Mechanized Warfare

For centuries land warfare was dominated by foot soldiers and horsemen: from Alexander the Great's army to Napoleon's, mobility and speed were functions of physical endurance by men and horses. Steam power brought a major change. Although it proved an excellent method of moving large numbers of troops quickly over long distances, as was shown in the American Civil War and World War I, steam power did not prove to be viable on the battlefields itself. The development of the internal combustion engine kick-started the mechanization of warfare. On October 19, 1914, British troops moved to the from in London omnibuses requisitioned by the army and during World War I trucks would begin to be used in every army. Tracked vehicles entered combat during the Somme offensive of 1916, and this was the precursor to the more extensive use of armored fighting vehicles in World War II, the Cold War, and the wars in the Middle East. Mechanized Warfare tells this story from the first armored cars and lo