<P> The development of tanks in World War I was a response to the stalemate that had developed on the Western Front . Although vehicles that incorporated the basic principles of the tank (armour, firepower, and all - terrain mobility) had been projected in the decade or so before the War, it was the alarmingly heavy casualties of the start of its trench warfare that stimulated development . Research took place in both Great Britain and France, with Germany only belatedly following the Allies' lead . </P> <P> In Great Britain, an initial vehicle, nicknamed Little Willie, was constructed at William Foster & Co., during August and September 1915 . The prototype of a new design that became the Mark I tank was demonstrated to the British Army on 2 February 1916 . Although initially termed "Landships" by the Landships Committee, production vehicles were named "tanks", to preserve secrecy . The term was chosen when it became known that the factory workers at William Foster referred to the first prototype as "the tank" because of its resemblance to a steel water tank . </P> <P> The French fielded their first tanks in April 1917 and ultimately produced far more tanks than all other combatants combined . </P> <P> The Germans, on the other hand, began development only in response to the appearance of Allied tanks on the battlefield . Whilst the Allies manufactured several thousand tanks during the War, Germany deployed only 20 of her own . </P>

When did the first tanks appear in ww1