World War I History Lesson: Why Early French Tank Designs Were a Disaster

Caleb Larson

History, Europe

Ungainly, slow, and heavy—but they taught the French Army a lot about tank warfare.

The brutal trench warfare during the First World War proved to be fertile ground for new technology, and fundamentally transformed warfare. Barbed wire was used to create barriers against infantry and to funnel enemy troops into more advantageous places for the defender. This technology become commonplace on the battlefield as did the machine gun—to devastating effect.