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Landships STRANGE WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR I

In the First World War, the Allies and Central
Powers were continually looking for ways to
break the stalemate on the Western Front. One
of the struggles troops faced was being able to
cross the “no-man’s land.” The no-man’s land
was the frontlines and was the terrain between
the trenches. It was littered with bomb craters,
destroyed debris, mud, barbwire, and was in the
direct line of fire from machine guns and artillery.
It was a killing zone, nearly impossible for
soldiers to make it across alive.
Early in the war, the British and French began to experiment and design a secret weapon that could cross no-man’s land and go over the trenches. They called them “landships” because they resembled large ships. After making several prototypes that failed, eventually the British developed a working model which they called “Big Willie.” In 1916, after some modification to it and changing its name to Mark I, the British began the production of this tank. Interestingly, during the development and production of landships, in an effort to keep them a secret the British decided to call them “tanks.” This was because the landship resembled a large water tank and some of the factory workers thought they were building water tanks.
On September 15, 1916, at the Battle of the Somme, the Germans were surprised to see these metal beasts, emerging from the fog heading slowly toward them while unloading artillery shells and machine gunfire. It was the first time tanks were used in battle. Of the 49 British Mark I’s that were part of the attack, most broke down during the battle and several were captured by the Germans. Nonetheless, nine tanks were able to successfully make it across “no-man’s land” and across the trenches.
Throughout the war, the British and French would work on improving the reliability and effectiveness of the tank. They would go on to produce 6,506 tanks between them. Germany never gained much interest in the tank and only produced 20 of their own.

Answer each question with a complete sentence.
1. What was the “no-man’s land?”
2. Why was it so difficult for troops to make it across “no-man’s land?”
3. What was a landship and where did it obtain its name?
4. Why did the British decide to call landships tanks?
5. Who used tanks first and against whom?
6. During the Battle of Somme, what happened with most of the Mark I tanks?
7. How many tanks would the British and French produce in WWI?

Answer 1

1) What was the "no man's land"?

Answer: The no-man’s land was the frontlines and was the terrain between the trenches. It was littered with bomb craters, destroyed debris, mud, barbwire, and was in the

2) Why was it so difficult for troops to make it across “no-man’s land?”

Answer: Advances across No Man's Land were difficult because the soldiers had to avoid being shot or blown-up, as well as barbed wire and water-filled shell-holes .

3) What was a landship and where did it obtain its name?

Answer: Early in the war, the British and French began to experiment and design a secret weapon that could cross no-man’s land and go over the trenches. They called them “landships” because they resembled large ships.

4) Why did the British decide to call landships tanks?

Answer: They called them “landships” because they resembled large ships.

5) Who used tanks first and against whom?

Answer: Britain.

6) During the Battle of Somme, what happened with most of the Mark I tanks?

Answer: British forces first used tanks during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916.

7) How many tanks would the British and French produce in WWI?

Answer: Throughout the war, the British and French would work on improving the reliability and effectiveness of the tank. They would go on to produce 6,506 tanks between them.