There is a generally accepted opinion that the tank is like combat unit was born as a means of overcoming the protracted "trench" crisis in the First World War. The armed armored vehicle really turned the tide, but its very concept was invented long before big war... Around 1904, the first examples of self-propelled artillery platforms appeared in Great Britain. The vehicles were designed to act as a mobile fortification capable of moving over rough terrain. Ideal Starting point for the British served as an agricultural tractor with a caterpillar chassis and a more powerful engine than cars. At the same time, the transformation of the tractor into a combat vehicle was strained, which did not prevent them from being used at the front as conventional tractors. The American company Holt (the progenitor of Caterpillar) bought out the production patent and began supplying the British army with these very tractors with might and main. Meanwhile, the concept of a new one was slowly squeezed out in the crucible of protracted battles.

When the US Expeditionary Force arrived in Europe, it did not have its own tanks. Why, there were none in all of America. The Armored Motor Car Company manufactured the first serial armored car only by 1915, and at the time of entering the war in the States, only one 1st squadron of machine-gun armored vehicles, consisting of eight pieces of equipment, was formed, which is part of the corps marines USA. Having a completely standard layout for that time, this machine is notable for the fact that it could be disassembled into modules and transported by boats. Well, they did it for the Marines.


The first serial King Armored Car

The commander of the expeditionary force, General John Pershing, was offered to take a couple of copies with him, but he refused. In the first battle of Cambrai, seeing British tanks in action, Pershing was impressed, adequately appreciated the potential and appointed Colonel George Patton to lead the formation of the American Panzer Corps. By September 1918, the corps was ready. In total, 8 heavy battalions were created with British Mark VI tanks in service and 21 light battalions using French Renault FT-17s. Only 4 of them took part in the battles. During their presence, the expeditionary forces used only foreign equipment. Native, American, never delivered. Although intensive development was already underway on the territory of the United States, tests were made, mistakes were made, and in general, its own tank building school was formed.

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with what they did or did not succeed in. This article covers the period up to 1918 inclusive, that is, the very dawn of design thought, when the engineers were not scared and still did not really know how it would be more correct, and machines that were built in at least one copy are mentioned.

Holt 75 Tank 1916

The Holt 75 was a popular semi-tracked tractor of the time. So they decided to sheathe the tractor with armor and get a tank. The design should have turned out to be quite amusing, huge overhangs severely limited maneuverability, and the tank itself looked more like a self-propelled hangar. The power of the Holt four-cylinder engine was 75 forces, but this was on the flywheel, and only 50 reached the drive shaft. The tractor weighed 12 tons and, due to the absence of clutches, was controlled by a small wheel pushed forward on the frame. Of the armament, it was planned to put one course gun of 75 mm caliber, two machine guns there, two more machine guns in the stern and one in a rotating turret mounted on top. Reservation is about 2-3 mm, and the approximate speed is 7-13 km / h. The matter did not go further than the prototype, and even that was made almost from tin. Holt took part in the whole process only by taking the tractor from him.


There is some confusion with the tractors themselves. This was the moment when Caterpillar was born, but the word "caterpillar" was translated and translated as "caterpillar", therefore, it is found in both the one and the other sense. In any case, the engines were definitely Holt.

Holt Three-wheeled Steam Tank of 1917


The three-wheeled steam tank is no longer based on the Holt serial tractor, but built and developed by Holt. Steam, by the way, is not fired with wood, but with kerosene, with two two-cylinder 75 hp engines. each. He had to move across the battlefield in reverse, although the steam engine, as far as I know, does not care where the drawbar is pushed, so the driving efficiency did not suffer from this. Development began back in 1916, but the tank was ready only by 1918. The armament kit included a course 75-mm howitzer and Browning machine guns of 0.30 caliber in an amount from 2 to 6 (according to various sources). Interestingly, the booking, its thickness reached an impressive 16 mm at that time, and only the stern, bottom and roof - 6 mm.



