A view of the left front portion of the turret on an M-1 Abrams main battle tank. Wrapped around the lower part of the turret is a detector belt for a multiple integrated laser engagement system (MILES). On top of the turret is a hit indicator light, also part of the MILES kit

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.