Tank warfare in the was only a fledgling idea. Up to this point, the cavalry had played a vital role in battle and many generals viewed the idea of men riding into battle on horseback with drawn sabres was the chivalrous and gentlemanly way to fight. The tank was soon to mark the end of such a style of battle and usher a new era of warfare, where technology played an ever increasing role, into existence.
The original idea for tanks came with cars, plated with armour and with a turret mounted machine-gun on the roof. From this evolved the modern day tank with moving tracks and heavily armoured exterior. The first tank put into production was the Mark I tank built by the British. 100 of these "Big Willies", as they were fondly named, were ordered. These first tanks produced, although revolutionary, were very unreliable. The designers still had much to do to create an efficient and completely functional military assault vehicle. The “Big Willies” as they were known, had many weaknessess, which included, engines not powerful enough to move through the mud, the low speed of 6km/h made them relatively easy targets for grenades, tank’s getting bogged or even tipped over, in the middle of combat, as Source E illustrates, and that they were very loud, as source C explains. The British soldiers however, saw, at first, the tank as an impressive piece of machinary. As Source Z describes, very proud and passionately, “there before our astonished eyes appeared about six of the first Mark 1 tanks, lurching about the country on their caterpillar tracks”. Another source, Source G describes the soldiers experience as “jolly” and “whoomph” and also describes the unreliable nature of the tank, rolling into a ditch. But as more soldiers began operating the tank, many found out that it was loud, crammed inside and too slow, lacking power.
