Tank Tactics in 1916

Join Stephen Pope as he examines how initial tank tactics were developed and how these unproven ideas survived contact with the enemy.

In September 1914, British and French infantry formations were decimated by machine-gun fire at the Battle of the Aisne. It became clear that innovation was needed to avert such disasters.

Over the next two years, the British designed, developed and introduced a machine-gun destroyer, known as the tank, which was used for the first time in September 1916 on the Somme battlefield.

In this fascinating talk, Stephen Pope will highlight how tank tactics were initially developed by Colonel Ernest Swinton in February 1916, refined by the staff of the British Expeditionary Force in August 1916 and utilised during the tank’s debut at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette.