was part of the opening phase of the Battle of Cambrai (1917), when tanks were used in a coordinated way for the first time. On the night of 19–20 November, soldiers of British 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division prepared for the event in Havrincourt Wood. The motorway now passes through the part which in 1917 had been felled as part of the front of the Hindenburg Line and was occupied by an artillery battery. The Tank Corps mustered behind the battery, in the south-west corner of the wood. The infantry battalions present were the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th (Leeds Rifles) and 2/8th (Leeds Rifles) Bns West Yorkshire Regiment, 2/4th and 2/5th Bns KOYLI, 2/4th and 2/5th Bns York and Lancaster Regiment. The second battle was the Battle of Havrincourt, opening on 12 September 1918, which was significant because it began the German retreat back to the Belgian border with France. Arrival in that vicinity coincided with the implementation of The Armistice. At Havrincourt, on 12 September, 62nd Division was again present, this time with the New Zealand Division. The commune was awarded the French Croix de Guerre on 23 September 1920. Heritage There are no really old buildings as everything was destroyed by the establishment of the Hindenburg Line and the two battles, particularly that of 1917. However, the château was rebuilt by 1925 in the style of the periods of Henri IV and Louis XIII (1589–1643), the equivalent of the English Jacobean. It consists of five adjoining blocks of building each with a steeply pitched roof. The church of St Géry too, was rebuilt after 1918. It includes seven grave slabs of the Cardevacque d'Havrincourt family from the period 1648 to 1776. There is a chapel of the Virgin with a black Madonna and a chapel of St Martin. The Bois d'Havrincourt is extensive and there is a fine panoramic view from the Bridge on the Canal du Nord. See also Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department References External links Havrincourt on the Quid site Battlefield visit Communes of Pas-de-Calais