A History Of Tank Fabrication And Design

Although using tanks in combat is a relatively modern advance in military science

, the conceptualization for the modern tank has its roots in the same place as many modern machines; and that is in the notebooks of celebrated artist, inventor and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci's drawing of a round armored wagon may have little resemblance to the iron beasts that roll into combat today, but it was designed with the same purpose and may be responsible for planting the seeds in minds of artillery designers credited for introducing the tank and revolutionizing ground warfare.

The first reference to a tank-like vehicle and its uses in breaking the deadlock of the trench-style warfare that had become the norm, was in a short story written by the popular science fiction novelist H.G. Wells in 1903 entitled "The Land Ironclads." In this story, and indeed in many other descriptions of tanks that followed, the tank was presented as an armored warship on land. Perhaps this incongruous concept coupled with the fact that Wells was a science fiction writer and routinely described circumstances and events that seems highly implausible to contemporary audiences contributed to the uniform dismissal of the tank as a practical design worthy of the funds it would require to develop.

In 1911, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, two realistic tank designs were independently developed by an Austrian engineering officer by the name of Gunther Burstyn and an Australian civil engineer Lancelot de Mole. These designs were rejected by Austrian and British governmental administrations who, though they could see the viability of the tank designs, could not imagine a need for tank fabrication at the time. Interestingly enough, in 1920 after the close of WWI de Mole was awarded the title of Commander in the British Empire for his designs.

The potential of iron landships, or tanks was finally grasped by Winston Churchill and prototypes were developed and tested. The first tank to actually be sent into battle was a British Mark I, on 15 September 1916. The effects that a tank could have on the outcome of a battle were clear and during World War II tank fabrication rose dramatically with tanks being further developed into precise weapon systems.

World War II was the first conflict in which tanks and other armored vehicles were the critical factor in securing success on the battlefield. World War I conflicts demonstrated that a tank was capable of achieving victory in an unprecedentedly short amount of time.

Effective anti-tank weaponry has of course been developed since World War II, proving that tanks are not invulnerable, but tank fabrication and development continues, and tanks remain a staple in the war plans of nearly all major world powers, and are currently in use in battle today.

by: Art Gib

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