![]() Military theorists such as J.F.C Fuller and Basil Liddell-Hart would also be key in developing ideas of mobile warfare in general, arguing for the use of tanks as the main driving force for an attack to break through enemy lines and use their speed and firepower to wreak havoc. The lessons learnt were valuable ones indeed, helping to demonstrate the possibilities of the tank as a main part of an attack, rather than just a support tool for the infantry. Field exercises putting tank brigades alongside cavalry and infantry aimed to try and discern how best to utilise the tank as a formal part of the armed forces. In the following year, the Experimental Mechanised Force (EMF) was established under Field Marshal George Milne to try and develop the idea of armoured warfare further. In 1926 the Tank Corps were authorised to order a new design from Vickers (who had primarily manufactured machine guns during the war) the design, the A1E1 ‘Independent’, was a notable improvement over anything the British had made prior, but only 1 was ever made due to concerns over the cost. © IWM ( KID 109)Īctual development in Britain’s armoured forces only really began to take off towards the end of the 1920s, but with lingering reluctance from the Army and the Treasury. ![]() Whilst it was an improvement in British tank design, it was very much a product of its time and would be obsolete by the beginning of the 1930s. The name ‘Independent’ came from the idea that it would operate by itself without infantry support. Ī closer look at the Vickers A1E1 ‘Independent’. ![]() The Tank Corps was left understaffed and undermanned, with little money or interest being diverted their way in the immediate aftermath of the Great War beyond the Tank Corps being made a permanent part of the British Army in 1923, though limited to only 4 divisions. With the British Cabinet implementing the ‘Ten Year Rule’ that decided Britain would not involve itself with another major war for 10 years, military expenditure dropped. The tank was clearly seen as nothing more than a tool for a war that had now finished. Despite having used tank offensives to remarkable success himself, Field Marshal Douglas Haig demonstrated these sentimants by stating that, “It should never be forgotten however that weapons of this character are incapable of effecive independent action … their real function being to assist the infantry to get to grips with their opponents.” Traditional military thinkers in the British Military seemed to reject the idea of elevating the role of the tank to anything above a support tool for the infantry. ĭespite the value of the tank as a concept being made clear by the success of Allied tank assaults during WWI, the British Army seemed reluctant and, in some cases, almost hostile to the idea of developing their armoured forces further once the war ended. If they do, they can be dealt with by other means.” – Major-General Sir Louis Jackson, 1919. The circumstances which called it into existence were exceptional and are not likely to recur. None of these designs would see combat, but would serve as the basis for future tank designs. From the left: a Mk.I Light Tank, a Vickers A6E2 Medium Tank, and a Vickers A1E1 ‘Independent’ Tank. Facing an opposing force that had made substantial developments in both how a tank should be designed and how it should be utilised as a tool of warfare, British tanks would undergo a steep learning process across multiple, diverse theatres.Ī trio of interwar tank designs developed by the British Army. The Second World War and the new realities of armoured warfare would pose an immense challenge to Britain and its armoured fighting forces. Chief amongst these issues was the British Army’s views on tank doctrine and design the incredible success of Germany’s Panzer divisions in carrying out swift attacks against British troops and tanks highlighted how far behind Britain’s armoured forces had fallen, and the need for reform was made clear. The defeat highlighted the deep-seated issues within the British military’s understanding of the new realities of warfare. The outbreak of the Second World War and the rapid defeat the Allies would suffer in France in 1940 at the hands of Nazi Germany would come as a shock to the British Army. © IWM (Q 68975)īy 1939, this was clearly no longer the case.
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