The vehicle is similar to the famous Lebedenko tank. When, in the winter of 1918, the American military began testing at the Aberdeen test site, this fruit of ingenious design thought drove 15 meters and "loaded". 75 horses for each wheel turned out to be not enough, it was necessary to take a caterpillar drive. Having clicked their tongues, the army team abandoned further work on the project.


Lest you laugh too much steam tank is a 1919 steam car

Best 75 prototype 1917

All the same Holt 75 tractor born in 1909, only produced under license by Best, therefore it is called the Best 75 Tracklayer. And here the definition of a tracker is interpreted only as a caterpillar track. So Best created their own design, as they saw it. A bulky hull with dummies of weapons placed somewhere in the area of ​​the steering wheel and a superstructure at the stern. The model turned out to be unviable, and the military, again clicking their tongues, politely refused. Well, you can't make a good tank out of a tractor.

Without stopping at the first failure, Best engineers decided that the whole problem was in the layout and moved the weapons to the turret located at the stern. Now, in addition to the driver, there were two cannons and several holes for machine guns. They also changed the shape of the hull, and the model of the tank began to look very stylish. Then they did not know the word steampunk, but when the military refused again, the propagandists grabbed the car. If the tank cannot be used for its intended purpose, but at the same time it looks menacing and beautiful, then why not use it for advertising purposes? Based on these reflections, CLB 75 managed to work as a model to demonstrate the power of the US military. A series of photographs and even postcards appeared in which he was present. After the war, the prototype disappeared. Most likely, it was disassembled for scrap.

Caterpillar G-9 of 1917

Another Holtovian attempt to make a cool tank. All the same. Tractor Holt, covered with an armored hull. Only the engine this time was 150 hp. The G-9 resembled a mobile dugout. It had five loopholes per side and one at the stern. The cannons were placed in the towers and one at the stern, and two variants of the tank layout are known: one- and two-turret.

Tests of the machine at a proving ground near Los Angeles once again showed the failure of the design. The speed of the tank, even in a straight line, did not exceed 5 km / h, and there was no question of cross-country ability. Not without incident. At some point, the driver lost control of the "tanker" and dropped the car into a ditch, which resulted in the destruction of the hull. Tired of clattering tongues and finally realizing the failure of an agricultural tractor as a chassis for a combat vehicle, the military waved their hands and left home.


Holt Gas-Electric of 1917


This time, the Kholtovites took the task seriously enough and built a tank, not an armored vehicle. The steering wheel was abolished, and the tracked chassis was significantly redesigned. The benzoelectric (gas is gasoline) scheme was used forcibly. There were no clutches, so they put their own electric motor on each track so that they could be controlled, and a 90-horsepower motor was combined with a generator. Although the tank turned successfully, such a drive scheme overcomplicated the design, it got very hot and often failed. But the idea itself, probably spied on by the French, was interesting. The body was an ordinary armored box with a sheet thickness of 6 to 15 mm. For better cooling, a folding sheet was placed in the stern, but no one would hold it open in battle. The armament of the tank consisted of two Browning 0.30 machine guns mounted on the sides, and a 75 mm Vickers cannon, placed in the frontal hull sheet.

Tests have shown that 90 hp. (this is without taking into account the losses in the transmission) for a 25-ton machine is clearly not enough. They refused to further revise the project.

US Army Corps Steam Tank of 1918

The first case when army engineers got involved directly. It was only natural that the tank had a large lobby and was actively pushed through at all levels. The design of the British diamond-shaped Marks was taken as a basis and, in principle, the car turned out to be similar, but had two characteristic differences.

Due to the fact that gasoline and diesel engines were in the embryonic stage, preference was given to a spent steam power plant running on kerosene. By that time, the development of steam propulsion was, if not at its peak, then at a very high altitude, and such a motor could well compete with internal combustion systems. It is enough that the total power of the paired two-cylinder steam engines reached 500 hp. Each engine had a drive to its own drive wheel, and the tank was controlled by a simple "gas right - gas left".

