World War 1 Army & Tanks 
The increasing power and availability of the internal combustion engine, armour plating and continuous track made the concept of a vehicle to provide troops with protection and firepower a reality at the beginning of the Great War. By early 1916 a prototype design had been adopted and the first British Tank saw combat duty at the Battle of Flers-courcelette, part of the larger Battle of the Somme in 1916. 50 Tanks started the Battle of which only 25 actually moved forward at the start of the attack due to breakdown problems.
The positive impact on British morale and the negative impact on German morale at the sight of British Tanks cannot be over estimated. The general public and Towns and Cities across Great Britain held charity events and donated the money to buy a Tank in their name.
Reliability improved and production quickly increased so that by the Summer of 1918, with over 2,500 Tanks manufactured, they had embedded themselves into the British Army.