Tanks introduced into warfare at the Somme
Tanks introduced into warfare at the Somme One of the first tanks which the British used against the Germans on the west front in 1916, they hoped to get through the barbed wire of the Germans and give the infantry cover. But that didn't work everywhere because of the muddy ground. In the end, they only played a supporting role During the Battle of the Somme, the British launch a major offensive against the Germans, employing tanks for the first time in history. At Flers Courcelette, some of the 40 or so primitive tanks advanced over a mile into enemy lines but were too slow to hold their positions during the German counterattack and subject to mechanical breakdown. However, General Douglas Haig, commander of Allied forces at the Somme, saw the promise of this new instrument of war and ordered the war department to produce hundreds more. On July 1, the British launched a massive offensive against German forces in the Somme River region of France. During the preceding week,...