The second interesting feature was the weaponry. Instead of a cannon, a flamethrower was chosen as the main one. Probably, this tank became one of (if not the first) flamethrower. In the design of the "main caliber", instead of compressed gas cylinders, a separate 35 hp gasoline engine was used to eject the fire mixture, which created a pressure of about 110 atm. and allowed throwing a charge at a distance of up to 27 meters. Additionally, 4 Browning machine guns were installed in the onboard sponsons. The crew consisted of 8 people, booking - 15 mm, combat weight - 45 tons.

The first presentation to the general public took place on April 17, 1918 at a parade in Boston and everything would be fine, but the tank broke down. The cause of the breakdown was unreliability power plant... After the repair, the car was loaded onto a steamer and sent for trials to Europe, but there it did not reach the battlefield either. They were just afraid to send. In the future, work on the project was curtailed and the final fate of the prototype is unknown.

Skeleton Tank

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting "military" American tank projects. Having carefully analyzed the practice of using British stamps on the battlefields, the designers came to the conclusion that although large linear dimensions and allow you to overcome huge trenches with funnels, they also contribute to a significant increase in the affected area, as well as an increase in mass. The engineers proposed to move the chassis into a separate structure, and place the engine and the crew in the middle of a small box suspended between the tracks. The idea, of course, is a sensible one, but it didn’t work to bring it to its logical end.


The first prototype was much lighter than the basic principle, had a lower mass, greater thrust-to-weight ratio and cross-country ability, but at the same time had a number of its own design flaws... Such as: a separate transmission unit, weak weapons and unnecessarily "shaking" chassis. "Childhood" design illnesses could be cured, but the war ended and the military lost interest in the prototype, preferring their own version of the French FT-17. A prototype of the "skeletal" tank, fortunately, survived and is now kept in the Aberdeen Tank Museum.

Ford 3-ton mod. 1918

After watching the success of the French with their Renault FT-17, Uncle Ford also wanted one for himself. First work on light tank began in 1917, and the first prototype was ready by mid-1918. The car came out similar to its ideological inspirer both in layout and in the chassis design. The only one fundamental difference there was no turret, and the 37mm cannon and machine gun were located in the frontal sheet of the hull. Reservation of the forehead - 13, and the sides 10 mm. There were as many as two engines, but automobiles, with a capacity of 45 hp each. each. The goal was maximum unification with cars of the brand, in order to subsequently produce thousands of new tanks. And the government order for 15 thousand was made, but the war ended at the wrong time.

It is quite natural that the car did not have time to take part in hostilities. By September 11, 1918, only 15 copies were made, of which 10 went to the troops, where they quickly proved their unreliability and poor maneuverability. By the mid-20s, they were written off and replaced by the M1917.

US Mark 1

When finally decided on the shortcomings light tank Ford, the military ordered a new car in which these oversights were to be eliminated. The mass of the new tank increased to 7.5 tons, but it received a rotating turret with the same set of weapons (37 mm cannon and machine gun) and more powerful twin engines (60 hp each). Reservations have remained at the same level. In connection with the end of the war, work on the project was curtailed, and preference was given to the more successful "American Renault".

Hamilton Tank or Oaklend "Victoria" Tank

Also a very interesting car, which included several advanced solutions and is quite capable of becoming the first serial production of its own American development... The first work on it began in December 1915 at the Oakland Motor Car Company under the direction of chief designer Hamilton. Even then, they developed their own tracked chassis for the new tank, moving away from the usual practice of using a tractor. The chassis turned out to be successful and reliable enough. The chassis was protected by side armor plates (!), And the frontal part and the commander's cupola were installed at angles, which was also a very advanced solution for that time. The placement of the main armament (37 mm cannon or machine gun) was planned in the frontal sheet of the hull. At the end of 1917, the prototype entered trials, but it was corny "crushed" due to competition with Ford's 3-ton and successful French FT-17. Due to the hopelessness, further work on the machine was discontinued.

Studebaker Supply Tank

The well-known American office of Studebaker, which specialized in the production of trucks in the first world, also offered its own version of an armored vehicle. This "tank" was originally planned exclusively as an armored cargo carrier, but it turned out to be something similar to the British rhombic Marks, only lower and longer. Quite naturally, they tried to work out this platform as a tank platform, but nothing good came out of both options. The armored tracked Studebaker remained in a single prototype.

