Scarpe, Battle of

Inconclusive World War I battle between British and German forces August 1918; the Scarpe is a French river rising near St Pol, and flowing east past Arras and Douai to join the Schelde near the Belgian frontier.

The British, under General Henry Horne, were attempting to prepare the ground for a general advance by driving the Germans out of a sub-section of the Hindenburg Line. They attacked along both sides of the river, taking several villages and completing the operation with the capture of Bullecourt 31 August. The battle then died down into a series of local skirmishes until the opening of the final battle for Arras 2 September.