2nd Tank Brigade
Tank Allocation at Cambrai
2nd Tank Brigade’s Tank allocation at Cambrai
The exact number of tanks allocated to 2nd Tank Brigade is a little unclear.
Fighting tanks
A Battalion – 36 tanks (W1a)
B Battalion – 36 tanks (W2a)
H Battalion – 36 tanks (W8a)
Spare tanks
A Battalion – at least 3 tanks (W)
B Battalion – 6 tanks (W2a)
H Battalion – 4 tanks (W8a)
Total Fighting tanks
A Battalion – 36 tanks (W1a) and 3 spare –39 tanks
B Battalion – 36 fighting and 6 spare – 42 tanks (W2a)
H Battalion – 36 fighting and 4 spare - 40 tanks (W8a)
Supply tanks
A Battalion – 3 tanks (W1a)
B Battalion – 2 tanks (W23a)
H Battalion – 2 tanks, W8a, W71b
Wire pulling tanks
A Battalion – 3 tanks (W1a)
B Battalion – 4 tanks (W23a) (W2)
H Battalion – 4 tanks, W8a, W71b
Total Brigade allocation (possible)
A Battalion 45 tanks (W1a)
B Battalion 48 tanks (W2a)
H Battalion 46 tanks (W8a)
Total – A = 45, B = 48, H = 46 = 139 tanks
Notes:
A battalion were detached to 3rd Brigade on the 20th.
The Wire Pulling tanks were all detached to form a separate company on the 20th.
“A” battalion appears to have deployed one wire pullers as a third supply tank.
"B" Battalion deployed one wire puller as a cable layer for the cavalry (WHM)
14 Company had 14 tanks when they entrained at Plateau on the 16th. This number excludes the companies’ two wire pullers which arrived later.
B Battalion entrained 4 train loads of 12 tanks each at Plateau, 12 for each company and 12 Spares / Wire pullers / Supply tanks. (W2a)
As the battalion is known to have received 2 Supply and 4 Wire pulling tanks (W23e) this leaves it with 6 spare tanks, 2 per company.
The author has been unable to determine the exact number of Spare tanks in A Battalion, but 4 or 6 seems likely based on other battalion's allocations.
Sources
W2 – War Diary of 2nd Tank Battalion Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum
W2a – War Diary of 2nd tTank Battalion PRO WO 95/113
Movement order No. 2
W8a – War Diary of 8th Tank Battalion PRO WO 95/114
Preliminary report on Assembly and Movement Forward and Actions of 20th, 21st and 23rd November 1917.
W71b - War Diary of 71 Infantry Brigade - Pdf Download from PRO Kew - PRO-WO-95-1619-5_2 p44
W23e – Train timetable prior to Cambrai PRO 95/104