Before the tank made its debut in France, the Mark I had to undergo trials and approval stages in Britain. These took place at Hatfield Park. …
Camouflage & Paint in WWI
Tank camouflage is a constantly changing art, depending on landscape, climate and season, among other issues. This article examines the development of tank camouflage during the First World War. …
Building the Mark IV
While historians mainly concentrate on tanks in battle, building armoured vehicles is equally fascinating. Learn how the most produced tank of the First World War was made….
Mark V
On the 18th January 1918 the first Mark V tank was driven out of the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company factory in Birmingham. Just 10 weeks later in early April 8th Battalion Tank Corps began training with the new tank at Humieres. It was a significant step forward from their old Mark IVs….
Action Debut of The A7V
The first action of the German A7V tank, on 21 March 1918, is not very well known from the British side. Probably because most of those in action against them were either killed or captured and very little information reached the British authorities at the time. However we now have a German account to work…
Tank Numbers
Like all military and civilian vehicles before and since the First World War, British tanks were given unique registration, or serial, numbers. …
The Battle of Cambrai: The Fascine
One of the adaptations added during the Battle of Cambrai was the fascine, enabling tanks to cross deliberately widened trenches. …
Using Petrol in First World War Tanks
For all their impressive power, tanks won’t work without fuel, which in the First World War meant petrol. This post takes a look at how this petrol was stored and used aboard British tanks….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Into Battle
Third Ypres, or Passchendaele, was a controversial battle at the time and has remained so ever since. Disagreement exists over whether it should have been fought at all, over the tactics used and over whether the casualties were worth the gains. …
The Battle of Passchendaele – Operation Hush
One of the reasons for launching the Third Battle of Ypres was a British desire to capture the Belgian coastline from the Germans….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Tanks at Third Ypres
Third Ypres was planned as an infantry and artillery attack, with tanks in a supporting role….
The Battle of Passchendaele – Background & Planning
The German invasion in August 1914 led to the conquest of almost all of Belgium. …
Tanks On Trains In The First World War
Tanks in the First World War were very slow. There were no tank transporters so tanks had to go by train and, as the war went on, they were getting bigger and heavier….
The New Mark IV
The first Mark IV tanks arrived in France in late April 1917, and were issued to units in May….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part III
The third instalment in David Fletcher’s three part series examining the experimental tanks of the First World War describes such oddities as cranes, bridges, and rudimentary amphibious tanks. …
French First World War Tanks
The Renault FT is by far the most well-known French tank of the First World War, but it was not the first Char d’Assaut used by the French Army….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part II
While the first instalment looked at early experimental tanks, this blog post examines vehicles created as a reaction to problems tanks were encountering in combat, such as the Invicta Roller and tadpole tail. …
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part I
David Fletcher’s three part series details many examples of experimental tanks created during the First World War and includes weird and wonderful vehicles otherwise lost in the mists of time….
Tanks in Palestine in the First World War
While writing on the First World War generally focuses on the Western Front, Palestine was the site of several tank battles against Turkey. …
Camouflage
From the very beginning the tank had to be well-camouflaged, first when it was a secret weapon and then later when it advanced on to the battlefield….
