Home Images and media photos First use of tanks on the Western Front

First use of tanks on the Western Front

A tank in action near Messines.

Tanks were used in battle for the first time, by the British, on 15 September 1916 at Flers-Courcelette during the Battle of the Somme. Two of the four tanks attached to the New Zealand Division were knocked out by German artillery fire during the day. 

Still mechanically unreliable, the tanks were rushed into action in small groups. Many broke down, and the Germans soon devised ways to stop them. Some senior officers had advised keeping them under wraps until large numbers could be assembled to strike a decisive blow.

The tank pictured is a modified British Mk I male supply tank at Messines in 1917.

This image Appears In 2 Articles:

  • Poppy field, village of Pas, Somme 1918
    Battle of the Somme
  • George Bollinger
    Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium

Keywords

western front
battle of the somme
tanks
WW1
Credit

HQ New Zealand Defence Force, Library
Photograph by Henry Armytage Sanders

No known copyright restrictions.

How to cite this page

'First use of tanks on the Western Front', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/tanks-the-battle-of-the-somme, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 14-Mar-2016

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Community contributions

4 comments have been posted about First use of tanks on the Western Front

What do you know?

James Livingston

Posted: 06 Nov 2010

Hi I am doing a bit of research on the reasons why NZ war graves for the Great War overseas were not permitted to have inscriptions on them, although I am aware of several which have inscriptions. I have seen newspaper accounts of the anguish this caused, especially as the rule was changed after people had applied to have inscriptions done as per the government requests for inscriptions.

admin

Posted: 01 Oct 2010

Hi James The First World War site is a work in progress and we are still to cover the major battles of 1918 - we do have a small feature on Le Quesnoy though: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/le-quesnoy/new-zealand-and-le-quesnoy . Regards, Jamie Mackay

James Livingston

Posted: 01 Oct 2010

Why is there nothing about the Battle of the Somme 1918 when the NZ Division famously halted the German advance on Amiens on the old 1916 front line in March April 1918 then counter attacked eventually taking Bapaume and pushing on to Le Quesnoy after tha?

Everett Sharp

Posted: 12 Dec 2008

In September 1916 the (magnificant) NZ infantry were accompanied by Mk1 Tanks, not the Whippet tank as shown here. This did not enter service until 1918. There is a famous photo showing your infantry accompanying such a vehicle...but it was taken in 1918 Everett Sharp Military Historian Oxford University Great War Archive http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/