What did the Battle of Cambrai demonstrate about combined arms?

• A. Infantry, Tanks, and Air support worked synergistically
• B. Infantry refused to cooperate with armor
• C. Tanks replaced infantry
• D. Air power alone won the battle

Answer: (A)

Combined arms means different military arms support and enable each other to overcome defenses, rather than relying on a single force. At Cambrai in 1917, the British demonstrated this on a large scale: massed tanks punched through the German trench system, creating breaches that infantry could exploit; air power provided reconnaissance and targeted the enemy’s reserves and anti-aircraft positions; and artillery kept up the suppression of defenders to prevent easy counterattacks. The result showed that tanks can break through, but they achieve little without infantry to seize and hold ground and air and artillery to shape the battlefield and deter counteractions. This coordinated effort yielded a breakthrough that individual arms by themselves could not achieve, illustrating why infantry, tanks, and air support working together is more effective than any single arm alone.