![]() ![]() That same summer was the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, highlighted by the Great Reunion of Union and Confederate veterans. That summer, 159 students representing sixty three colleges and universities spent two weeks at the park studying the tactics of Lee and Meade and walking the ground still trod by a handful of Civil War veterans. Gettysburg National Military Park was selected to host the first-of-its-kind camp for students on the east coast. As far back as the summer of 1913 then Army Chief of Staff Major General Leonard Wood initiated camps of instruction for qualified undergraduate college students destined for Army service. One of the first national military parks in the United States, Gettysburg was administered by the U.S War Department and had long been a training ground for National Guard units and officer training prior to America’s entry into World War I. After testing, the British government ordered the production of 150 ‘Mother’ style tanks, which occurred in early 1916.Infantry train with a Renault FT-17 tank at Camp Colt. As well, the new design, which was first referred to as ‘Big Willie’ or ‘Mother’ included side mounted 6-pounder (57 mm) guns. ![]() For instance, a rhomboidal shape was chosen because it allowed the tanks better ability to scale over and out of enemy trenches. Revisions were made to the original design, including changing the body shape to better meet the needs of the battlefields of the Western Front. Regardless, the construction of ‘Little Willie’ proved to the British Army that the invention had potential. ![]() It also included caterpillar tracks, which became the standard form of movement for all later tanks. The ‘Little Willie’ tank was a 14 ton armored box with a 105 hp Daimler engine. This first design, which was completed in September of 1915, was called ‘Little Willie’ and is considered to be the prototype to the first British tank. More specifically, the first practical tank design was undertaken by William Foster & Co Ltd in Lincoln, England. The development of the first tank began in 1915 and was based on earlier armored vehicle designs that had already been used in World War I. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |