The battle witnessed over 300 tanks taking part, gaining considerable ground in less than 36 hours, with about 2,000 more British casualties than German, which was light relative to earlier phases of the war.

Once the Hindenburg Line was decisively breached and Cambrai was taken, the pace of the Allied advance rarely afforded the retreating German Army time to stop and dig entrenched defences.

Instead, it more commonly took up positions in urban areas, using civilian populations to reduce the likelihood of artillery bombardment, and the ad hoc defences offered by buildings, walls and other reinforced obstacles to engage the advancing Allied infantry.

He describes the continued repulsion of the German forces, with "masses of troops being deployed and withdrawn to a strict timetable", and recorded that "what made the heart beat faster was the sound of music – the battalions were marching in with bands playing".

He recalled that over half a million men could be seen from one position: "It was a spectacle on a grand scale, of irresistible military might operated on a clockwork basis with an assurance and buoyancy of spirit which baffles description".