Tourists rode tanks up the Alps as part of a secret WWI mission

Image: Agence Rol / Gallica via Europeana

The caterpillar vehicles shown here seemed to transport tourists up and down the slopes of Mont d'Arbois in Megève, France. In fact, these trips were actually coverups for a secret World War I strategy. 

A number of the photographs show the uniformed figure of General Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, regarded in France as "Père des Chars" (Father of the Tank). In 1919, Estienne wrote the monograph Study of the Missions of Tanks in the Field. He posited that armored transport could be deployed alongside tanks via caterpillar tracks, to carry infantry, artillery and support troops. Read more...

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