Male tank

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Male Mark V tank showing short 6 pounder gun barrel British Mark V (male) tank.jpg
Male Mark V tank showing short 6 pounder gun barrel

The "Male" tank was a category of tank prevalent in World War I. As opposed to the five machine guns of the female version of the Mark I tank, the male version of the Mark I had a QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss and three machine guns. Ernest Swinton, instrumental in developing the British tank and co-creator of the term "tank" (originally a code word), is credited with inventing these gender-related terms, thinking that the best tank tactics would have the two types attacking in consort. [1]

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References

  1. Glanfield, J. (2001). The Devil's Chariots: The Birth and Secret Battles of the First Tanks. Sutton Publishing. p. 278. ISBN   0-7509-2706-2.