The Battle of Arras 1917 April 9 – May 16

Where is Arras? Arras is in the north of France, right on the Western Front. Many battles have been fought there including the Second World War.

Why Arras? After the failure of the Battle of the Somme, commanders were looking for a final breakthrough to end the war quickly. It was believed that the Allies would win the war if they could engage the Germans in a war of ‘movement’. This was the aim of the Battle of Arras. The British chose to attack at Arras to relieve French troops attacking at Aisne the next week. The man in charge was Douglas “the Butcher” Haig.

Scottish Involvement The Scottish divisions were involved in a number of sub battles – particularly the First and Second battle of the Scarpe. The 15th (Scottish) Division, 9th (Scottish) Division and the 51st (Highland) Division were all involved in the Battle of Arras.

What Happened? In October 1916, special units began to dig tunnels underneath the German lines with the aim of planting mines. A week before the battle, the British carried out a military bombardment using 2,689,000 shells. The battle began on the 9th April at 600 hours with the British advancing under a creeping barrage. The British made huge gains on the first day but their inability to follow this up resulted in them losing the chance to make a decisive breakthrough.

Casualties The British had 158,660 casualties. The Germans had around 130,000 casualties.

The Result Overall, the British made little progress although, in retrospect, it is considered a major victory. However, the Germans recovered and built new defensive positions and this resulted in further stalemate. The British, although they did not make huge gains, learned lessons on coordination and their weapons.

Interesting Wee Facts The Germans were partially to blame for their defeat – a new tactic was meant to have been used, but the failure of one of their generals caused there to be major flaws with their retaliations. One of the British soldiers injured at the Battle of Arras was C.S. Lewis who was 18 years old at the time. This battle was one of few where the new tanks were used well.

Have You Been Paying Attention? In which season was the Battle of Arras fought? Why were the British urged to fight at Arras? Which Scottish divisions were involved? Give a tactic the British used. Who had more casualties, the British or the Germans? In your opinion, was it a success or not? Give reasons for your answer.