The great weakness of the tank's predecessor, the armoured car, was that it required smooth terrain to move upon, and new developments were needed for cross-country capability. World War I generated new demands for armoured self-propelled weapons which could navigate any kind of terrain, and this led to the development of the tank. The tank still provides the backbone to land combat operations in the 21st century. The Cold War saw the rise of modern tank doctrine and the rise of the general-purpose main battle tank.

By World War II, tank design had advanced significantly, and tanks were used in quantity in all land theatres of the war.

Though initially crude and unreliable, tanks eventually became a mainstay of ground armies. The history of the tank begins with World War I, when armoured all-terrain fighting vehicles were introduced as a response to the problems of trench warfare, ushering in a new era of mechanized warfare. Soviet T-35, a five-turreted heavy tank of the 1930s Film of WWI-era French and British tanks ( September 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

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How to draw a military tank