tanksBy: Chanelle Harold, Sydney Oquendo and Katrina Rue

Birth of the Landship

• A new weapon was needed to end the horrors of trench warfare and bring back mobility to the Western Front. Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Swinton supported the development of tanks. He received some support from those in authority and by June 9, 1915, an agreement was made regarding features of this new weapon. It should have a top speed of 4 mph on flat land, ability to turn sharply at top speed, ability to climb a 5 ft high obstacles, ability to cross an 8 ft gap, be immune to the effects of small-arms fire, have a range of 20 miles and a crew of 10 men with two machine guns and one light artillery gun on board.

Advantages• They were bullet proof which offered

protection for soldiers inside or out• They could easily roll over barbed

wires trenches• They carried guns to shoot the

enemies• Broke the stalemate in 1918

Disadvantages• The hot conditions in the tanks can

cause it to light up• Due to the muddy conditions, it

made it slower than it already was• The smoke from the engine can

cause death• Wasn’t very reliable

• Tanks were used for the first time in at the Battle of the Somme. The first tank was called “Little Willie” and it’s max speed was 3 mph, needed a crew of 3 but couldn’t cross the trenches.

• The more modern tank was not developed until the end of the war. It had a revolving turret, reached 4mph and could carry 10 men.

Tank Numbers• By the time the war drew to a close, the British, the first to use

them, had produced 2,636 tanks.  The French produced rather more, 3,870.  The Germans, never convinced of its merits, only produced 20.

• Both the U.S. and Italy produced their own tank designs which were based on the French Renault model, a testament to its design strengths.  The Italians produced the Fiat 3000 and the U.S. the M1917.

• Tank design continued to improve beyond the war and the tank, which helped to make trench warfare redundant, restored movement to the battlefield.

Tank Production 1916-18

Year UK France GermanyItaly USA

1916 150 - -- -

1917 1,277 800 -- -

1918 1,391 4,000 206 84

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