Other people had had the same idea!
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The stalemate on the Western Front later prompted the British Army to begin research into a self-propelled vehicle which could cross trenches, crush barbed wire, and be impervious to machine-gun fireHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Originally, tanks were part of the British Navy, which would train and provide all tank personnel, and were considered "landships". The First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, sponsored the Landships Committee, which created the first successful prototype tank, 'Little Willie', in September 1915.[1] The vehicles were colloquially referred to as water carriers, later shortened to tanks, to preserve secrecy; the name became official in December 1915How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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The first tank to engage in battle was D1, a British Mark I, during the Battle of Flers-Courcellette (part of the Battle of the Somme), on 15 September 1916, one of two to breach German lines and reach Flers, but was knocked out by friendly fire. One of these two also mistakenly machinegunned the 9th Norfolks, who were preparing to attack.[5] The French developed the Schneider CA1 working from Holt caterpillar tractors, and first used it on 16 April 1917. The first successful use of massed tanks in combat occurred at Cambrai on 20 November 1917. Tanks were also used to great effect in the Battle of Amiens, when Allied forces were able to break through entrenched German position due to armoured supportHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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And now you've overtaken him I guess Threaded would be reluctant to lend you his private jet.ǝןqqıʍComment
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Germany fielded very few tanks during World War I, with the A7V being the only type produced in Germany before the end of the war, and of which only 15 were built.The first tank versus tank action took place on 24 April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs. German forces initially lacked countermeasures, though they did (accidentally) discover solid anti-tank shot, and introduced wider trenches to limit the British tanks' mobility. However, changing battlefield conditions and continued unreliability forced Allied tanks to evolve throughout the war, producing models such as the very long Mark V*, which could navigate large obstacles, especially wide trenches, more easily than their predecessHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Initial results with tanks were mixed; significant reliability problems caused considerable attrition in combat, with up to one third breaking down due to mechanical problems unrelated to enemy fire, and their speeds were very slow, with the 13.4 km/h attained by the Whippet considered fast.[6] Deployment in 'penny packets' also lessened their nonetheless formidable tactical value and impact. The spear-thrust type blitzkrieg-tactics were only to be developed fully in WWII, and while the tank would eventually make trench warfare obsolete, World War I came to an end before this fully came to pass.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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