<P> Germany led the world in the design of Zeppelins, and used these airships to make occasional bombing raids on military targets, London and other British cities, without any great effect . Later in the war, Germany introduced long range strategic bombers . Germany's strategic bombing of England had limited tactical value, but it was demoralizing and forced the British air forces to maintain squadrons of fighters in England to defend against air attack, depriving the British Expeditionary Force of planes, equipment, and personnel badly needed on the Western front . </P> <P> Although the concept of the tank had been suggested as early as the 1890s, few authorities showed interest in them until the trench stalemate of World War I caused serious contemplation of unending war and ever escalating casualties . In Britain, a landships committee was formed, and teamed with the inventions committee, set out to develop a practical weapon . </P> <P> Based on the caterpillar track (first invented in 1770 and perfected in the early 1900s) and the four - stroke gasoline powered internal combustion engine (refined in the 1870s), early World War One tanks were fitted with Maxim type guns or Lewis guns, armor plating, and caterpillar tracks configured to allow crossing of an 8 - foot - wide (2.4 m) trench . </P> <P> Early tanks were unreliable, breaking down often . Though at first they terrified the Germans, their use in the engagements of 1917 provided more opportunities for development than actual battle successes . It was also realized that new tactics had to be developed to best make use of this weapon . In particular, planners learned that tanks needed infantry support and massed formations to be effective . Once tanks could be fielded in the hundreds, such as at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, they began to show their potential . Still, reliability was the primary weakness of tanks throughout the remainder of the war . In the Battle of Amiens, a major Entente counteroffensive near the end of the war, British forces went to field with 534 tanks . After several days, only a few were still in commission, with those that suffered mechanical difficulties outnumbering those disabled by enemy fire . </P>

During world war i the new technologies of warfare