Tank Debut Anniversary

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive Operation which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German line by using massed artillery and infantry attacks. This hole would then be exploited with the use of cavalry.

However this battled is significant for the first combat use of the tank – Mark I.

The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed during the First World War and the world's first combat tank. The project to develop the 'Land Battleship' had commenced in the summer of 1915 under the initiative of the British Landships Committee with the objective of developing an armoured vehicle that would break the deadlock of trench warfare. Under the highest degrees of secrecy the 'tank', as it later became known, was designed and built with the first prototype of the Mark I rolled out in January 1916.

Just less than six months after its first tests, General Sir Douglas Haig had wanted to launch the first mass tank attack on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. However, the manufacturers could not have the tanks ready in time for the first attacks on July 1.Two and a half months later, as Flers-Corcelette was being planned, the tanks were delivered and Haig had General Sir Henry Rawlinson, his subcommander in charge of 4th Army, incorporate them into his battle plans. From the beginning the tanks were challenged by having to traverse the heavily upset terrain of the Somme battlefield while still beset with numerous mechanical failings and manned by crews that had had little training in their operation. Nonetheless, the decision was taken to send the 49 tanks that were available into battle on September 15. He was warned against this by the engineers who were responsible for the creation of the tank and his subcommanders, such as Ernest Dunlop Swinton (who had been part of the Landships Committee), and the French government, which sent Colonel Jean-Baptiste Eugène Estienne and Sub-secretary of State of Inventions Jean-Louis Bréton, (who were normally arch-enemies), to London, hoping to persuade the British government to overrule Haig. The primary concern of those who didn't want the tank used was that they wanted it kept secret until they could be massed in larger numbers and be more likely to lead to a major breakthrough.

Born of the need to break the domination of trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle to be named "tank", as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose. It was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small-arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions. It is regarded as successful in many respects, but suffered from many problems owing to its primitive nature.

Mark I specs:

In service – 1916–1931
Number built – 150
Weight – 27-28 tons
Crew – 8 (commander, driver, two gearsmen and four gunners)
Armour – 0.23–0.47 in (6–12 mm)
Main armament – Male: Two 6 pdr QF or 6 pdr 6 cwt QF, Female: Four .303 Vickers machine guns
Secondary armament – Male: Four .303 in Hotchkiss Machine Guns, Female: Two .303 in Hotchkiss machine guns
Engine – Daimler-Knight 6 cylinder sleeve valve petrol engine 105 hp

QUIZ

1. What is the relation between this woman (see the image) and Mark 1?

 

2. One of the nicknames of this tank was Big Willie, what was the other one?

3. What did Russian soldiers call this tank?

4. What tank was the first to be modeled in World of Tanks (guess game :))?

Post your answers in comments. Don't forget your nickname and server.
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First 10 luckies will be awarded.

Quiz results here.