We can learn about any event only when information about it becomes available. Let's say out of print. What did the press report about the first tanks that appeared on the battlefield in 1916?
“I looked, and, behold, a white horse, and on him a rider with a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he came out victorious, and to conquer."
(Revelation of John the Evangelist, 6: 1)
Tanks of the world. In 1917, an album-format edition titled "The Great War" was printed in Russia. It contained many interesting photographs, including colored linotypes that were pasted separately (!). But today we will get acquainted only with those who showed his readers the tanks of that time in battle! And let's get acquainted with one very curious document. So, on the way through the pages of the publication, which is already more than 100 years old! Well, let's start with a lyrical comment about the sadness that reigned in August 1916 at the headquarters of the commander of British troops in France, Sir Douglas Haig. Losses in the troops entrusted to him grew catastrophically, but there were no results. And then he received a message that there were secret vehicles "tanks" with which he could try to break through the German front. And he immediately demanded the maximum possible number of these machines for the offensive planned for September 15th. Colonel Ernst Swinton of the Royal Corps of Engineers and other participants in the tank project demanded to wait until more tanks could be accumulated, so that the effect of their sudden use would be overwhelming. Moreover, it was precisely this point of view that the French adhered to. Secretly from their British allies, they also worked on their "tanks", or "ball d'assaut" (chars d'assaut - letters, assault vehicle) and wanted to accumulate them as much as possible, so that at the first opportunity they could massively use them in 1917 G.
The reasonableness of the arguments of all those who wanted to strike a completely unprepared enemy unexpectedly, and most importantly, when there will be a lot of new weapons, is obvious. But those who assumed that there was no point in building many expensive vehicles without testing their potential in a real battle were also right. Be that as it may, Swinton prepared a manual for the tankers of the British Expeditionary Force, although it got into active units much later, on September 15. Nothing was done to train the actions of tanks with infantry. The reason for this is the "thick fog" of secrecy and the veil of the strictest secrecy, from which very often there is more harm than from carelessness and laxity. In general, at the headquarters, some said one thing, while others - another, and no one listened to each other. A number of officers, having examined the tanks, claimed that the enemy artillery would immediately shoot them, since they are large and represent an excellent target, but, by the way, for some reason, no one took into account the banal circumstance that fear has large eyes, and that German gunners will have … just shake your hands!
In the end, Haig made the decision to move the tanks on the enemy. 32 tanks out of the 50 sent in reached their starting position. The vehicles were positioned on an eight-kilometer front and moved forward, accompanied by dense lines of British infantry. And it turned out, although not immediately, that where the tanks acted alone, and if they did not break down and did not get stuck ahead of time, all enemy fire weapons began to fire on them, and as a result they were struck. However, when the tanks went in groups, as, for example, in the open area near the village of Fleur, they managed to suppress the enemy's firepower and move forward without much loss. So, much to Colonel Swinton's satisfaction, the very first tank attack met all his hopes. Tanks easily crushed wire barriers, overcame ditches, trenches and shell craters with relative ease, and the infantry, not even trained to interact with tanks, instantly learned this and went forward under their cover.
But those who scolded the tanks were also satisfied. Breakdowns reached about 50 percent, and this when moving only a distance of several kilometers. And under Fleur, a real battle broke out between tanks and German artillery, which revealed a very serious flaw in the tank's design. The fact is that the tank commander, who sat high and had a good view, had nothing to do with the gunners. Noticing the enemy cannon and determining its location relative to the tank, the commander had to leave his place, go to the shooter sitting in the sponson, and, trying to shout down the roar of the engine, tell the one where to look, and then shoot. Then he had to go back and give the order to the driver: where to go and brake so that the shooter could see the target, aim and shoot. No wonder the shooters were instructed:
“Shoot low, not high. Better to let your shell throw sand in the eyes of the enemy gunner than whistle over his head."
But then, when a new target arose, the commander again had to rush to the shooter, that is, back and forth on the tank, he, poor, ran almost continuously. Such were the features of the then observation devices and sights, which stood on the 57-mm guns of the Mk I.
