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T Tank

History

Dated history of Tank (1916-present (as a type)) in From the Somme to every later armoured front.

Educational history. Casualty figures are documented ranges. This is not operational advice, a ranking of nations, or a how-to for weapons or coups.

At a glance
Timeline

Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.

1916-09-15 Flers-Courcelette1917-11 Cambrai1918 FT and 1918 battles1930s Doctrine fights1939-41 Early WWII1943 Kursk caption1950 T-34 in Korea1973 Sinai/Golan ATGMs1980s-90s Late Cold War MBT2000s-20s "Dead again" headlines
  1. Flers-Courcelette
  2. Cambrai
  3. FT and 1918 battles
  4. Doctrine fights
  5. Early WWII
  6. Kursk caption
  7. T-34 in Korea
  8. Sinai/Golan ATGMs
  9. Late Cold War MBT
  10. "Dead again" headlines
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology

Quick answers

Are the scores a ranking of nations or armies?

No. Scores are browsing aids inside an era-bounded atlas — not live league tables of countries.

Who "invented" it?

A British committee (Swinton, Tritton, Wilson and others) and parallel French work. There is no single Edison. The cover name came from industrial disguise.

Did tanks win the First World War?

They helped in 1918 combined arms. They did not win alone. Mechanical failure was common in 1916-17.

What is an MBT?

A Cold War idea that one "main" tank should replace light/medium/heavy splits. Centurion and T-54 are early exhibits.

Are tanks obsolete?

A headline since 1918, 1973, and the 2020s. History shows adaptation, not a funeral -- and this page will not umpire a current war.

How does Korea fit?

T-34s in 1950; then a ROK armour force and K1/K2 industry. See also the ROK military and Hanwha pages.

Start with this section - History

The Somme is the public birthday. French parallel work is the other parent.

A "tank" was a box on a rail car -- the cover story is the first sentence of the name.

Timeline

  1. Flers-Courcelette

    Mark I debut.

  2. Cambrai

    First massed British tank attack; gains then lost.

  3. FT and 1918 battles

    Turret layout; combined arms.

  4. Doctrine fights

    Fuller, Guderian, Tukhachevsky.

  5. Early WWII

    The type's political shock in Europe.

  6. Kursk caption

    Density and myth.

  7. T-34 in Korea

    A Korean first meeting.

  8. Sinai/Golan ATGMs

    Staff-college shock.

  9. Late Cold War MBT

    M1, Leopard 2, T-72 families.

  10. "Dead again" headlines

    Urban wars and drones -- historically noted.

Eras

Invention

Rhomboids to FT.

Theory

Small wars and big arguments.

Industrial peak

T-34, Sherman, Panther.

MBT Cold War

Two alliances' types.

Questioned type

Headlines vs inventories.

Milestones

1916 debut

A type is born.

FT layout

A century's silhouette.

1973 missile shock

A staff-college date.

Headlines will bury the type again. Inventories usually do not.

Korea's 1950 meeting and later K2 are the local afterlife in this atlas.

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