- The US military sought to develop a tank to break the trench warfare stalemate during World War I.
- British and French tanks inspired the US Army to design their own armored vehicle.
- The US tractor-turned-tank failed but influenced future tank and armored vehicle development.
The US military sought an armored weapon to bypass the heavily defended trenches along the Western Front during World War I.
Traditional infantry and cavalry tactics weren’t cutting it against the heavy artillery and especially machine guns, calling for shielded firepower to strike fortified positions. The emergence of British and French tanks prompted the US Army, which lacked experience with tank development, to design a tank of their own to overcome the stalemate.
But the US’ ambitious endeavor to create a successful armored vehicle fell short, with a prototype that was impractical for combat just as the war was ending.
Nonetheless, the failed prototype laid the groundwork for tanks and armored vehicles of the future.