But on September 15th, it was not only artillery that posed a threat to British tanks. The British did not know that the Germans in 1915 began the production of armor-piercing bullets designed to defeat the armor plates with which the British protected the embrasures of their firing points. And these bullets also pierced the armor of the first British tanks, although not always. Success in an integrated approach - the British decided, and this was the most important conclusion they made after the September 15 attack. So, during the battle for the Gerd Trench defense sector, there was only one tank, but supported by the fire of British artillery and aircraft that bombed the Germans and fired at them at low level flight, showed how it is quite easy to break enemy resistance, and the infantry occupy enemy trenches at the cost of very small losses.
As for Haig, his respect for the new weapon was so great that even before the Battle of the Somme ended, he consolidated his status in the army, placing the tanks under the command of a separate headquarters, which was later destined to become the Headquarters of the Panzer Corps. Haig appointed Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Illes as commander of the corps, and Captain Giffard LeQue Martel as chief of staff. Both were sappers, had some technical knowledge, were good officers and, most importantly, had already dealt with tanks before that. A few months later, an infantry officer, who later became chief of staff, and also a well-known personality, Major John Frederick Charles Fuller, appeared in this corps. Ironically, Fuller despised the conservative "old school" military, but was tolerated because he was clearly talented, which ultimately made him one of the foremost military specialists in the British army of his time.
From the end of November 1916 to April 9, 1917, Illes, together with his officers, worked tirelessly to summarize the experience of the battles on the Somme, trying to increase, as far as possible, the combat effectiveness of tanks and turn these clumsy vehicles into weapons of victory. It also helped that the number of tanks coming from factories in England grew like an avalanche, and the tanks themselves were constantly being improved. So, according to reports that German bullets pierce their armor at right angles, it immediately led to an increase in its thickness to 12-16 mm. Then the rear steering wheels were removed from the tanks, which turned out to be unnecessary. But in the battle of Arras in April 1917, 60 Mk I and Mk II tanks still had old armor and were hit by such bullets. But on the way were already completely new Mk IV, which appeared already in June.
At the same time, massive design studies were carried out. We worked on a project of a 100-ton heavy tank (which, due to the high cost, they decided not to produce) and on a 14-ton vehicle at a speed of 13 km / h ("A" brand "medium tank", then known as "Whippet"); with the same reliable armor as the Mk IV and machine gun armament. Meanwhile, a more powerful engine was already being created for the successor product of the Mk IV, the designers were finishing a new control system, making it so that only one person could control the tank without the involvement of assistants.
How did Russia react to all this? After all, we did not have our own tanks then. There was nothing to think about the supply of tanks from the British to the Eastern Front, but it was necessary to know about the new weapon, right? And in the depths of GAU, an interesting document was born, which makes sense to cite here completely, removing from it only archaic YAT and FITU …
"Tanks" (land battleships)
I
Origin
This new weapon of death first appeared on the Western Front in the September battles of 1916, terrifying the Germans.
The British invented it, jokingly calling this weapon of serious quality the word "tank", which means "monster" in Russian.
II
The device and appearance of the "Tank"
“Tank” is an armored vehicle, but without wheels, has an oval shape with pointed noses, flat on the sides and rounded at the top and bottom: at the back there are two wheels for turning the “tank” in the desired direction; in its shape, it resembles a hammer for crushing stones, used on the construction of highways and pavements.
Its height in the middle reaches 5-6 fathoms; width - up to 2, 5; on level ground, when standing, both noses are always raised.
Armored balconies with hatches for guns and machine guns are arranged on both sides and on top, which open for firing and then automatically slam shut. The whole mechanism is in a thick steel shell, quite elastic resistance, 10-12 millimeters thick, also twice as thick as the armor of ordinary armored vehicles, which is not penetrated by our pointed bullet even from 60 steps.
Thus, "tanks" are completely invulnerable to machine gun and rifle fire, even from the closest distances.
Shooting at "tanks" with shrapnel is pointless, since the bullets bounce off their tires. But the "tanks" are afraid of any high-explosive shell, whatever caliber they are, as well as bomb and mortars, hits from which instantly disable them …"
Pretty funny text, isn't it?
