Glossary
Still very much a work in progress.
6 Pdr - The male heavy tank's main gun, each male tank carried two, one in each sponson.
AFV - Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Anti-Tank Rifle - The Germans designed the first Anti tank rifle which was issued in 1918. It was heavy and had an enormous recoil but the bullets could penetrate the WW1 tanks.
APC - Armoured Personnel Carrier - An AFV whose primary purpose is to carry infantry. The British Mark IX tank was the only purpose built APC in WWI, it did not see action. The MkV* could serve as a dual APC / tank, but was only used to carry infantry on two recorded occasions: 8 August 1918 (70 tanks, 1st and 15th Battalions) and 21 September 1918 (2 tanks, 2nd Battalion).
Armoured Car - A wheeled AFV
Baggage Tank - Another term for a Supply Tank. As the name suggests Baggage tanks may have been used to carry a Tank Battalion baggage rather than supplies. In August 1918 14th battalion was allocated six supply tanks to carry supplies, it also had a baggage tank on strength with "A" company (Wbv14), this suggests that Baggage tanks and Supply tanks performed slightly different functions.
Battalion - A group of 36 to 42 fighting and, from June 1917 to April 1918, 6 supply tanks. 3 Companies formed a Battalion and 3 Battalions made up a brigade. In 1917 the battalions were designated by letter , starting with "A" Battalion. In January 1918 the battalion's exchanged their numbers for letters. In total 17 British tank battalions saw action in the first world war, numbers 1 to 16 with tanks and number 17 with armoured cars.
Battalion number - Initially, at least in 1917, tank's usually had their crews number painted on their sides, when tanks were issued to new crews they sometimes retained their original crew number which is sometimes refereed to as battalion number or simply as a tank number. At Cambrai D and E Battalions' tanks carried battalion identification numbers on their rear between the horns (D18 to D1 left to right and E18 to E1, left to right) to help the infantry identify the tanks, these numbers did not correspond to the crew numbers. In march 1918 at least one tank (I46, Inviolate) appears to have still sported its old crew number and name even after it was issued to 8th Battalion.
Beutepanzer - Literally "Booty tank". Captured British tanks pressed into service by the Germans. The Germans had several names for tanks so the term beute-tank could just as easily be used. (S74.p3 footnote)
Bellying - see ditching - The British WW1 tanks had a very low ground clearance. If an obstacle went between the tracks the tank could rise up on the obstacle and thus the tracks would not be in contact with the ground. Alternatively the bottom plates of the tank could be forced upwards and then they obstructed the drive shaft that ran along the tank's floor.
Bog / Bogged / Bogging - see ditching - To became stuck in wet muddy ground (i.e. a bog). Only occasionally used in the first world war as the tanks were usually said to be "ditched".
Bus - A slang term for a tank, sometimes used in contemporary written accounts.
Car - A slang term for a tank, sometimes used in contemporary written accounts.
Census number - see serial number.
Company - A group of 12 to 16 tanks. Four sections made up a company, three companies made up a battalion. During 1917 the companies were numbered from one upwards, 1,2 and 3 companies being with "A" Battalion; 4,5,6 companies with "B" Battalion etc. In January 1918 the Battalions exchanged letters for numbers and the companies were henceforth referred to as A, B And C in each battalion. Tanks were not grouped in "squadrons" in World War One, this term only came into use in 1939 when the Royal Tank Corps became the Royal Armoured Corps. the new RAC incorporated both the old TEC battalions (which detained their numbers but were renamed Royal Tank Regiments) and the mechanised cavalry. Mark Urban (2013) The Tank War p.18
Crew number - Each tank battalion was supposed to be composed of sixty crews. In 1917 each was numbered from 1 to 60 with a preceding letter corresponding to the battalion's letter. These were often painted on the hull of the tank, though in some battalions (i.e. B Battalion at Cambrai) the numbers became "Battalion" numbers (see above) and thus stayed on the tank regardless of which crew were actually aboard. In 1918 most battalion's continued the crew numbering convention, even retaining the battalions old letter. Some battalions (3rd and possibly 14th) appear to have adopted company crew numbers (i.e. 1 to 16 ), preceded by the companies letter. Some battalions (4th and, possibly, 301st Battalion) appear to have dispensed with crew numbers altogether. 1st Battalion apparently started using a "1" instead of an "A" in September 1918, this caused some confusion with the neighbouring 9th Battalion who still sported their "I"
Crib - A wooden structure carried atop tanks and used to fill wide trenches to make them passable. In 1918 the lighter, reusable cribs superseded the fascines used at Cambrai. Cribs were only used on a few occasions, most notable when the Hindenburg line was stormed in late September 1918.
