A Tank SpecialA Tank Special

Welcome to this Top Gear special which is going to look at a different kind of vehicle - the

tank!

We’ll be looking at when the tank was developed and just

how good it was during WW1.

1. Write the heading: Tanks in WW1

2. Collect a diagram of a tank and stick it in your jotter.

Tanks are quite simply…genius.

They would become the most powerful fighting

vehicle...............................................................

in the world!

However they weren’t used from the very beginning of WW1.

They were in fact developed under the orders of Churchill.

No, not that Churchill!

Winston Churchill! The man that led Britain

during WW2.

Churchill used money from the navy’s budget to develop the tank until the army agreed to it.

The original prototype had to be able to go at 4mph, cross 2.5 metres (8 feet) and climb a short 45 degree angle slope.

It was also nicknamed “Big Willie” after Kaiser Wilhelm II

1. Draw a table like the one below in your jotter. You will probably need a page for this.

2. Use the Tank Information sheet to help you complete your table.

3. Imagine you are one of the Top Gear team. Write a review about how useful the tank was during WW1

Good things about the tank Problems with the tank

Tanks had their good and bad points. Tanks, when used properly, could be extremely effective.

To begin with they often broke down or got stuck – especially in the mud!

There was also a slight issue of getting spare parts when they broke down...which happened...quite a lot!

Tanks were often held together thanks to the cleverness of the crews.

Tanks were very cramped inside. It was very loud and dark too. You couldn’t really see and you couldn’t stand up.

Tanks were first used at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Unfortunately the army did not have enough of them.

They discovered that the most important skill of a tank commander was to hide tank until needed.

At Cambrai there were 378 tanks behind the lines. These were up at night while aircraft flying over head.

This battle occurred in

November 1917 and it showed how much the

tank had improved!

The German defences were

formidable.

They had strongly fortified

trenches and wire 50m deep.

But the tanks soon advanced, causing panic.

The Brits advanced more than 10km into German territory at Cambrai.

The tank would be even more successful at Amiens in 1918 when the German army would retreat further.

And there you have it. The tank wasn’t great initially, but with time it became an essential part of the war…even if it only

went at 4mph!