Why and how did tanks come into existence?

The First World War began after the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. However, this was not the real cause of the war. Developments in Europe prior to the war created the conditions necessary for war, and the assassination merely lit the fuse.

When negotiations following the assassination failed to produce results, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. In response, European countries declared mobilisation and war one after another, and thus World War I spread across almost all of Europe. In this context, on 1 August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. On 3 August, Germany also declared war on France and entered Belgium with its armies.

Germany implemented a plan prepared by former Chief of the General Staff Schlieffen for a possible war. According to this plan, France would first be crushed in a surprise attack and forced to sign a peace treaty. Once France was out of the way, Germany would then attack Russia, whose mobilisation and deployment to the front were expected to take longer. However, developments on the Western Front prevented this from happening, meaning that the plan did not go as intended.

When Germany invaded Belgium, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 and sent troops to France. However, this was not the only factor that thwarted the Germans' plans. The Belgian army resisted longer than the Germans had anticipated, refused to surrender, and slowed down the attack. Other factors also contributed to the slowdown of the attack. For example, major logistical difficulties arose. By 6 August, the Germans were already struggling to find oats for their horses. In addition, unforeseen obstacles also had a negative impact on the pace of the attack.

The dense bushes and fences on the battlefield made it impossible to carry out the planned manoeuvre. Rivers, wet agricultural land and swamps also slowed down the advance. The dust cloud raised by the cavalry units made it possible to detect their positions from a great distance, allowing enemy units to take necessary precautions. The cavalry was helpless against intense machine gun and artillery fire. The infantry was also defenceless against machine guns. This situation resulted in heavy casualties.

When it became clear that the cavalry was ineffective, the soldiers dismounted and joined the attack on foot, but this did not change the outcome. The cavalry charged with bare swords, while the infantry charged with bayonets, and both were defeated by intense fire. Despite this, the Germans adhered to the doctrines and tactics outlined in their manuals and continued the attack in the same manner.

The German command's failure to take technological developments into account and its insistence on continuing with outdated tactics resulted in disappointment. However, as early as 1909, Schlieffen had predicted the future of warfare: "There will not be a single horseman to be seen. Cavalry will be forced to carry out their duties outside the range of infantry and artillery. Rifles with breeches and machine guns will mercilessly drive cavalry out of the battlefield."

Despite this, the German army did not attach much importance to operational reconnaissance by cavalry and did not consider that reconnaissance could be carried out more easily, quickly and effectively by aircraft. As a result, the German army, which crossed the Marne with great enthusiasm, failed in its offensive due to strategic mistakes made over two months, heavy casualties and logistical difficulties. When the Germans slowed down, the French brought in reinforcements, British troops arrived, and the German offensive was halted as a result of counterattacks.

Upon this, both sides brought new troops to the front. Believing that they had received sufficient reinforcements and rested, the Germans launched a new offensive on 19 October, thus beginning the First Battle of Ypres in Flanders. Like other areas, this region where the attack took place also had numerous canals and embankments. Although the terrain was generally flat, movement and observation were limited due to bushes, villages, and numerous farmhouses. In addition, continuous rain made the ground impassable.

The Germans suffered heavy casualties due to these terrain conditions and halted their attack on 22 October. The French then launched a counterattack but also suffered heavy casualties and were forced to stop. The Germans attempted another attack on 23 October but, despite suffering heavy casualties, gained almost no ground.

They then halted and began digging trenches. Artillery fire continued intermittently, but as ammunition began to run out, the intensity of the fire decreased. The Germans, having reinforced their units and completed their resupply, launched another attack on 10 November, marking the beginning of the Second Battle of Ypres.

In these battles, gains were limited and casualties were heavy. As the battle stagnated, intense artillery fire was considered to break the defence, but this also proved ineffective. Despite having a large number of heavy artillery pieces, the Germans were unable to use them effectively due to both high costs and difficulties in ammunition resupply.

As personnel shortages began to arise due to excessive casualties, the troops began to prepare for trench warfare. Thus, by November 1914, all battles on the Western Front had come to a halt. This was because both sides had lost their offensive capabilities due to heavy casualties and were facing ammunition shortages. The Germans took advantage of this stalemate and transferred some of their units to the Eastern Front. This was because the Russians had completed their mobilisation much sooner than the Germans had anticipated and had begun to advance towards Germany with their armies.

The Germans reorganised their command structure on the Eastern Front, brought in reinforcements, and dealt a heavy blow to the Russians. At the end of August, the Germans destroyed one Russian army in a short time and forced another Russian army to retreat, after which they began to advance rapidly. For this reason, in accordance with the principle of using troops where they are most needed, they transferred some troops from the Western Front, which had become stagnant, to the Eastern Front.

