Fascinating discoveries can be found on military headstones.
While detailed research is warranted for an individual’s
personal story, googling the regiment or a subject like tank
history, often turns up some unique items. The WWI trench
warfare stalemates probably did more to develop the idea of
tanks from drawing board to reality than anything else. In a
nutshell, the tank was intended to bring the firepower of
artillery and machine guns across the morass of No Man’s Land
while providing more protection than a purely infantry unit
could carry However, the drawbacks could be significant.
Traveling only at about walking pace and vulnerable to direct
artillery hits, the interior of the tank was also heavily
contaminated with carbon monoxide and other fumes from the
weapons. Additionally, internal temperatures could reach 122
degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn’t until 1917 whan General Pershing
finally requested that 600 heavy and 1,200 light tanks be
produced in the United States. A total of eight heavy battalions
(th