The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First World War, and the world's first combat tank. Born of the need to break the domination of trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle to be named "tank", a name chosen as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose. It was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small-arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions. It is regarded as successful in many respects, but suffered from many problems owing to its primitive nature.
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rdf:type
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rdfs:label
| - British heavy tanks of World War I
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rdfs:comment
| - The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First World War, and the world's first combat tank. Born of the need to break the domination of trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle to be named "tank", a name chosen as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose. It was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small-arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions. It is regarded as successful in many respects, but suffered from many problems owing to its primitive nature.
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sameAs
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spec label
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Length
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dcterms:subject
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dbkwik:military/pr...iPageUsesTemplate
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Number
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vehicle range
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Origin
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Speed
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Secondary Armament
| - Female: One .303 in Hotchkiss machine guns
- Male: Three .303 in Hotchkiss Machine Guns
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Service
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Name
| - British heavy tanks of WWI
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Type
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Caption
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Width
| - 13(xsd:integer)
- 14(xsd:integer)
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primary armament
| - Female: Four .303 in Vickers machine guns
- Male: Two Hotchkiss 6 pdr QF
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Wars
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Weight
| - Female: 27.4 tonnes
- Male: 28 tons
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pw ratio
| - Female: 4 bhp/ton
- Male: 3.7 bhp/ton
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Manufacturer
| - Metropolitan Carriage, Birmingham
- William Foster & Co. of Lincoln
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is UK
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fuel capacity
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Used by
| - 22(xsd:integer)
- White movement
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Engine
| - Daimler-Knight 6-cylinder sleeve-valve 16 litre petrol engine
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production date
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design date
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engine power
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Suspension
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is vehicle
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Variants
| - Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark V*, Mark V**, Mark VI, Mark VII, Mark VIII, Mark IX, Mark X, Gun Carrier Mark I
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transmission
| - primary gearbox: 2 forward and 1 reverse
- secondary:2 speeds
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Crew
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Designer
| - William Tritton, Major Walter Gordon Wilson
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abstract
| - The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First World War, and the world's first combat tank. Born of the need to break the domination of trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle to be named "tank", a name chosen as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose. It was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small-arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions. It is regarded as successful in many respects, but suffered from many problems owing to its primitive nature. The Mark I entered service in August 1916, and was first used in action on the morning of 15 September 1916 during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Somme Offensive. With the exception of the few interim Mark II and Mark III tanks, it was followed by the largely similar Mark IV, which first saw combat in June 1917. The Mark IV was used en masse (about 460 tanks) at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 The Mark V, with its much improved transmission, entered service in mid-1918.
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