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TANKS IN WORLD WAR I
World War I was a deadly conflict as shown by the 38 million military and civil casualties it caused. The large number of casualties was caused, in part, by the development and use of new weaponry that took place during the war. The following weapons either made their debut in World War I or had a dramatic effect on the major battles of the war: machine gun, tank, poisonous gas, airplanes and submarines.
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World War I was characterized primarily by the stalemate of trench warfare and each country sought a way of breaking the stalemate in their favor. Britain was the first country to develop the tank and use it in battle. Britain hoped that the new invention would end the stalemate on the Western Front and allow British forces to advance against the Central Powers.
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British commanders wanted to use the tank as a surprise attack against German forces on the frontline trenches in 1916 and therefore worked to keep the development of the tank a secret. For example, the original name of the tank was “Trench Crossing Machine” as they were designed to cross over enemy trenches and help advancing soldiers to capture the trenches. To maintain secrecy, British commanders began referring to the new invention as “Water Carriers” or “Water Tanks”. This was because the shape of the vehicle resembled a water tank and this allowed the British to offer a reasonable explanation for what it was while transporting it to the frontlines. The name stuck and remains to this day.
The first tank to be used in battle was the British Mark I in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 under the command of British General Douglas Haig. The Mark I could hold a crew of eight and had a top speed of about 3-4 miles per hour. The slow speed of the tank was due to its heavy steel armor and any heavy machine guns or cannons it had on board. In its first use several of the Mark I’s stalled and became stuck in the thick mud on the battlefields in Northern France. However, they were able to attack the German lines and convinced the British that they were a useful tool in the war effort. This caused the British to order the construction of more tanks for use in other battles. As well, other European nations including the Central Powers would all begin to develop their own tanks as the war continued, and the tank would come to play an important role in the remainder of the war.
Some historians debate the effect that the introduction of the tank had on the outcome of the war and the overall war effort for each country. Others argue that the tank was more important as a psychological weapon because of the fear and confusion it caused for the enemy. Regardless, the tank is significant as a new weapon in World War I and the impact it’s invention has had on warfare since.
The first tank to be used in battle was the British Mark I in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 under the command of British General Douglas Haig. The Mark I could hold a crew of eight and had a top speed of about 3-4 miles per hour. The slow speed of the tank was due to its heavy steel armor and any heavy machine guns or cannons it had on board. In its first use several of the Mark I’s stalled and became stuck in the thick mud on the battlefields in Northern France. However, they were able to attack the German lines and convinced the British that they were a useful tool in the war effort. This caused the British to order the construction of more tanks for use in other battles. As well, other European nations including the Central Powers would all begin to develop their own tanks as the war continued, and the tank would come to play an important role in the remainder of the war.
Some historians debate the effect that the introduction of the tank had on the outcome of the war and the overall war effort for each country. Others argue that the tank was more important as a psychological weapon because of the fear and confusion it caused for the enemy. Regardless, the tank is significant as a new weapon in World War I and the impact it’s invention has had on warfare since.
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