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A '''tank''' is an armored, tracked military vehicle designed to engage enemy troops, vehicles and fortifications with direct fire. They were first developed during [[World War I]] by the [[British]]. They were a direct result of the advances in motorized transport. The tank's original purpose was to break the trench warfare stalemate that had bogged down the Western Front of the war. Armored cars had already seen limited use, but their poor combat performance persuaded Major Ernest Swinton to develop a tracked fighting vehicle. Due to the regards for secrecy, the teams working on the project were initially told they were designing and building a vehicle to carry water through desert terrain, hence it being referred to as, "that tank thing." The first tank produced by this committee was nicknamed Little Willie. It was tested by the British military in 1915 and was called a landship. The Little Willy design was followed up by the Mark I, which was actually produced in two variants. The "Male" version carried two 6-pounder light artillery guns in its side sponsons while the "Female" version swapped those for four light machine-guns. The [[France|French]] also developed a tank that was based off a Holt caterpillar and first fielded it in 1917. When the United States entered the war in late 1917, the US Army was initially unsure of how to use the new weapons, but eventually settled on using them as a replacement for horse-mounted cavalry. Based on that decision, the US Army opted to use the French tank design through the end of the war. Tanks immediately made trench warfare obsolete and would later come to dominate land warfare through most of the 20th century.

A '''tank''' is an armored, tracked military vehicle designed to engage enemy troops, vehicles and fortifications with direct fire. They were first developed during [[World War I]] by the [[British]]. They were a direct result of the advances in motorized transport. The tank's original purpose was to break the trench warfare stalemate that had bogged down the Western Front of the war. Armored cars had already seen limited use, but their poor combat performance persuaded Major Ernest Swinton to develop a tracked fighting vehicle. Due to the regards for secrecy, the teams working on the project were initially told they were designing and building a vehicle to carry water through desert terrain, hence it being referred to as, "that tank thing." The first tank produced by this committee was nicknamed Little Willie. It was tested by the British military in 1915 and was called a landship. The Little Willy design was followed up by the Mark I, which was actually produced in two variants. The "Male" version carried two 6-pounder light artillery guns in its side sponsons while the "Female" version swapped those for four light machine-guns. The [[France|French]] also developed a tank that was based off a Holt caterpillar and first fielded it in 1917. When the United States entered the war in late 1917, the US Army was initially unsure of how to use the new weapons, but eventually settled on using them as a replacement for horse-mounted cavalry. Based on that decision, the US Army opted to use the French tank design through the end of the war. Tanks immediately made trench warfare obsolete and would later come to dominate land warfare through most of the 20th century.

The years following World War I saw tank development stagnate, with most interest having faded with the memories of the war. However, this was short lived as the 1930s saw a resurgence in weapons R&D Every major country knew that the tank designs of WWI were woefully obsolete and began developing new tanks to meet the challenges of new warfare. Nazi Germany took the lead in the 1930s and developed a series of progressively better tanks. The earliest of these designs were proven woefully inadequate for the battlefield in terms of firepower, protection and mobility. Funtionally, the early models of the Panzer I (intended only as a training vehicle, but used in the Poland and France campaigns due to a shortage of operational tanks) were little better than the French tanks of WWI. The Wehrmacht High Command learned hard lessons that quickly led to substantial design improvements. The German military leadership developed a new kind of warfare that was perfectly suited to the strengths of the tank. German [[Blitzkrieg]] tactics were the first employment of Combined Arms strategy, exploiting the strengths of artillery, infantry, close air support and tanks carefully coordinated together proved devastatingly effective against every standing army and enabled the rapid conquest of [[France]] and the [[Low Countries]] in May-June 1940 and in 1941 helped Nazi Germany push all the way to the edge of [[Moscow]]. Ironically, the Wehrmacht employed a military philosophy originally devised by a [[British]] tactician, Major [[Basil Liddell-Hart]], but ignored by the [[British]] War Office. Tank warfare continued to be a crucial part of the conflict in [[North Africa]], and on the eastern front, culminating with the [[Battle of Kursk]] in July 1943.