M1917 6-ton Tank

According to a glorious tradition, a license for the French Renault FT-17 was bought by all and sundry, the tank was very good. So in the United States, seeing the prospect of profit (and the production capacity of the French could not provide for everyone), they quickly bought documentation and promised to make a whole bunch of tanks in a short time, to distribute it to everyone and keep it for themselves. The production process naturally ran into a bunch of problems, ranging from the incompatibility of metric drawings with inch drawings, the industry's unavailability to produce a number of units, and the banal “cut and rollback” significantly delayed the terms of triumph. Mass production they were adjusted only by the fall of 1918, when the war was drawing to a close, the belligerent powers planned to cut military budgets, and no one needed tanks, except for the United States. Since nobody needs it, and the money has been invested, they began to do it for themselves. In total, 950 units were made, of which: 526 with Browning machine guns, 374 with 37 mm Vickers cannons and another 50 communications vehicles (TSF). Structurally, the tanks did not differ much from the prototype, with the exception of a few minor details. American Renault did not take part in the hostilities.

Mark VIII "Liberty" Tank

Joint US-Anglo-French development. In fact, from the American one, there were only the Liberty engine, suspension elements, transmissions and electrical equipment. The tank should have turned out to be quite successful on its own, for example, for the first time, a system for creating overpressure was used in it to protect the crew from weapons of mass destruction. Also, the layout of the weapons was made according to the most rational scheme, and the elongated body made it possible to overcome trenches up to 5.5 meters long. The engine was separated from the fighting compartment by a partition to protect the crews. For the assembly, the construction of a plant was planned 200 miles from Paris. But, as is often the case with joint projects, the war ended faster than expected and interest in working together instantly faded away. From 1919 to 1920, the United States built about 100 tanks from ready-made kits, which did not take part in hostilities, and by the beginning of World War II, all were transferred to Canada as training ones.

Actually, this is where the variety of American tanks designed during the First World War has exhausted itself. We can only mention the unrealized and unrealistic ideas of a 200-ton tracked "Trench Destroyer" with a crew of 30 people and a Holt 150-ton wheeled field monitor armed with 152 mm guns. But these projects are more akin to the German Ratte, just as senseless and stupid.

Materials used:
http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/world-war-1-tanks.html#gallery/0/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Corps_of_the_American_Expeditionary_Force
http://www.aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/usa/_usa.htm
http://alternathistory.org.ua/taxonomy/term/114
http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/ww1-us-tanks.asp
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_VIII

The Iron Bumpers owe their appearance to the First World War. From the moment they were born, they evoked conflicting feelings: both ridicule and panic.

The word "tank" comes from english word tank (that is, "tank" or "tank", "tank"). The origin of the name is as follows: when sending the first tanks to the front, British counterintelligence spread a rumor that a batch of fuel tanks had been ordered by the Russian government in England. And the tanks set off along railroad under the guise of tanks - fortunately, the gigantic dimensions and shape of the first tanks were quite consistent with this version. They even wrote on them in Russian “Caution. Petrograd ". The name stuck. It is noteworthy that in Russia the new combat vehicle was originally called "tub" (another version of the translation of the word tank).

The tanks owe their appearance to the First World War. After a relatively short initial phase of maneuvering combat operations on the fronts, a balance was established (the so-called "trench warfare"). The deeply echeloned enemy lines were difficult to break through. The usual way to prepare an offensive and wedge into enemy defenses was the massive use of artillery to destroy defenses and destroy manpower, followed by the introduction of their troops into the breakthrough. However, it turned out that the “clean” breakthrough section, which was plowed by explosions, with destroyed roads, and was also blocked by crossfire from the flanks, did not manage to bring in troops quickly enough; moreover, the enemy managed to pull up reserves along the existing railway and dirt roads in the depths of his defense and block the breakout. Also, the development of the breakthrough was hampered by the complexity of the supply across the front line.

