![]() The tank reached its pinnacle of glory in the plains of Europe and the deserts of North Africa during World War II under the baton of battle-conductors like Rommel and Guderian. The tank, starting as a supporting tool for infantry in 1917, became a primary arm for battle by the 1940s, needing support from other arms, including the evolving air dimension. ![]() This gave birth to supporting elements like armoured personnel carriers (APC), self-propelled (SP) guns, armoured engineering vehicles, mobile command posts, etc. The consequent return of “manoeuvre” to the battlefield resulted in new tactics, doctrines and weapon-systems from the 1920s to 1980s.ĭefence research & development (R&D) buzzed with development of the tank, from a vehicle that neutralised trench-warfare to an instrument of “manoeuvre force”. Emergence of the tank infused fresh impetus to the battlefield, rendering trenches and anti-personnel obstacle systems as redundant as a man’s nipples. Soldiers died more of disease and boredom than from gunshots. Defences based on trenches, protected by anti-personnel measures like wire obstacles, minefields, booby-traps, et al, brought warfare to a grinding halt. The military tank was born to counter the stagnation of trench warfare during the Great Wars. ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer “The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it”
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