ICM WWI German Infantry in rmor

During World War I, the trench warfare and the high saturation of combat formations with machine guns and rapid-fire artillery forced the search for ways to provide individual protection for soldiers. In the German army, grenades made of multi-component steel served as such protection. The introduction of this tank, also known as the trench tank, began in the spring of 1916. The weight of these tanks reached about 10 kg, and the armor thickness was approximately 3 mm. The structure consisted of four plates connected by straps, which gave the tank a degree of mobility. The trench tank provided fairly good protection against pistol bullets and shell fragments, and to some extent against rifle bullets. Production of this tank continued until the end of the war, and the number of delivered kits reached approximately 500,000 units according to some estimates.