Most were armed with 6-pounder guns or machine-guns. Over 500 tanks were used in the British-Canadian-Australian attack at the Battle of Amiens. Crews had also improved: they were now better trained and more experienced. It was more reliable, mobile and easier to control. It had a powerful purpose-built engine, as well as a new steering mechanism. The Mark V tank was a great improvement on its predecessors. By 1918, many battles such as Hamel and the Battle of Amiens were planned with Mark V tanks as an integral part of the operation.
They were also used in Palestine from 1917.Īt the battle of Cambrai in 1917, the further developed Mark IV tanks were said to have been the decisive factor in the Allied victory. By September 1916, 49 tanks were in use on the Somme. They provided greater mobility and cover for infantry on the battlefield, and they could be used as carriers for supplies. However, tanks gradually gained respect as tactical weapons. Initially, commanders and men found it difficult to adjust to these bulky monsters with their cumbersome design. The tank which resulted from the trials, the 'Mark I', was used in battle for the first time at Flers-Courcelette on the Somme battlefield on 15 September 1916. The very first tank prototypes were developed in secret trials in late 1915 and early 1916. However, it is commonly accepted that it derived from the term "water carrier" - the innocent name tanks were initially given to divert any enemy attention from this new war project. There is some debate about the origin of the word "tank".
In the earlier years of the war, there was some doubt as to their effectiveness and worth. The evolution of their use was a long process. It would be impossible to discuss the warfare of 1918 without mentioning the immense impact of "landships" or tanks.
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