British Mark I Tank 1916

Osprey New Vanguard #100

by David Fletcher, Tony Bryan (Illustrator)

In 1915 a machine christened Little Willie changed the way that wars were fought. Little Willie was a fully tracked armoured vehicle that could break a trench system. Its development was completed in December 1915, but by then it had already been superseded by an improved design, Mother. This was the first rhomboid tank, and the prototype for the Mark 1 which would influence a whole generation of tank building. This book details the development of the Mark I, and its surprise arrival in France in the middle of 1916 during the closing weeks of the battles of the Somme.

Genres: World War I

48 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2004

About the author

David Fletcher is a historian at the Tank Museum at Bovington and has written a great number of books on British armour.

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2004, 'British Mark I Tank 1916' is number 100 in the 'New Vanguard series of military titles from Osprey. This volume provides a very informative history of Britain's first operational tank, as well as some great info on the test vehicle which resulted in its development, known as 'Little Willie'. The text is supported by 37 excellent photos and several pages of very good colour artworks. Absolutely brilliant.