Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-02
The Need Of Tanks.

The machine gun corps Of the Brit
lsh army as constituted i'm October
1915, was divided INTO an infantry, 0
cavalry and a motor branch. SD
months later new section wa
formed at Bislcy. The men ior th''
new section were taken from the pici
of the Derby recruits, for the junior
officers two COlonels went on a voyage
Of discovery to cadet battaliOns and
other units and selected PROMISING
young men with "A knowledge Of in
ternal combustion engines who had
given proofs Of an adventurous spirit
and of ability To make men move. For
some time the object OF the new unit
remained "A mystery even to those
drafted into IT, except so far as the
qualifications required Of the officers
afforded an inkling.
The name given to the new organ
zatIon-the heavy armorcd section
of the motor machine gun service
only deepencd the mystery. as there
were no signs of cars, armored or
unarmorcd and the only training
given to the men was foot drill and
machine gun practice. However af-
ter some time spent In these Occupa-
tions the colonel In command ad-
dressed the company commanders and
some other officers on parade and af-
ter commending the spirit they had
hitherto shown, bade them he of good
heart. as wonderful new car. which
would astonish them all was shortly
TO ,be issued to them for service In the
field
At last II was announced that tho
new car was ready. But II was not
brought to the camp near Aldcrshot,
where the section was stationed-thal
was far too much In the public eye
A site had been chosen In Il more re-
mote part OF the country; there a
camp was pitched, carefully screened
from inquisitive passersby; 1t was
surrounded by fences and guarded by
sentries posted at intervals of 100
yards. with orders TO admit no one
who was not furnished with a special
pass. Companies Of the armored car
section as soon as their preliminary
training was completed, were success
fully drafted to this camp to become
familiarized with their weapon Of
destruction.
The new armored car concealed in
this lair certainly had all the promised
elements OF surprise. At first sight
1t appeared little more than "A huge
shapeless bulk OF metal. IL was said
to weight some forty tons was armor-
plated all over with tiny spyholes at
intervals, from some of which peeped
out murderous-looking gun muzzles
and had no visible means OF progress
sion except two small motor wheels
attached like tail behind. The
wheels behind were found to act only
as q rudder to direct It's course. the
propulsive force coming from some in
ternal and invisible wheels that trav-
eleG over long endless metal tracks.
extending I'm an ellipitcal shape from
the snout to the rump and moving
forward as the creature advanced
The pace at which this strange object
moved was slow-barely three miles
an hour. Tn first company OF the
heavy armored car section were de
lighted with the spectacle of the crea-
ture intrustod to their care, and
promptly adopted the name "Big Will
lie with which their new pet had
previously been Christoned Tho two
next OF the same breed to come in
were called Little Willie" and
Mother"
In the autumn Of 1914, when the op-
pononts had settled down to trench
warfare, IT became obvious that some
means of parrying the danger Of we'll