14. The material results of the three weeks' fighting described above
can be stated in general terms very shortly.
We had captured and retained in our possession over 12,000 yards of the
former German front line from La Vacquerie to a point opposite Boursies,
together with between 10,000 and 11,000 yards of the Hindenburg line and
Hindenburg reserve line and the village of Ribecourt, Flesquières, and
Havrincourt. A total of 145 German guns were taken or destroyed by us in
the course of the operations, and 11,100 German prisoners were captured.
On the other hand, the enemy had occupied an unimportant section of our
front line between Vendhuille and Gonnelieu.
There is little doubt that our operations were of considerable indirect
assistance to the allied forces in Italy. Large demands were made upon
the available German reserves at a time when a great concentration of
German divisions was still being maintained in Flanders. There is
evidence that German divisions intended for the Italian theatre were
diverted to the Cambrai front, and it is probable that the further
concentration of German forces against Italy was suspended for at least
two weeks at a most critical period, when our allies were making their
first stand on the Piave line.