Tanks were used for the first time in the First World War at the Battle of the Somme. They were developed to cope with the wet and muddy conditions on the Western Front.
Farmers had been using vehicles with caterpillar tracks to cross muddy ploughed fields since their development in the nineteenth century. It was thought that an armoured vehicle with caterpillar tracks armed with machine guns would make a formidable weapon. The tracks would make it easy to cross the muddy no-mans land between allied and German lines while the armoured exterior would offer protection from gun shot and allow the crew to get close enough to the enemy to destroy their lines.
The first tank was called ‘Little Willie’ and needed a crew of 3. Its maximum speed was 3mph but it could not cross trenches so was of little use. ‘Big Willie’ soon followed and was able to cross trenches.
On 15th September 1906 36 tanks were used to attack German held Flers. The attack was successful and the use of the new weapon took the Germans by surprise. However, the attack also showed that this early new weapon could be unreliable. Indeed they often broke down or became stuck in ditches or crater holes. Conditions inside these early tanks were cramped and hot with a lack of oxygen.
