Necessity is the mother of invention. In 360 B.C., the philosopher Plato eloquently quoted this statement by his teacher Socrates in his writing The Republic. When Socrates spoke of this he was referring to the ideal state, which when faced with a need or problem, will encourage creative efforts to satisfy this need or problem1 Throughout the last century of warfare, the necessity to defeat the enemy in a more efficient way contributed to innovations in combat tools. J.C.H. Fuller, when writing about the anatomy of battle in WWI, spoke of the effects of the tank. For the first time a soldier had, with one single tool of warfare, increased mobility, security from the negative effects of bullets, and the ability to discharge his weapons from a moving platform protected by a fixed shield.2 From WWI to today's operations in Iraq, fielded forces depend heavily on the tank for protection and projection of force. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of ke