The birth of today's modern battle tank stemmed from the darkest days of World War One when the shell torn battlefields of France were literally bogged down in a stalemate situation, with opposing forces confined to miserable conditions in dank trenches and the occasional bout of needless slaughter taking place as commanders sought to gain an advantage over each other. This standoff needed something special to break the deadlock, something that could cross the battlefield, break through the miles and miles of deadly barbed wire and cross the trenches protecting the enemy and all while taking fire from the enemy. The search for something to break the deadlock was so great that a number of unorthodox weapons were tested during the war, but ultimately it would be one machine that would take to the battlefields of France that would eventually make a difference. 1916 saw a new vehicle taking to the battlefield for the first time, a steel monster the likes of which had never been seen before and that vehicle would become one of the most feared weapons in land warfare in the decades that followed. That weapon was the 'Tank' and few weapons, let alone military vehicles have captured the imagination of the general public like the tank since.
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