STORY OF TANKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 July 1940, Page 5

STORY OF TANKS

ANCESTRY IN FIRST WAR CHARIOT MODERN VERSIONS OF KNIGHTLY MEN-AT-ARMS. DEVELOPMENT IN THE PAST. There has been a long-standing argument as to who invented the tanks, writes Gerald Dillon in the “’Sydney Morning Herald.” The truth of the matter is that nobody did. The ancestry of the modern tank goes back to the first war chariot, and ever since then something in the shape of a more aggressive war machine has been a least a flicker on the edge of the vision of those who have tried to perfect the scientific side of warfare. Leonard da Vinci invented a sort of tank in 1482, and the Scots made use of a wooden “war cart” in the 15th century. There were designs for a tank drawn up during the Crimean War, but the project was finally abandoned, on the ground that it would be rather unsporting to use such a weapon. The evolution of the tank also, of course, owes something to the Knights of Old, for they and their mounted men-at-arms were the forerunners in a “personal” way of the modern tank! You can imagine a 10-stone man in armour, which itself weighed 561 b, mounted on a horse which would look something like a modern dray horse, and the horse’s armour weighing another 601 b: and there you have a rough conception of the. modern tank. The problem of the mechanical tank has always been associted with motor power, but about 50 years ago there appeared a practical design for a sort of caterpillar tank, which was to be driven by steam. In a sense, too, it might be said that H. G. Wells was the spiritual father of the modern tank, for, in 1903, in a story in the “Strand Magazine,’ he cleverly exploited the idea. Tanks became necessary in the last war, on account of the devastating use of machine gun fire employed by the Germans; and the war nad been in progress only a few weeks when the tank idea was reborn simultaneously in the minds of Colonel Swinton, Major Tullock, Captain Hetherington, and a Mr Diplock; and maybe several hundred others as well. By October, 1914, both Swinton and Tullock had independently worked out details for an engine of war which was to be a cross between an armoured car and a tractor. These two afterwards worked in closer collaboration, and it was as a result of their enthusiasm that the concept took final shape. “MOTHER” MAKES GOOD. The Navy also played its part in the development of the tank, for it was concerned with its possible use with marines on shore. First of all, Major Tullock’s idea was experimented with, and then a tractor with a self-bridg-ing apparatus, designed by Admiral Bacon, was investigated. Meanwhile, a Landship Committee had come into being, and this body examined various designs, all in the face of a good deal of official apathy. Even finally, when the tanks were actually under construction, there was some difficulty in getting the competent military authority to provide soldiers to man this new arm, but men were eventually allotted from the Armoured CaiReserve,

Colonel Swinton spent much time at G.H.Q. in France, urging on the people there the importance of the caterpillar idea—and so, in the end, after the War Office, the Admiralty, the Ministry of Munitions, and various Landship committees had gone into the matter fully, the first experimental tank, which was christened “Mother,” came into being in January, 1916, after a previous design, christened “Centipede.” had been completed, but discarded. “Mother” made good—so good that 150 of these “landships” were immediately put under construction at Lincoln.

So that there should be complete secrecy about the building of these monsters, it was given out locally that they were water tanks which had been ordered by the Russian Government! It is said, however, that information about the tanks was discovered, while they were under construction, by Mata Hari, a charmer who combined the art of seductive public dancing with the dangerous work of acquiring information for the Germans. In 1916, Mata Hari was dancing in London. She is said to have extracted the vital details from the lips of a young officer whom, she had fascinated. She is also said to have passed this information on to Germany through Holland. Apparently the Germans did not believe her report, for the first appearance of the tanks on the Somme in September, 1916, took them completely by surprise. Mata Hari left London soon after performing this little service for Germany, but she was followed to Paris by Secret Service men, and there handed over to the French authorities, by whom she was promptly shot. SECRET TRAINING. While the tanks were under construction, the future crews had to be trained in great secrecy; and this was carried out on Lord IveagH’s estate near Thetford. Three rows of plantations, vast shelter belts of trees, six lines of sentries, as well as cavalry patrols, guarded these first tank crews from the eyes of the curious. At last, towards the beginning of June, 1916, a limited number of Mark I. tank's was ready, and then the men began training in earnest. It was not, however, until the Somme offensive, which was launched on July 1. 1916, had been in progress two and a half months, that the first tanks rumbled into battle on the morning of Friday, September 15, in a ground mist which lay like a blanket over the Somme. The tanks had moved up into front line positions on the previous night. It was a pitch dark night, and at 6.20 the next morning, as the British artillery barrage crept forward, tank's crossed the parapets with the infantry—and a new weapon came into use in war.

Forty-nine tanks should have gone into battle that morning, but only thirty-two had reached the starting post. Of these nine got ahead of the infantry and caused heavy enemy losses. The surprise element was of great value, for when the Germans saw these machines in their midst they thought they had been outflanked. Nine of the tanks fell behind the infantry, but did good work mopping up. Five became ditched, however, and nine broke down.

The German reaction was typically Teutonic. First of all they said this new weapon was “barbarous'' and that

every possible counter-measure would bo used against such monstrous engines. Then, to make the best of the situation, the German High Command took steps to assure their troops that they need not be afraid of the new weapon! That is the story of the modern war chariot. and there is no doubt that the tanks did play a considerable part in ultimate defeat of the German resistance in 1918. But tanks were also a factor in the conquest of Abyssinia, in the subjugation of Poland, and, above all, in the defeat of France, so it will be seen that any new invention of this sort is always a double-handed one.