BIG WILLIE, MOTHER OR CENTIPEDE, ORIGINAL MARK I TANK _Frontispiece_
PLATE FACING PAGE I. LITTLE WILLIE AND MARK IV TANK (FEMALE) 26 II. GROUND OPERATED OVER BY TANKS DURING THE BATTLE OF MESSINES, SHOWING PRELIMINARY BOMBARDMENT ON JUNE 5, 1917: AND GROUND OPERATED OVER BY TANKS IN AUGUST 1917, DURING THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES 122 III. MEDIUM MARK “A” TANK (WHIPPET) 176 IV. FRENCH SCHNEIDER TANK AND FRENCH ST. CHAMOND TANK 186 V. MARK V TANK (MALE) 204 VI. FRENCH RENAULT TANK AND GERMAN TANK 214 VII. GUN CARRIER AND MARK V STAR TANK (FEMALE) 220
1. SCOTTISH WAR CART, 1456 3 2. VALTURIO’S WAR CHARIOT, 1472 5 3. HOLZSCHUHER’S BATTLE CAR, 1558 6 4. SIMON STEVIN’S LANDSHIP, 1599 7 5. THE APPLEGARTH TRACTOR, 1886 10 6 and 6A. THE BATTER TRACTOR, 1888 12 and 13 7 to 15. TANK TACTICS 75 and 77 16. GERMAN ARTILLERY TACTICS 115
I. THE BATTLE OF ARRAS, APRIL 9, 1917 84 II. THE SECOND BATTLE OF GAZA, APRIL 17, 1917 100 III. THE BATTLE OF MESSINES, JUNE 7, 1917 110 IV. THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES, JULY 31, 1917 120 V. THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI, NOVEMBER 20, 1917 146 VI. THE BATTLE OF SOISSONS, JULY 18, 1918 192 VII. THE BATTLE OF HAMEL, JULY 4, 1918 206 VIII. THE BATTLE OF MOREUIL, JULY 23, 1918 208 IX. THE BATTLE OF AMIENS, AUGUST 8, 1918 222 X. GENERAL MAP End of Volume
In war the main problem to solve is--“How to give blows without receiving them”; it has always been so and is likely always to remain so, for battles are two-act tragedies: the first act consisting in hitting and the second in securing oneself against being hit.
If we look back on the 4,000 years of the known history of war, we shall find that its problems are always the same: thus in battle the soldier has to think of four main acts:
(i) How to strike his opponent when at a distance from him;
(iii) How to strike him at close quarters;
(iv) How to prevent himself being struck throughout the whole of this engagement.
In these four acts must be sought the origins of the tank, the idea of which is, therefore, much older than the Trojan horse; indeed, it dates back to some unknown period when aboriginal man raised his arm to ward off the blow of an infuriated beast or neighbour.
To ward off a blow with the bare skin is sometimes a painful operation; why not then cover the arm with leather or iron, why not carry a shield, why not encase the whole body in steel so that both arms instead of one may be used to hit with, for then man’s offensive power will be doubled?