Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-12-15
EFFECTIVE WORK
OF BRITISH TANK
Their First Appearance on the
Western Front Was at the
Now Famous Battle of the
Somme

No one man or one department of
the British government can take Gre
dit for ''inventing" the tanks, writes
an Associated Press correspondent.
They came into being as a result of
long period of study and co-ordinated
effort by many men acting under three
separate departments, the war Office
the admiralty and the ministry of
munitions.
In the autumn of 1914 when the
belligerents on the western front had
settled down 10 trench warfare it
became obvious that some means of
parrying the danger of well directed
and well protected machine gun fire
from the German trenches must be
discovered il the English infantry was
to carry out assaults with success.
One of the first proposals put for
ward was for machine 100 feet long,
46 feet high and so feet wide, weigh.
ing some 300 tons, propelled by an 500
horse power engine. and with driving
wheels 40 feet in diameter. Another
early suggestion, and the one which
led most directly to the tanks, was
made by Colonel Swinton in October,
1914, to build armored cars on a trac.
tor system, an American invention.
Experiments with various tractors
were made on behalf of the war Office
and by a small expert committee of
the admiralty under Winston Churchill
then First Lord. Through the medium
OF the committee of imperial defenses
the various efforts for the solution oi
the problem were co-ordinated, anG
| certain conditions were laid dowr
which had TO be fulfilled by the pro
posed car.
From among the numerous type
of tractor inspected the most salts
, factory was found to be a caterpilla
i With an endless selflaid track, owe
. which internal driving wheels coul
be propelled by the engine.
In February, 1916. the first tan
was completed and taken down to
farm near London. Here pits, trenche
and ramparts had been constructed
The tests were so satisfactory that a,
order was given on the spot for 10
machine. The ministry of maTifies be
came responsible for the speedies
possible construction of the order
Many improvements were made duI
ing this period of construction an
the first delivery was made in July
1916.
At the end of July, 1916, the tank
and their crews had become so pre-
ficient that 1t was possible to hol,
two exhibition combats over a pre-
pared trench system reproducing
line of German trenches.
At the end of August fifty tank
were loaded at night and sent t
France. When delivered in France tn
tanks travelled only at night, and dul
ing the day were covered with hug
tarpaulin and strictly guarded.
The tanks first went into action
that part of the Somme offensiv
which began on September 10. Th
objective was to drive the German
; out of some high ground runnin
east and south of Thiepval. The e
feet was exhilarating on the BIRTHS
troops as IT was dumfoundlng to tb
Germans. 1t is recorded that so man
of the British infantrymen were owe
come with laughter at their ungain
antics that they were scarcely alb
J to keep up with the procession.
There is no doubt that the elemel
y of surprise had much to do with Il
d extraordinary success of the tanks {
o their first appearance. But the
achievements proved that they he
p more solid qualities than the gift
surprise. Later in the year tanl
were sent out TO Egypt and were
action at GAIA.