Plastic water tanks are a far cry from the armored behemoths also known as tanks, but they do share a curious historical connection. Yes, that’s correct, modern plastics were developed after World War II, while tanks first made their debut in the waning years of the Great War, but there’s something of a relationship.
While not plastic water tanks, military tanks had been first so named by their British creators in an effort to cover their research and development. It was hoped that by classifying these inventions simply as “tanks” on paper, any German spies who might have gotten a hold of the secret documents that referred to them could perhaps be mislead. As it turned out, the label stuck and tanks have been referred to as just that ever since.
In English, anyway. In German, and many other languages, they’re known as only “armor,” a much more appropriate term that is a recognized synonym in the English-speaking world, particularly among military circles. A far cry from today’s plastic water tanks indeed, but the thought is never far away in the minds of military history buffs.
The connection is a little more than simply etymological, in fact, as the earliest designs did resemble nothing more than simple water tanks to those who had the security clearance to see them. Tanks have dominated the battlefield for over sixty years, and even nowadays they form the core of most conventional land warfare tactics.
The appearance of attack helicopters and guided missiles have greatly diminished their striking power, and the asymmetrical warfare prevalent in conflicts today render them ill-suited for most missions, but nothing on the horizon can match the tank in its useful combination of firepower, maneuverability, and defensive capacity. Though less used, the tank still figures eminently in assault tactics and grand strategy and should find a role for itself in the decades yet to come.