When the British dispatched 400 tanks against the German army at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, the result was a draw—but legend quickly declared the tank a winner following its first major role in combat. Bryn Hammond reveals that the narrative that emerged from this legendary battle was mostly a myth. The initial British successes were due to brilliant innovations in artillery, not tanks—and tanks weren’t enough to keep the Germans from re-capturing their losses. But in this account of Cambrai, the first to appear in four decades, Hammond shows how generals and politicians seduced by the tank’s mythical abilities poured resources into creating a more mobile army in the following decades. By World War II, the tank would live up to its legend.