Another factor that turned maneuver war into positional warfare was the fact that even long-term artillery barrage could not completely destroy all the barbed wire and machine-gun nests, which then strongly constrained the actions of the infantry. Armored trains depended on railroad tracks. As a result, the idea arose of a fundamentally new self-propelled combat vehicle with high maneuverability (which could only be achieved with the help of a tracked chassis), great firepower and good protection (at least against machine gun and rifle fire). Such a remedy could with high speed overcome the front line and wedge into the depth of the enemy's defense, carrying out at least tactical detours.

The decision to build tanks was made in 1915 almost simultaneously in Great Britain, France and Russia. The first British model of the tank was finally ready in 1916, when it was tested, and the first order for 100 vehicles entered production. It was a Mark I tank - rather imperfect fighting machine, produced in two modifications - "male" (with cannon armament in the side sponsons) and "female" (only with machine gun armament). Soon the low efficiency of the machine-gun "females" became clear, which could not fight the enemy's armored vehicles and could hardly destroy the firing points. Then a limited series of "females" was released, which still had a machine gun in the left sponson, and a cannon in the right. The soldiers immediately aptly dubbed them "hermaphrodites".

For the first time, tanks (Mk.1 models) were used by the British army against the German army on September 15, 1916 in France, on the Somme river. During the battle, it turned out that the design of the tank was not sufficiently developed - out of 49 tanks that the British prepared for the attack, only 32 moved to their initial positions (17 tanks were out of order due to malfunctions), and of these thirty-two that started the attack, 5 were stuck in the swamp and 9 were out of order for technical reasons. Nevertheless, even the remaining 18 tanks were able to advance 5 km deep into the defense, and the losses in this offensive operation were 20 times less than usual.

Although due to the small number of tanks it was not possible to break through the front completely, the new kind military equipment showed its capabilities, and it turned out that tanks have a great future. At first, after the appearance of tanks at the front, German soldiers were afraid of them in a panic.

The First World War differed from all previous wars in the abundance of innovations - military aviation, submarine warfare, chemical weapons and, of course, tanks that brought battles out of the dead end of trench warfare.

British tanks

The very first tank in the war was built on 9 September 1915 in Great Britain. At first he received the name "Little Willie", but after finishing and output to the series he was given the name "". On September 15, 1915, tanks of this type were first used in battle, in France, during the Battle of the Somme.


Mark I

The first combat use of tanks showed that the design of the Mark I was imperfect. Tanks broke down, easily penetrated, drove slowly - all these shortcomings led to huge losses. As a result, it was decided to significantly change the car. They removed the tail, changed the muffler, reconstructed the exhaust pipes, increased the thickness of the armor - and as a result, the changes led to the appearance first of the Mark IV, and then the last British tank of the First World War.


Mark V

In parallel with the "Marks" in 1917, the British were building a high-speed tank Whippett, or Mark A - a fairly fast and reliable vehicle that showed itself well in combat. The Whippett was very different from other British tanks, but the main vehicles were still diamond-shaped - the British began to manufacture tanks of a new format after the First World War.


Whippett

Tanks of France

The first French tanks were the Schneider and Saint-Chamond, built in 1917. These machines had a number of disadvantages, but they were quite effective when used massively. As a result, the tanks were converted into armored personnel carriers - for these purposes, their design turned out to be suitable.


Saint-Chamond
Schneider

A much greater role in the development of world tank building was played by the French Renault FT-17 tank - the world's first serial light tank, the first tank with a classic layout and the first tank with a rotating turret. The idea for its development came to Colonel Etienne in 1916, when he decided that the army really needed a type of tank to accompany the infantry. In the end, it was decided to create a small, cheap car, ideal for mass production. It was planned to produce such machines at 20-30 per day, which would make it possible to fully equip French army tanks.

The development of a new car was taken up by the designer-manufacturer Louis Renault. As a result, the Renault FT-17 was born in 1917 - the result of much trial and error.


