
These are the incredibly rare photographs showing the British ingenuity that brought the dawn of the tank age and changed the Allies fortunes in the First World War.

The images show triumphant British troops atop the world's first tanks, as well as life from the inside manning the machine guns.

These black-and-white photos are taken from the new book 'Armoured Warfare in the First World War 1916 – 1918' by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Pen & Sword Military.

Mr Tucker-Jones said: 'The first tanks came about through the desperate need to break the terrible deadlock in the trenches.

'Interestingly the British, French and Germans took completely different approaches with varying results.

'Although the tank helped secure victory and German soldiers dubbed it "Germany’s Downfall" the country was ultimately brought to its knees by the Allies blockade.'

The British military produced 'Little Willie' in Autumn 1915 weighing 18 tonnes, which had a crew of two plus four gunners. It was referred to as a water tank to ensure secrecy.

Mr Tucker-Jones said: 'This led to the strange looking Mark I with its peculiar rhomboid shape, designed to cross trenches with guns in sponsons on either side.'

In one image a Mark II male tank can be seen passing through a crumbling French village in 1917.

Another image shows jubilant British troops hanging onto a Mark IV tank following the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 where the British army initiated a surprise attack using 476 tanks to penetrate the German trenches at The Hindenburg Line.

Above, Hornsby developed a caterpillar artillery tractor before the war based on agricultural machines. It meant heavier machinery could be carried than traditional horse-drawn artillery

The images also give a glimpse into life inside the tanks, manning the machine guns, as above, in this picture of a Schneider tank gunner manning one of two Hotchkiss M1814 machine guns. This type of tank was developed in France and is considered to be the first French tank, though it was closer to a 'turreted vehicle'

Above, the German A7VU was developed as a copy of the British rhomboid shape but did not go into production before the Armistice. According to author Mr Tucker-Jones, the Germans were reluctant to start the process of developing tanks

Above, a field full of female tanks awaiting delivery. The tanks were first developed as a way to break the deadlock in the trenches

Above, Mark II male with spudded tracks captured by Germans near Arras on 11 April 1917. These types of tanks carried eight crew. Although the Germans favoured other types of warfare, they would make use of any British tanks they captured

Another insight into life inside the tanks is the above 'splatter mask' worn to protect the wearer's face and head inside the tank. According to the book's author, those inside could still be hurt when the tank was hit by spraying shrapnel because the cover on the machines was often made of unhardened steel

Mark I tanks produced as male with 6-pounder guns inside sponsons or female versions with machine guns clad in armoured jackets, pictured. The Mark I was first produced in 1915 and used in combat at the Somme in October 1916. It weighed between 27 and 28 tons and its weaponry was dependent on whether is was a male or female variant

BRITISH TANKS AND HOW THEY GOT THEIR NAME Why were tanks called tanks? Tanks came by their name out of a need to be subtle about the new equipment coming to the battlefield. British commanders didn't want their enemies to guess what they might be about to face, so called the machines 'water carriers' as a code name. It didn't take long before the name was shortened to 'tanks', and it stuck. Mark I: Developed from the Little Willie tank prototype, this was the first British Tank to enter the battlefield in the First World War. Officially, they were called His Majesty's Land Centipede. They first trialled in April 1916. They were more than 32ft long including their tail and 8ft wide, and carried eight crew members. They travelled at 3mph. In total, 150 of these machines were produced. A Mark II tank, used as a stopgap between the Mark I and its real successor, the Mark IV Mark II and Mark III: Superficially identical to the Mark I, there were some key upgrades needed in the first model to benefit the battlefield. The Mark II and Mark III were stopgaps while better improvements were made and were used by training groups only. Mark IV: This model was the true successor to the Mark I, and was a great improvement, with better protection. It weighed between 27.5 and 28.4 tonnes, depending on whether it was female or male, and more than 1,200 of these were produced. It could carry eight crew members at a speedy 4mph. The tank was first used at Messine Ridge in June 1917, then later in the year at Cambrai, where the large number of tanks proved to be instrumental in the battle. Source: Tanks Encyclopedia Advertisement

British Mark I or II male tank identifiable by long-barrelled naval 6-pounder gun, above. Both models looked the same from the outside, but commanders needed upgrades to the Mark I by 1917. According to Mr Tucker-Jones, tanks were 'rudimentary to say the least and were seen as land warships, hence naval terms such as hull and turret'

The Holt 75 model gasoline-powered caterpillar tractor provided the inspiration for the tank. The first full prototype was dubbed Little Willie, and was saved from being scrapped in 1940. Early models of tanks were made with such poor materials that those manning them would be covered in shrapnel when they were hit