At the same time, both sides began to increase their weapons and, in particular, their artillery. The amount of ammunition transported to the front also reached unprecedented levels. This was because in trench warfare, firepower was more important than movement, which were the two elements of battle. In this context, the number of machine guns was also greatly increased. As the construction of trenches and obstacles is very important in trench warfare, the number of engineering units also increased significantly.

Using these engineering units, a large number of hand grenades and mines were put into use. Mine launchers were developed and used to lay mines quickly. Barricades, trenches and barbed wire were constructed. The trench lines turned into fortresses and became even more difficult to overcome. As a result, both sides began to think of unusual methods to overcome this stalemate.

At the end of this thought process, the French reorganised their troops and launched an attack in Champagne on 20 December 1914. In this attack, a large number of aircraft were assigned to the army, the number of artillery pieces was increased, and orders were given to use unlimited ammunition. However, despite all these changes, the French army was unable to overcome the obstacles posed by the German defence system. As a result, neither side gained anything in the battles that continued until 8–9 January 1915, but both sides suffered heavy casualties.

The French made some adjustments and launched another attack in Champagne between 16 February and 16 March, but the result was again a failure. As a result, the attack was halted, and the operation reverted to trench warfare. From then on, both sides began to ponder the question, ‘How can we attack successfully by changing what or how?’

To launch a successful attack, it was essential to gain the upper hand. To achieve this, it was concluded that new weapons had to be developed using existing technology or that existing weapons had to be modified. As a result of these efforts, the use of gas ammunition, aircraft, and tanks was prioritised.

The French were the first to use gas munitions. In February 1915, the French fired rifle grenades containing chlorine gas at the Germans in Flanders. However, the French abandoned the use of gas munitions after realising their instability. Following this, the Germans began to focus on gas munitions and use them systematically.

Aircraft were used by both sides at the time. In fact, when it became impossible to use cavalry for reconnaissance operations, reconnaissance began to be carried out primarily by aircraft. Additionally, air-to-ground attacks using bombs dropped from aircraft and air-to-air combat using simple weapons mounted on aircraft or operated by pilots/co-pilots were developed. However, aircraft technology was still quite simple, and aircraft were small and slow, so it was not possible to change the course of battles with air power.

Taking all this into account, the British began working on the development of a new weapon/vehicle. As a result of these efforts, a new land vehicle/weapon emerged that would have a revolutionary impact on future battles. This vehicle/weapon was the tank. Some British officers observed the impact of barbed wire and machine guns on the battlefield and began working on an armoured vehicle as early as October 1914 to overcome these obstacles.

A tractor was used as the vehicle. The tractor was covered with armour, and a tracked mechanism was used instead of wheels. The purpose of using a tracked mechanism instead of wheels was to overcome deep artillery shell craters and trenches on the battlefield, prevent the vehicle from getting stuck in mud, and crush barbed wire. Initially, a machine gun was mounted on this vehicle. Thus, this new vehicle would overcome obstacles, silence machine guns, and dislodge infantry from their positions.

Work in this direction was not only carried out by the army but also by sailors who wanted to conduct operations in landing zones and ports without suffering casualties. However, a British infantry officer of the rank of major, who in June 1915 prepared a report on the design of an armoured vehicle he called the ‘machine gun destroyer’ and its tactical use, and submitted it to the British High Command, ensured that the matter received the highest level of attention.

When the first trial with a Holt tractor failed, the Ministry of Defence lost interest in the subject, but work continued in collaboration with the Ministry of the Navy and Munitions. As a result, a prototype named ‘Little Willie’ was developed and tested, but again without success. Nevertheless, these efforts inspired those involved to design a new model.

The most recent model developed as a result of this inspiration was named ‘Mother.’ This name would later become the first tank brand name, Mark-I. The first tests and trials of the new model's prototype were conducted in January 1916. To prevent information from leaking to the Germans, the code name ‘Tank’ was used in correspondence regarding this vehicle.

Thus, the name ‘tank’ entered military literature and is still used today. The first tank to be used on the battlefield was unveiled on 2 February 1916 in front of the prime minister, several ministers and high-ranking military personnel. Following this successful demonstration, orders were given for the mass production of tanks. When tank production began, they were divided into two categories. The model equipped only with machine guns was called ‘female,’ while the model equipped with machine guns and (one or two) cannons was called ‘male.’

At the same time, the French were also developing an armoured vehicle independently of the British. The first models performed quite well in trials, and the Ministry of Defence placed orders with manufacturers for production.

Upon learning that the British were developing a similar vehicle, a French officer was sent to England. The French officer saw the vehicles being produced, returned to his country, and informed the authorities. The French suggested that the British wait a little longer and use their tanks simultaneously and en masse with their own model to create a surprise.

However, the British had no intention of waiting. As a result, they sent the first tank battalion to France in August 1916. Another battalion was sent later, and these two battalions participated in the first tank assault at the Somme. Thus, tanks were used on the battlefield for the first time.