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Osprey New Vanguard #100
British Mark I Tank 1916
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 Its development was completed in December 1915, but by then it had already been superseded by an improved design, Mother.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.
- GenresWorld War I
48 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2004
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About the author
David Fletcher
451 books14 followersDavid Fletcher is a historian at the Tank Museum at Bovington and has written a great number of books on British armour.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 12, 2021
This is a superb overview of the world's first operational tank by one of the foremost experts of British tank history.
Fletcher covers the development of the Mark I: from early efforts—the Number One Lincoln Machine, Little Willie and, of course, Mother—right through to the lightly armoured Mark II and III variants that were produced for training purposes but frequently found themselves on the front line. He is especially good at documenting the small design improvements and experiments between the Mark I, II, and III, and explaining the thinking behind them.
In keeping with Osprey's New Vanguard series, this volume is largely devoted to the Mark I as a machine of war, so there is comparatively little about the actual combat experiences of the tanks and their crews, except insofar as it relates to matters of design and engineering. But in Fletcher's hands, what might have been a dull tabulation of technical details emerges as a story about the search for the nature of this new weapon—what it was capable of, and how it should be used.
Outstanding.
Fletcher covers the development of the Mark I: from early efforts—the Number One Lincoln Machine, Little Willie and, of course, Mother—right through to the lightly armoured Mark II and III variants that were produced for training purposes but frequently found themselves on the front line. He is especially good at documenting the small design improvements and experiments between the Mark I, II, and III, and explaining the thinking behind them.
In keeping with Osprey's New Vanguard series, this volume is largely devoted to the Mark I as a machine of war, so there is comparatively little about the actual combat experiences of the tanks and their crews, except insofar as it relates to matters of design and engineering. But in Fletcher's hands, what might have been a dull tabulation of technical details emerges as a story about the search for the nature of this new weapon—what it was capable of, and how it should be used.
Outstanding.
January 20, 2025
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.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews