Deafender
Mk1 Female Tank
The Mark One Tank initially came in two variants, the male, which was equipped with two six-pounder field guns and three machine guns, and the female, which carried four Vickers .303 machine guns. Of the two, the female was generally regarded as more effective as it could fire on the move. The male needed to stop to fire, making it a highly vulnerable target.
The rhomboid shape was decided upon in order to maintain a low centre of gravity, which also prohibited the fitting of a gun turret. The importance of this was demonstrated by the German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V, which appeared in 1918. This was much taller and highly prone to overturning.
A7V Tank, showing high centre of gravity
By Marseille77 - Own work, Nach Vorlage [1]erstellt, Public Domain,
The Mark One made its first appearance on the battlefield at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15th Septermber 1916, and its effect was profound, both on the British and German side. Bullets appeared to bounce off them (more on this later), and they seemed able to pass over any obstacle. The intention was to mount an assault with 49 of the new weapons, but only 32 were mechanically operational. This unreliability was to become the type’s most serious shortcoming.