History of the tank

The history of the tank traces the development of armored, tracked fighting vehicles from their introduction in World War I through later designs and uses.

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Landship: A proposed armored, motorized vehicle intended to cross trenches and barbed wire during World War I. The British Landship Committee’s proposals helped inspire the first tanks.
Tank armor: Protective plating on a tank, designed to resist projectiles and fragments while limiting weight. Changing threats drove shifts in armor thickness, shape, and materials.
Blitzkrieg: A method of warfare using concentrated mobile forces, air support, and rapid advances to disrupt an enemy. German campaigns early in World War II became associated with fast, coordinated armored advances.
Tank destroyer: An armored vehicle designed primarily to destroy enemy tanks, often with a powerful gun. Tank destroyers specialized in anti-armor combat rather than the tank’s broader battlefield role.
Anti-tank warfare: Military methods and weapons intended to detect, disable, or destroy armored vehicles. Each improvement in tank protection and firepower prompted new ways to counter it.
Little Willie: A British experimental tracked armored vehicle built in 1915, regarded as the first tank prototype. Its trials exposed design problems that shaped the production Mark I.
Tank gun: A direct-fire weapon mounted on a tank, used against vehicles, fortifications, and other targets. Gun performance influenced tank roles and the balance between firepower and mobility.
Battle of Kursk: A 1943 battle on the Eastern Front, known for extensive armored warfare between Germany and the Soviet Union. Kursk illustrates the scale and attrition of major tank warfare in World War II.
Infantry fighting vehicle: An armored vehicle that transports infantry and lets them fight from or near the vehicle. Infantry fighting vehicles combine troop transport and fire support, unlike main battle tanks.
Mechanized infantry: Infantry that travels in armored or protected motor vehicles and fights alongside them. Tanks encouraged armies to equip infantry for comparable mobility and protection.