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This year marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. This is truly a great event for all of us, because tank history dates back to this date. Exactly one hundred years ago the legendary “Mark” I first entered into battle, becoming the pioneer of the world of tanks. A century later, it's time to thank the first steel hero, who gave us a golden age of design thought and inspired many generations of engineers to create legendary armored vehicles.
Thank you, Mark!
Restored according to drawings, completely authentic copies of experimental and unique tanks, find out more about the world's first tank.
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15 September 1916, at the Battle of the Somme River, the baptism of fire of “Mark I” took place — the first tank in the world. 18 multi-ton armored vehicles went into battle under British banners and shocked the opposing army, which did not expect to see something like this.
Development of “Mark I” was kept in the strictest confidence. To maintain secrecy, British counterintelligence started a rumor that the Russian government had ordered a batch of fuel tanks in England. It was under the guise of giant barrels that the first batch of “Mark” I was loaded onto a train and delivered to the front. Since then the word "tank" has been used firmly entrenched in tracked combat vehicles.
Like representatives of the fauna, “Mark I” was divided into two modifications: “female” and “male”. The female was armed only with a machine gun, the male was supplemented with a cannon.
The tank was far from ideal. Its maximum speed was about 6 km/h, which is approximately comparable to the speed of a pedestrian. The car was unreliable — out of the 49 tanks prepared for the attack, only 18 managed to reach the battlefield. In addition, "Mark" I had a number of interesting design features that today look somewhat comical. The function of the radio operator we were accustomed to was performed by a dovecote mounted on the roof of the tank. Communication with the command was carried out exclusively with the help of birds. There was no fuel pump at all. The fuel flowed into the carburetor straight from the tank, so the tank stalled every time it climbed a steep hill.
Despite all its shortcomings, it was “Mark” I went down in history as the world's first tank. Its mighty tracks paved the way for many generations of legendary combat vehicles and predetermined the development of engineering for many decades to come.
