an opportunity of proving their worth indeed. CHAPTER X THE FIRST BATTLE OF CAMBRAI “On they move Indissolubly firm; nor obvious hill Nor straightening vale, nor wood nor stream divides Their perfect ranks.” _Paradise Lost._ PART I I All through the later part of the Ypres struggle the Tank Corps had turned their eyes towards certain other parts of the line with a longing as for The Delectable Mountains. They imagined places in dry rolling chalk country where a Tank could travel on the surface of the ground. They dreamed of battles in which the artillery had neither given the enemy weeks of warning nor helped him to reduce the ground to a swamp or the likeness of an ash heap. A starving man does not picture every circumstance of a meal, a drowning man the sensations of warmth and solidity, more vividly than did the Tank Corps call up their dream battle. General Elles and his Staff had several places in mind in which such a battle might be fought. Perhaps they dwelt most affectionately on the thoughts of some sector of the Hindenburg line, some high rolling chalk plateau anywhere south of Arras. Several such delightful spots lay in the domain of General Sir Julian Byng’s 3rd Army. Perhaps he had some sort of operation in view already! In September General Elles hopefully paid him a visit as he lay at Albert. They conferred. The Army Commander had, indeed, an idea of attacking. More, he had already independently worked out the place, and many of the details, of just such an attack as the Tank Corps had been sighing for. Together the two Generals worked at the scheme and a draft plan was forwarded to G.H.Q. G.H.Q., however, could not allow the attack for the present. The Ypres affair must first be thrashed out, but when that was ended, say by early November, then such an attack would have their blessing. Meanwhile the two conspirators waited eagerly, all the while working out and perfecting their plans. At last, on October 20, the scheme was finally sanctioned, and Z day was fixed for November 20. Still only four members of the Tank Corps Staff knew of the project, and these four immediately stole off to our lines near Havrincourt to make a preliminary survey of the new site. II