Tanks in the Great War, 1914-1918

Transcriber’s note: Cover created by Transcriber, using a photograph from the original book, and placed in the Public Domain.
BIG WILLIE, MOTHER OF CENTIPEDE, ORIGINAL MARK I TANK.
TANKS IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918
BY Brevet-Colonel J. F. C. FULLER, D.S.O. (Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)
NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 1920

I dedicate this book to the modern military scientists, that small company of gentlemen who, imbued with a great idea, were willing to set all personal interest aside in order to design a machine destined to revolutionise the science of war.
I dedicate this book to the modern armourers of the British factories, those men and women whose untiring patriotism and indomitable endurance in the workshops produced a weapon whereby the lives of many of their comrades were saved.
I dedicate this book to the modern knights in armour, the fighting crews of the Tank Corps; those Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men, who, through their own high courage and noble determination on the battlefield, maintained Liberty and accomplished Victory.

The following work is the story of a great and unique adventure as heroic as the exploits of the Argonauts of old, and, though the time perhaps has not yet arrived wherein to judge the part played by tanks in the Great War, I feel that, whatever may be the insight and judgment of the eventual historian of the British Tank Corps, he will probably lack that essential ingredient of all true history—the witnessing of the events concerning which he relates.
I, the writer of this book, first set eyes on a tank towards the end of August 1916. At this time I little thought that I should eventually be honoured by becoming the Chief General Staff Officer of the Tank Corps, for a period extending from December 1916 to August 1918. The time spent during this long connection with the greatest military invention of the Great War, it is hoped, has not been altogether wasted, and the story here set forth represents my appreciation of having been selected to fill so intensely interesting an appointment.