Renault FT-17

Immediately after entering the battlefield, tanks received worldwide recognition. They were supplied to Russia (then to the USSR), Poland, USA, Japan, Italy, Romania, China and a number of other countries. Car long time improved, and after the war it remained in service with many countries, and in France it was still the main tank. Some examples of Renault FT-17 survived right up to, and took part in hostilities at the initial stage.

As a result, it was design features Renault FT-17 became the basis for further tank building.

Russian tanks

Even before the First World War in Russia there was a tank project created by the son of D.I.Mendeleev, Vasily Dmitrievich Mendeleev. Unfortunately, the tank project was never implemented.


Mendeleev's armored vehicle

Already in the First World War, Nikolai Lebedenko developed the first russian tank- "Tsar Tank". This huge vehicle with a crew of 15 people and a hull length of 17.8 meters was armed with powerful guns and was striking in its size. A prototype was built, but during sea trials it almost immediately got stuck with a wheel in a small hole, and the engine power was not enough to pull the car out. After such a failure, work on this tank was completed.


Tsar Tank

As a result, during the First World War, Russia did not produce its own tanks, but only actively used imported equipment.

German tank

In Germany, the role of tanks in the war was understood too late. When the Germans realized the power of tanks, German industry had neither the materials nor the manpower to build combat vehicles.

However, in November 1916, engineer Volmer was ordered to design and build the first german tank... The tank was introduced in May 1917, but did not satisfy the command. An order was given to design a more powerful car, but work on it dragged on. As a result, the first German tank A7V appeared only in 1918.


А7V

The tank had one significant feature - the protected tracks, which were so vulnerable on British and French vehicles. However, the vehicle had poor maneuverability and, in general, was not good enough. Almost immediately, the Germans created new tank, A7VU, in shape more like British tanks, and this vehicle was used more successfully, becoming the progenitor of future heavy tanks.


А7VU

In addition to the A7V tanks, Germany built two Colossal supertanks, which weighed about 150 tons. These largest tanks in the world never took part in the battles, and after the war they were destroyed under the Treaty of Versailles.

Hello friends. In light of the great interest in the history of the First World War in recent times, for your attention a short article about the origin of the tank era. The first World War became a break in two eras. She changed the map of Europe, irrevocably claimed the lives of about 10 million people, overturned all such familiar ideas about the world of that time, and perhaps the world itself.

In our history, this war is also marked in many ways by the fact that during this period, during the conduct of hostilities, for the first time, two new types of weapons were used - chemical and tank. it latest weapon rebuilt the entire military theory and practice, made the customs of the then war even more harsh, and the new human capabilities to destroy their own kind even more terrifying.

In the midst of this war, in the winter of 1916, the headquarters of the united armies of the Entente began to develop a joint campaign designed to take the entire strategic initiative into their own hands and bring the war to a victorious conclusion. A strategic decision was made to use the maximum of available forces and resources, including those at the stage of implementation, to conduct main operations. The main task of the planned offensive was declared to be the capture of all German communication centers and the movement of the combat zone on the coast of France.

The Somme River was chosen as the site of the main joint operation of England and France. Terrain conditions were bad for maneuvers - hills and unevenness, but the allies calculated that numerical superiority over the enemy would allow them to overcome all negative factors. To ensure the complete success of the operation, 6 cavalry and 32 infantry divisions... Strong fire support for the operation was provided by 2,200 guns, 1,200 mortars, and 300 aircraft. And most importantly, for the first time it was planned to use a new type of heavy land weapons- tanks.

The operation took place on July 1 and lasted until November 18, 1916. The Germans were well prepared and the Allied victories became ambiguous. The British offensive was repulsed, while the French captured several settlements and a couple of positions. But german army under the leadership of K. von Bülow, in the shortest possible time, she was able to organize a defense and pulled together additional reserves.

