Tanks – To the Somme and Beyond: the Anniversary of the First Use of Tanks
One of the series of Guild webinars, given by John Pratt, will take place on Saturday 26 September, commencing at 1930 (UK time).
The tank was first used in battle on 15th September 1916 at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette on the Somme. How this new weapon, seen as an opportunity to break the deadlock on the Western Front, was deployed has been the subject of much debate and criticism since. Despite this criticism, the British continued development and deployment of the tank throughout the First World War. Unlike the German Army which relied more on captured British tanks than their own – the first British Tank action against a German A7V Tank happening at Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April 1918, almost 18 months after the first British deployment.
During those 18 months, the British overcame issues at Bullecourt and Ypres, while constantly improving tank design and doctrine and were then able to deploy 474 tanks at the Battle of Cambrai on 20th November 1917. Its success leading to the Church Bells in Britain being rung for the first time since the start of the War.
This talk will discuss some of that criticism, design improvements up to the Mk V Tank, the logistics required to support mass tank deployment, some of the early Funnies, as well as identifying some key places of interest on the battlefield.
(The picture above comes from the Australian War Memorial Copyright Expired – Public Domain)