ABSTRACT
A common theme underlying the debate which emerged during the years after 1916 is that technological developments constituted a major threat to the future of the tank. The anti-tank weapons themselves were increasing dramatically in terms of numbers, variety and lethality, with the result that the effectiveness of the tank would be increasingly circumscribed by technical developments in the competitive relationship between guns and armour. The marginal performance of Allied tanks prompted adverse comments which caused considerable concern both in Europe and Britain. The apparent vulnerability of Israeli armour to Egyptian missile fire during the early stages of the 1973 war captured the world’s attention, and produced numerous claims that the tank had lost its dominant position on the modern battlefield. The new emphasis on battlefield performance matched the emerging tactical/attritional emphasis which characterised the Anglo-American operational style after 1945.