Above, the German A7V Sturmpanzerwagen which went into production in October 1917, but only twenty of these cumbersome land fortresses were built. There could be up to 18 men inside one of these overcrowded vehicles and they weighed as much as 33 tons

A number of different FT-17 variants built an initial char mitrailleuse model armed with 8mm Hotchkiss machine gun, above. It was the most revolutionary model, thanks to its moving turret. It was in service until 1949

Belgium was one of the first countries to deploy the armoured car with its Minerva Model 1914. The vehicles had double wheels to support the weight and no doors for better rigidity. The Allied forces were quick to use the vehicles in their offensive tactics and the flat terrain of Belgium lent itself to these machines

A British 15in Howitzer at Passchendaele. This machine was a development of a 9.2in seige Howitzer and Winston Churchill wrote about it in his book, the World Crisis. Mr Tucker-Jones said: 'Although the tank helped secure victory and German soldiers dubbed it "Germany's Downfall" the country was ultimately brought to its knees by the Allies blockade'

German troops familiarize themselves with an enemy tank now under new ownership. Those that fell into enemy hands were utilised but they didn't create as many of their own until the latter part of the war, and some of those didn't see the battlefield before Armistice Day

Jubilant British troops hitch a ride on a Mark IV after the massed tank fleet spearheading attack at Cambrai on November 20, 1917. Mark IV represented a re-siting of the fuel tank and better armour as well as easier transportation. It was first used at Messine Ridge in June 1917

Mark I male tank with its distinctive wheeled steering tail and chicken-wire 'bomb roof'. It was named officially 'His Majesty’s Land Ship Centipede', but was know colloquially as 'Mother' or 'Big Willie', as a joke directed towards the German Kaiser and the crown prince, both named Wilhelm

MILITARY INNOVATIONS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR As well as tanks, the First World War was a time of innovation for several other aspects of modern warfare. Tracer bullets were invented by the British Army, perfected by 1916 Flamethrowers: The first design for the modern flamethrower was submitted to the German Army in 1901, though similar weaponry was used by the Chinese and the Byzantines in the medieval period. They reached their full potential in trench warfare, as enemy soldiers would huddle together in one part of a bunker after a mass assault. The flamethrowers could burn people alive, without damaging the surroundings, so the forces could then use the same bunker. Tracer bullets: A British Army invention, tracer bullets emitted small amounts of flammable material that left a phosphorescent trail in order to aid nighttime fighting. The second development was a great improvement as the first model was erratic and only worked up to 100m, but by 1916 the technology was popular. Air traffic control: The US Army installed the first two-way radios in planes during the Great War so by 1916, pilots could send radio telegraphs over 140 miles and between planes during flights. This ended the isolation of pilots who had not been able to get any signals while in the air. Pilotless drones: Developed by the US Army between 1916 and 1917 by Elmer Sperry and Peter Hewitt, it was directed with gyroscopes and a barometer to determine altitude. It was initially meant to be a unmanned aerial bomb, but its technology was too imprecise to be used again ships. It was developed and used until 1925. Sanitary towels: The modern method for handling a monthly period was developed thanks to the introduction of a cellulose bandage material during the First World War. French nurses worked out that the absorbent material was better than anything they had used before, and British and American nurses followed suit. It was picked up and marketed by Kimberley-Clark who launched KoTex in 1920. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Furious, a modified Courageous-class battlecruiser which was the first of its kind to launch and land aircrafts Aircraft carriers: The first aeroplane to be launched from a moving ship happened in 1912, when a biplane took off from a ramp on the HMS Hibernia. But this wasn't an aircraft carrier, as planes couldn't land on deck. The HMS Furious was adapted from life as a battle cruiser amid fears the guns would be too strong and would shake it to pieces. A long platform to launch and land aircrafts was added and the planes were stored underneath the runway in hangers, as they are today. Source: Mental Floss Advertisement

Number 1 Lincoln Machine prototype built by William Foster & Company in September 1915. This model was never engaged in battle and only existed as this prototype. It was then developed into the Mark I which in turn, led to several more versions of the Mark machines

This Mark II male was photographed passing through a crumbling French village in 1917. Of these models, 20 were shipped to France, and 25 stayed at the training ground in Dorset

To counter British tanks the Germans used flamethrowers and artillery. Unlike grenades, flamethrowers could burn alive enemy soldiers in these confined spaces without inflicting structural damage. Mr Tucker-Jones said the Germans saw tanks as 'unchivalrous' and were slow to grasp its utility

'Armoured Warfare in the First World War 1916 – 1918' by Anthony Tucker-Jones is available to purchase from Amazon for £14.99