The British Mark I, the world’s first tank was the most successful heavy tank of WW I. There were two types of Mark I tank: ‘male’ and ‘female’. Male tanks were mounted with a six-pounder gun (an adapted naval gun with a range of 6,860 meters) on both sides of the tank, plus three light machine guns. Female tanks had two heavy Vickers machine guns in place of the six-pounders and were for close defense if enemy infantry attacked the tank.

First put into service on September 15, 1916, these tanks were designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front.

The Schneider CA1 was the first French tank ever built. It was inspired by the need to overcome the machine guns and barbed wire of trench warfare.

Its armaments included a 75-mm short-barreled howitzer gun, which was placed in the right front corner and two 7.92-mm Hotchkiss machine guns, projecting from each side. All this was protected by an 11mm steel plate, later improved by spaced armour of 5.5 mm, increasing the weight to 13.5 tons.

The tank’s fighting compartment was extremely cramped, which mean the crew of six was mostly flat on their bellies. Poor ventilation and vision arrangements made it difficult to use. The inadequate armour also made it extremely dangerous to crewmembers. In 1918 these older tanks were gradually phased out in favour of the new Renault FT-17

The Renault FT-17, a French light tank is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. With the turret (which could rotate though 360 degrees) on top, the engine in the rear, and the driver in front, this configuration became the classic, repeated in most tanks until today.

The FT-17 first saw combat on May 31, 1918, and like many tank models of the First World War did not initially perform well, with only 3 of the original 21 tanks surviving the battle. The model was soon improved upon and the FT-17 remained in use by the French army until 1940, when some 1,600 of the more than 3.000 manufactured were still in use.

The A7V Sturmpanzerwagen (storm tank vehicle) was a monster of a tank, weighing in at a massive 30 tons. It was armed with one forward-facing cannon, one backward facing cannon, and several machine guns on all sides, requiring a crew of 18 to man properly. The tank required a crew of 18 to properly man it and could reach speeds of 6 mph on rough terrain and 8 mph on a road surface. Ground clearance on the tank was only 40 mm and the length of track on the ground was inadequate for a vehicle of its size. The result was an unstable vehicle with poor cross-country performance; it would frequently toppled over on its side.

The A7V had limited success and was nothing compared to the highly advanced British Mark I tank. However, what it lacked in mobility, it made up in armor. Thes armour was much thicker than that of the British tanks, which meant that it could take quite a beating.