Category Archives: Tank History

Almost the first tank

After the successful trials of the Killen-Strait the committee decided to test two more American tractors, namely the Bullock 'Creeping Grip' machines. First they tried coupling two machines together with an articulated platform, but this proved extremely difficult to maneuver and the coupling often snapped off. After this a bizarre attempt at adding six

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First Tracked Armored Vehicle

After the failure of Pedrail's Lanship and due to a need for better track units, the Landship Committee turned to America's tractors and soon began experiments with the small Killen-Strait, which utilized a tri-wheeled arrangement with three individual steel track units with wooden shoes.

Lloyd George and Winston Churchill were very impressed with the Killen-Strait

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Landship Committee

Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Swinton suggested adding armor to an American Holt, a type of artillery tractor, in 1914 but his idea was initially rejected. However, a few months later, in February 1915, the Landship Committee was formed to analyze the possibilities available for manufacturing armored vehicles.

The Landship Committee was a collection of clever people

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