The Mark I was the world's first tank, a tracked, armed, and armored vehicle, to enter combat. It served throughout World War I. The name "tank" was initially a code name to maintain secrecy and disguise its true purpose. The tank was developed in 1915 to break the stalemate of trench warfare. It could survive the machine gun and small-arms fire in "no man's land", travel over difficult terrain, crush barbed wire, and cross trenches to assault fortified enemy positions with powerful armament. Tanks also carried supplies and troops. Mark Is that were armed with two 6 pounder guns and three .303 Hotchkiss machine guns were called "Male" tanks; those with four Vickers machine guns and one Hotchkiss were called "Female". It is the ancestor vehicle to the Mark VII Tank.
History[]
Mark I Tanks during the Second Battle of Gaza
In 1917, tanks participated in the Second Battle of Gaza, including The Nutty HML 5. British troops used them for cover as they advanced on the town. Many where destroyed in the battle and despite their usefulness, they and the rest of the forces where unable to win the fight.[1]
