Tank warfare in the First World War was only a fledgling idea. Up to this point, the cavalry had played a vital role in battle and many generals viewed the idea of men riding into battle on horseback with drawn sabres was the chivalrous and gentlemanly way to fight. The tank was soon to mark the end of such a style of battle and usher a new era of warfare, where technology played an ever increasing role, into existence.

The original idea for tanks came with cars, plated with armour and with a turret mounted machine-gun on the roof. From this evolved the modern day tank with moving tracks and heavily armoured exterior. The first tank put into production was the Mark I tank built by the British. 100 of these "Big Willies", as they were fondly named, were ordered by Prime Minister of Britain Lloyd George. These first tanks produced, although revolutionary, were very unreliable. The designers still had much to do to create an efficient and completely functional military assault vehicle.

On the fifteenth of September in 1916 the first tank attack was carried out by the British. Although almost all of these new contraptions broke down on their way to the front, one made it and changed history as it engaged the enemy for the first time. Many German soldiers were terrified merely at the sight of the first tank as they had never seen anything like it before. Although not nearly as successful as it might have been, this first battle foreshadowed the future impact the tank would have in the war.

With the development of new technology and innovation the tank became more reliable and more effective. The new Mark IV tanks had thicker armour to defend against armour-piercing bullets and new strategies to avoid German anti-tank ditches were devised. Even special devices to cross ditches and trenches were created to provide an ever increasing range of terrain where tanks could travel.

At the battle of Cambrai on November twenty-first, 1917, the tank proved its effectiveness in the first major tank battle of all time. Nearly 400 tanks crossed into No-man's Land and proceeded to flatten barbed wire fences and ditches to provide access by the following infantry. The attack was so effective in breaking through the Hindenburg Line, constructed by the Germans, that the British were unable to capitalize on the success because of a lack of troop support.

The tank would soon have a great impact on the outcome of the war. The German's, skeptical of the true worth of tanks, began their own tank construction too late and never had a chance to properly use the tank toward their own purposes. Tanks would spell the end of cavalry in battle and begin the move toward technology, instead of shear manpower, being used a the major means of attack.