The introduction of tanks on the frontline battlefields during the First World War completely revolutionized ground warfare.

They provided mobility and speed, allowing for quick advancements and flanking maneuvers,

all of which was accompanied by large caliber firepower and thick armor, essentially a close range and highly precise artillery weapon, which could easily

decimate enemy machine gun nests and other fortifications. Besides its combat efficiency as a weapon,

there was also the sheer psychological impact, these imposing mechanized beasts had on the enemy

soldiers who found themselves fleeing their positions, abandoning everything

that would slow them down in the desperate hope of escaping with their lives.

While the sight of one of these metal monsters bearing down on you would terrify anyone out of their wits,

there is curiously a lesser-known, possibly even more unnerving aspect of tank encounters

that have been reported by many soldiers, as well as even civilians exploring battlefields

long after the wars have ended. While the actual detailed anecdotal accounts are admittedly hard to come by,

it otherwise seems that reports of spectral sightings or paranormal experiences relating to tanks

and military vehicles are not that uncommon in the realm of, shall we say, military folklore.

This is the smoke pit, and these are true stories of encounters that soldiers, Marines,

and others have had with, for want of a better term, ghost tanks.

I'm Luke Lamanah, and this is wartime stories. Have you ever wondered why they call them tanks?

The Germans call them panzers, which translates to the word armor.

The French called them Char d'Arso, which translates to the word armor. The French call them Chard d'Arsou,

which at least suggests the term assault vehicle. But the English term tank is interestingly a name

that just stuck, as it was originally a name given to these vehicles during World War I by the British

military to conceal their true nature as terrifying

armored assault vehicles. The British referred to them as tanks in official documents,

...