Category: World War I Tanks

The British Mark I tank was an impressive and influential military tank and weapon that revolutionized how battles were being fought during the later days of World War I.

At a time when the deaths were mounting and the allies were losing faith in any kind of positive outcome for all the fighting, the evolution of the tank that began with the Mark I changed all of that.

As clumsy and incapable as it could be at times, the Mark I would go down in history as being the tank that changed the way ground battles were being fought, turning the tide of the war. 

What Were The Weak Points of the Mark I?

A more successful result from the modification of a few previously developed tank prototypes, the Mark I was the first tank ever to make its way to the battlefield.

As impressive as that sounds and surely was at the time, the Mark I was still wrought with problems that made its battlefield introduction in September of 1916 more challenging than its designers had hoped.

With only 9 of an initial 49 tanks accomplishing their goals, the others breaking down immediately or becoming stuck in the mud, it at least gave the tank designers of the day something to improve upon, which they continued to do with the development of its successors, all the way to the much more capable Mark V. 

What Was The Strong Point of the Mark I?

The one thing that the Mark I did get right, however, was its ability to travel over the protective trenches that were used by foot soldiers to hide as they shot at their enemies.

With a track that could span over 11 feet, the Mark I could cross most trenches, allowing crew members inside to fire down into the trenches while continuing the battle as the tank moved forward to the other side. 

The trenches that had stalled the progression of the war into different regions because armored cars could not cross them, were no longer able to contain it.

The tanks could cross them, providing supplies, weapons, and even crews further into different regions.

Suddenly, the war was more mobile than ever and with the continued development of better and more reliable tanks, trench warfare was eventually phased out since the trenches no longer provided the strategic protection that they were intended for. 

The Mark I Changed The End of World War I

While the Mark I may not have accomplished much before it was redesigned and reintroduced as the Mark II as well as other models and tank types, it did prove that the technology, if perfected, was practical. In its short lifetime, with the Mark I changing how the remaining 2 years of World War I would be fought!

World War I was the first war in which tanks were used and those vehicles quickly became the weaponry that turned the tide in what then became modern warfare.

Though it was the UK that actually brought the first tanks into the war after developing its infamous Little Willie prototype, many countries were developing their own at the same time.

These are just a few of the hundred or more World War I light tanks that were used during that period and that went on to be even further developed into bigger, stronger tanks by the time the second World War started.

• The British Tanks - With Little Willie starting it all off, the British brought the first World War I tanks to the battlefield as the Mark 1. This tank became one of the most influential war vehicles of the time, as it opened the door for tank warfare and all the new tanks that would follow. The British later brought the Medium Mark A “Whippet” into production, a World War I light tank tasked with supporting the heavier Mark I’s and its successors. The Mark IV, a heavy WWI tank designed to be more powerful and durable than all its predecessors, was possibly the best tank that made it to the battle, and the one most feared by other armies.
• The French Tanks - The French were next in line as the developers of some of the most influential World War I tanks. The Schneider CA1 was their first tank, a heavy tank designed for trench warfare that was cumbersome but powerful. It was followed by the Saint-Chamond, which was even bigger, and one of the heaviest tanks used during WWI. But it was the Renault FT that was so important. Considered the world’s first “modern” tank, it was the first World War I light tank with a rotating turret, another design feature that would be adopted by many tank designers in the future.
• The German Tanks - Despite it being a source of some of the best cars and other vehicles today, Germany only produced one World War I tank and only 23 of those, as it were. The A7V Sturmpanzerwagen was a heavy tank with a unique idea, as it contained a crew of up to 25, six machine guns, and a forward-facing gun. Shaped like a box, it was like an armored infantry. The idea was not continued, however, and Germany used mostly Allied tanks that had been captured and repurposed for their own needs.

Though today many countries throughout the world have developed bigger, better, and more powerful tanks, these few models were the only WWI tanks that made it to the battlefield in any capacity.

By WWII, that changed entirely as hundreds of more advanced tanks were designed and built all over the world.