Ditching - see bellying and bogging - Literally falling into a ditch. Obviously a hazard on a battlefield crossed by trenches. The term was often used to refer to all occasions when a tank became immobilised by bad ground.
Fascine - A bundle of brushwood used to fill in ditches / trenches. An ancient weapon used for many centuries. At Cambrai the British tanks were equipped with extremely large fascines which helped them cross the wide trenches of the Hindenburg Line. Superseded by lighter reusable cribs in 1918.
Gun Carriers - The British built 50 gun carriers in WW1, two were completed as mobile cranes and the others mostly saw service as supply tanks, a duty to which they were permanently relegated in the later half of 1918. These were not technically true Self Propelled Guns (SPG) as the guns were supposed to be dismounted to fire, though they could be fired from the vehicle if necessary.
Half Track - A vehicle with tracks and wheels, common in WWII, not used in WWI.
Hotchkiss MG - Used on the Mk I, Mk V and Mk V*. It was replaced with the Lewis Gun on the Mk IV following some bad advice from an MG expert (S52.p51)
Landship - The official name for the first tanks. The designation "Tank" being a codename to disguise the weapons true nature.
Lewis Gun - An LMG used by the British infantry and fitted to the Mk IV tanks after the Hotchkiss MG was deemed unsuitable (s52.p51)
Radio tanks - See Wireless tank - The term Radio was not usually used by the British in the first world war.
Recognition stripes - After May 1918 all British tanks were supposed to carry foot wide white, red, white stripes on the outside of their front horns and on the top of their turrets; this was to distinguish the from Beute Panzers.
Rhomboid tanks - The British Heavy tanks in the first world war, the term refers to their distinctive lozenge shape that was chosen as it gave the tanks excellent trench crossing qualities.
Section - A group of 2 ,3 or 4 tanks. The smallest tactical unit. 4 sections made up a Company. The term troop was only adopted in 1939 when the Royal Tank Corps became the Royal Armoured Corps
Serial number - (AKA Census number) Upon completion each tank was issued with a unique Serial Number prior to leaving the factory. These were usually painted on the hull. In 1917 the tank's Serial Number was often used alongside the crew number and / or name in battle-graphs and battle history sheets. In 1918 tanks were usually referred to by their Serial Number with names and Crew Numbers only occasionally used.
sMK - German armour piercing ammunition issued to MGs, at close range it could penetrate a Mk I or Mk II tank but was usually ineffective against the later Marks.
Sponson - The side extensions fitted to the Rhomboid tanks.
Supply tanks - AKA Baggage tank , Tank tender - In order to carry supplies forward across heavily shelled ground under shellfire the British used tanks either with enlarged sponsons or to tow sledges. They were used from Messines until the end of the war. At Messines and Ypres the supply tanks were converted MK I and II tanks with their sponson guns removed and the holes plated over. These tanks were replaced for Cambrai with Mk IV tanks fitted with top towing gear to tow sledges. In 1918 the top towers were superseded by purpose built MKIV tanks fitted with enlarged sponsons. Gun carrying tanks were also used a supply tanks. The British built some purpose built Mk IX supply tanks but they did not see action.
Tank - A tracked armoured fighting vehicle. Sometimes called "Buses" or "Cars" by their crews, even in official documents. The first tanks were officially called "Landships", the term tank was adopted in an attempt to disguise their true nature, a rumour being put about the factories that they were in fact water tanks for Russia. The English word "tank" derives from an Indian word meaning pond "Tankh" and passed into English in the 17th Century. (John Ayto (1990) Dictionary of Word Origins).
Tank Corps - Created on 28 July 1917 from the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps. The Tank Corps would become the Royal Tank Corps in 1919.
Tank tender - Another term for a Supply Tank.
Top Tower - At Cambrai the British deployed fifty four female fighting tanks as supply tanks (six per battalion) they were equipped with Top Towing gear to enable them to tow sledges. These tanks were often referred to as Top Towers.
Turret -
WD number - John Glandfield incorrectly calls the tank Serial Numbers "War Department numbers". There was no War department in Great Britain in the First World War. The term WD has been used throughout this site the author will gradually correct this error.
Wireless tank - A tank with a wireless (radio). The wireless was either fixed into the vehicle, or more commonly, was simply carried aboard the tank until it was dismounted and assembled. First used at 3rd Ypres.