(Various reasons have been given for choosing the name “tank,” from shells that were shaped like water-carriers to the British concealing construction of their secret weapon under the guise of making irrigation tanks for sale to Russia.) The first British tank (“Little Willie”) weighed approximately 14 tons, had a top speed of three mph, and broke down frequently. “Tank” was the name the British used as they secretly developed the weapon, and it stuck, even though the French simultaneously developed the Renault FT light armored vehicle, which had a traversable turret, unlike the British designs. The long-sought weapon became reality during the First World War. Ideas for “land battleships” go back at least as far as the Medieval Era plans for one are included among the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. That dubious distinction goes to the artillery.īritish and French troops in Champagne, France, check out a Renault, the first set of tanks built during WWI. Contrary to popular belief, machine guns were not the most lethal weapon of the Great War. There was some speculation that the machine gun would completely replace the rifle. They had a sustained fire of 450–600 rounds per minute, allowing defenders to cut down attacking waves of enemy troops like a scythe cutting wheat. Most machine guns of World War 1 were based on Hiram Maxim’s 1884 design. The American Springfield used a bolt-action design that so closely copied Mauser’s M1989 that the US Government had to pay a licensing fee to Mauser, a practice that continued until America entered the war. The Central Powers employed Steyr–Mannlicher M95 (Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria), Mauser M98G 7.92mm (Germany), and Mauser M1877 7.65mm (Turkey). 303 (Britain and Commonwealth), Lebel and Berthier 8mm (France), Mannlicher–Carcano M1891, 6.5mm (Italy), Mosin–Nagant M1891 7.62 (Russia), and Springfield 1903. The rifles most commonly used by the major combatants were, among the Allies, the Lee-Enfield. All nations used more than one type of firearm during the First World War. From left, Winchester M1897 trench gun, a 1917 Lee–Enfield and Springfield 1903 rifle.

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