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Description
Photo of a wrecked French Schneider CA1 tank on the Chemin des Dames road in the Aisnes department of France, scene of major battles in 1917.
Written in pencil on back: “Tank am shemin des Dames August 1917” (Tank at the Chemin des Dames August 1917).
Provenance is from photo album owned by a German soldier.
Front damaged. Piece missing, vertical tear right side top, crease. Paper remnants on back where glued into an album.
8.5 x 13.5 cm
(Red text is an electronic watermark that is not physically part of the photo for sale)
The Schneider CA 1 (originally named the Schneider CA) was the first French tank, developed during the First World War. The Schneider CA 1 tanks were widely used in combat during the last war years. Their first action on 16 April 1917 was largely a failure, the tank units suffering heavy losses, but later engagements were more successful. In 1918 the Schneider tanks played an important role in halting the German Spring Offensive and breaking the German front in the French summer offensives.
The Second Battle of the Aisne (French: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the German armies in France.
