An M-1 Abrams main battle tank operated by the 1ST Plt., E Trp, 2nd Bn., 6th Cav., and an M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, operated by the 3rd Plt., E Trp., 2nd Bn., 6th Cav., are parked side by side at the U.S. Army Armor Center

Tanks in mass culture. Tanks were first developed separately and simultaneously by Great Britain and France as a means to break the deadlock of trench warfare on the Western Front. Their first use in combat was by the British Army in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The name "tank" was adopted by the British during the early stages of their development, as a security measure to conceal their purpose.