DARK HISTORY BONUS: TANKS!

Ninetoes goes ballistic over this week’s topic, an industrial revolution that changed warfare as we know it, by taking the idea of the knight in shining armor to a whole new level in this bonus edition of DARK HISTORY!

Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am starting a new series based on inventions from the past. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

There are so many eras in history to explore, but I want to start the series with inventions from World War I. Let’s face it, this war was the birth of modern warfare as we know it. The first invention from that war I would like to address is the tank.

The tank was designed to overcome challenges trench warfare posed. The King prototype was built in 1915 and was given the nickname “Little Willie”. Little Willie was designed and built by William Tritton and Walter Wilson at William Foster & Co. in England. This was done under the guidance of the British Royal Navy’s Landships Committee. An interesting fact here: Winston Churchill (future Prime Minister of Great Britain) was a part of this committee.

Little Willie showed that an armored vehicle on tracks powered by an internal combustion engine could prove useful on the battlefield. Remember, Little Willie was a prototype. He was soon replaced by designs that were capable of going over trenches. Just to give you an idea of what it was capable of, a trench on the front line of battle would measure anywhere from 4 feet wide to 6 feet wide and was often seven feet deep. The newer tanks could easily cross that span without falling in.

The first combat-ready tank was the Mark 1. It was introduced onto the battlefield on September 15, 1916, during the Battle of the Somme.

The German Army would build a tank in response to the Mark 1 called A7V Sturmpanzerwagen. It was developed in 1916 after the German High Command recognized they needed a weapon to counter the strength of the Mark 1. The A7V would not go into battle until 1918.

There were 150 Mark 1 tanks built during World War I. They were divided into 75 male and 75 female versions of the tank. The male tanks were armed with two 57 mm Hotchkiss six‑pounder guns in sponsons. The female versions carried two Vickers machine guns in sponsons, with smaller escape doors at the rear.

There were 20 A7V Strumpanzerwagens built by the German army. The main armament of this tank was a 5.7 mm Maxim-Nordenfelt gun that was either mounted on a turret or a side sponson, depending on which variation was built. This gun was also referred to as a six pounder.

The first tank versus tank battle occurred on April 14, 1918, during the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneaux in northern France. This battle was a turning point in which tanks could be used against tanks and not just infantry.

Until the next time, I bid you successful research!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

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