1/4/2024 0 Comments First battle tanksWith a crew of 8 men, the Mark IV weighed 32 tons in the “male” mode and 27 tons in the “female” configuration. Range was a paltry 35 miles, and armor protection was a decidedly modest 6 to 12 mm. Capable of only 4 miles per hour, their lack of speed was not considered a detriment as soldiers on foot were expected to keep up with their progress. The British tanks were of 2 sub-types, with 2 of them referred to as “female” tanks, armed only with 5 machine guns, and the other as a “male” tank, which also sported 2 X 57mm (6 pounder) cannon along with 3 machine guns. This first tank on tank combat pitted 3 British tanks of the Mark IV type against 3 German tanks of the A7 type. One of the main innovations was the use of caterpillar treads instead of tires, enabling these hulking metal monsters unprecedented mobility (though slow) over rough terrain, even to the point of crossing the ubiquitous trenches that typified the Western Front in Europe. One of the enduring innovations of World War I was the armored fighting vehicle, notably the tank, a self-propelled armored vehicle armed with machines guns or machine guns and cannon. Of course, tanks had already seen battle in World War I, just not against each other. The battle raged from April 24 to April 27, 1918, as part of the German Spring Offensive (alternately known as the Ludendorff Offensive), a desperate attempt to snatch victory before the Americans could bring overwhelming reinforcements to the fight. On April 24, 1918, at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France, 3 British tanks met 3 German tanks in the first known instance of tank vs.
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