The years following World War I saw tank development stagnate, with most interest having faded with the memories of the war. However, this was short lived as the 1930s saw a resurgence in weapons R&D Every major country knew that the tank designs of WWI were woefully obsolete and began developing new tanks to meet the challenges of new warfare. Nazi Germany took the lead in the 1930s and developed a series of progressively better tanks. The earliest of these designs were proven woefully inadequate for the battlefield in terms of firepower, protection and mobility. Functionally, the early models of the Panzer I (intended only as a training vehicle, but used in the Poland and France campaigns due to a shortage of operational tanks) were little better than the French tanks of WWI. The Wehrmacht High Command learned hard lessons that quickly led to substantial design improvements. The German military leadership developed a new kind of warfare that was perfectly suited to the strengths of the tank. German [[Blitzkrieg]] tactics were the first employment of Combined Arms strategy, exploiting the strengths of artillery, infantry, close air support and tanks carefully coordinated together proved devastatingly effective against every standing army and enabled the rapid conquest of [[France]] and the [[Low Countries]] in May–June 1940 and in 1941 helped Nazi Germany push all the way to the edge of [[Moscow]]. Ironically, the Wehrmacht employed a military philosophy originally devised by a [[British]] tactician, Major [[Basil Liddell-Hart]], but ignored by the [[British]] War Office. Tank warfare continued to be a crucial part of the conflict in [[North Africa]], and on the eastern front, culminating with the [[Battle of Kursk]] in July 1943.

The reigning Western philosophy on tank warfare relied on two distinct types to fill separate roles on the battlefield. The first type was a slower, heavy tank equipped with a general purpose main gun and machine-guns for supporting infantry. These were called "Infantry Tanks" by the British and simply "Tanks" by the US. Prime examples would be the British "Matilda I" or US M-4 "Sherman." The second type was fast, light armored tank that carried a powerful, armor-piercing main gun. These were referred to as "Cruiser Tanks" and "Tank Destroyers" by the British and US militaries respectively. The concept of two separate tank types eventually proved impractical for battlefield employment and was effectively already obsolete by the time Germany attacked the USSR in 1941. While both nations continued to produce light (e.g. Pz II Ausf L "Luchs" and BT-7M) and heavy (Pz VI Ausf B/E "Tiger" and JS-1/2/3) tanks until the end of the war, by 1943 both had effectively standardised on relatively mobile tanks with decent armour and an armament capable of destroying most enemy tanks at normal combat ranges; the main types were the Soviet [[T-34 tank|T-34]] and the improved T-34/85, and on the German side the later models (Ausf F2 and better) of the Pz IV and then the Pz V "[[Panther Tank|Panther]]." These designs were the basis of the post-war concept of the Main Battle Tank (MBT.)

The reigning Western philosophy on tank warfare relied on two distinct types to fill separate roles on the battlefield. The first type was a slower, heavy tank equipped with a general purpose main gun and machine-guns for supporting infantry. These were called "Infantry Tanks" by the British and simply "Tanks" by the US. Prime examples would be the British "Matilda I" or US M-4 "Sherman." The second type was fast, light armored tank that carried a powerful, armor-piercing main gun. These were referred to as "Cruiser Tanks" and "Tank Destroyers" by the British and US militaries respectively. The concept of two separate tank types eventually proved impractical for battlefield employment and was effectively already obsolete by the time Germany attacked the USSR in 1941. While both nations continued to produce light (e.g. Pz II Ausf L "Luchs" and BT-7M) and heavy (Pz VI Ausf B/E "Tiger" and JS-1/2/3) tanks until the end of the war, by 1943 both had effectively standardised on relatively mobile tanks with decent armour and an armament capable of destroying most enemy tanks at normal combat ranges; the main types were the Soviet [[T-34 tank|T-34]] and the improved T-34/85, and on the German side the later models (Ausf F2 and better) of the Pz IV and then the Pz V "[[Panther Tank|Panther]]." These designs were the basis of the post-war concept of the Main Battle Tank (MBT.)

==See Also==

==See also==

* [[British Inventions]]

* [[British Inventions]]

* [[:Category:American Inventions]]

* [[:Category:American Inventions]]