Behemoth The Coming of the Tank Author:Patrick Wright When British Tanks First Appeared on the battlefields of World War II in September 1916, they inspired both laughter and dread. Whether viewed as comical antediluvian swamp creatures or as mechanized nightmares from the future, within a year they had changed the nature of ground warfare forever. In Behemoth, military and cultural historian Patri... more »ck Wright tells the story of the tank: its invention and visionary precursors (Leonardo's sketchbook drawings); its limited role in World War I and its widespread and crucial presence in World War II, not to mention its impact in smaller conflicts in Korea, the Middle East, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf, and Tiananmen Square: and its prospects for the high-tech and low-tech conflicts of the twenty-first century. But Behemoth is not merely a work of military history. The tank has been not only a symbol of patriotism but also an emblem of the modern imagination, part of the popular culture; and Wright is equally adept at exploring and elaborating humankind's ongoing, nearly totemic fascination with the tank.« less