By September 12, the allies overturned the German line, but they no longer had enough strength to develop the main offensive. Then a new type of weapon that had never been used before came to the rescue. Exactly 97 years ago, on September 15, 1916, the British carried out the very first tank attack in the history of mankind. True, due to the lack of experience, the crews of the vehicles were still very poorly trained. And the tanks themselves were not at all maneuverable, cumbersome and slow. At night, 49 vehicles entered the front, of which only 32 moved to their original positions. Only 18 tanks took part in supporting the attack, the rest, despite the frightening appearance, simply could not overcome natural obstacles. But even this relatively small number had a powerful influence on the development of the battle. Thanks to tank support, British forces on a front almost 10 km long advanced 5 km inland. The entire operation took almost 5 hours. The losses of British manpower were much lower than in earlier operations.

In carrying out their attack, the British used Mk.1 machines, a prototype of which was created in 1915. The creators named this tank "Little Willie". After several tests, the vehicle was found fit for combat. The first working samples of this tank were released in 1916, at the same time the order of the British command for one hundred similar machines began to be carried out. The Mk.1 tank was produced in two main modifications: "Male" ("male" tank had a machine gun and two 57-mm cannons) and "Female" ("female" was equipped only with machine-gun armament). The armor was 6-10 mm, it could withstand shrapnel and bullets, but direct hit the shell was fatal for her. This colossus weighed 30 tons, the length was 10 m, and the speed was 6 km / h, it could overcome trenches and wire obstacles. The crew consisted of eight people, and the engine was in the same building with the crew. The temperature inside the iron beast sometimes reached 50 degrees. The equipment of the crew necessarily included a gas mask, as the crew lost consciousness from a small amount of oxygen and poisonous gases.

The next major use of tanks by British forces happened on November 20, 1917, in the area of ​​Cambrai. This was the first truly massive tank attack.


Mk1

The entire Third Panzer Corps, manned by 476 armored Mostrs, took part in this offensive. According to the drawn up plan of operation, it was expected, having broken through the German defenses, to capture Cambrai and enter Belgium.
In the morning, the Panzer Corps struck at the German positions. Surprise attack a large number armored vehicles worked more like a weapon of demoralization. Stunned by this alignment, the enemy offered almost no resistance - the defenders had neither experience in fighting tanks, nor appropriate weapons, and most importantly, they were in a state of shock. The tanks made a terrible impression on the Germans, causing genuine horror and panic. On the evening of November 20, tanks, accompanied by infantry, advanced 10 kilometers and headed for Cambrai. In total, 8 thousand prisoners were captured, about 100 guns and hundreds of machine guns. But a little later, the inconsistency in the actions of the infantry and tanks became clear, and the British attack stopped. And by November 29 it stopped completely. On November 30, the German command launched a powerful counteroffensive and soon the lost sectors of the front were returned. Then the British brought 73 more tanks into battle. The tanks advanced in small groups of 3 cars, in the shape of a triangle, followed by the infantry in three lines: the first captured the trenches, the second destroyed the enemy's infantry, and the third provided the rear.

First tank battle with the use of tanks on both sides happened at the very end of the war, on April 24, 1918. This is a battle between British Mk.1 tanks and German A7V tanks near the village of Villers-Bretonne. Artillery and infantry in this battle did not take any part at all. Thanks to the higher maneuverability of the vehicles and better teamwork of the crew, the British won.


A7V

Josef Volmer received the order to start production of these combat vehicles in Germany. They had to meet a number of requirements: a reliable engine, minimal noise, the ability to replenish ammunition within a few hours, a relatively small silhouette, sealing and quick engine replacement.

The tank created by Vollmer was named LK-I ("light tank"), while more were ready for production. heavy tanks LK-II. It was envisaged to make one third of the tanks only with machine gun equipment, and all the rest with cannon equipment. They did not have a chance to take part in hostilities right away - the war had already ended before the tanks were produced. A kind of paradox came out - Germany, had the opportunity to make tanks that were not inferior to the enemy, stopped their production due to the low flexibility of the industry. If Germany had a sufficient number of lighter tanks, then it is not known how the course of the war would have developed.


LK-I

In the battles of the First World War, tanks clearly demonstrated their main capabilities. In addition to significant physical damage, they brought severe psychological confusion to the ranks of the defenders. It became clear that the enormous potential of the new combat vehicle had yet to be revealed in the coming decades.