Alternate names for tanks

Deleted member 147289

Tanks have been an integral part of modern warfare since their first deployment during WWI and have remained ever since a must have for every military force.

But what if they had another name? OTL the British used the term tank to hide the fact that they were developing a new weapon and the name stuck ever since but what could be other names?

The British don't need to invent the tank, it could be the French, Germans, Americans etc... but what would be an interesting alternate name? I am aware of barrels from Turtledove's series and cataphracts from The Union Forever, but I'd like to hear some other ideas.
 
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Kibbutznik

Fight and Be Right named their Russian tanks "Zherebets," after one of the Russian word for horse. You could continue the equine theme, seeing as how many cavalry units were converted into armoured tanks--Mares if made in the anglosohere, Pferds for the Germans, etc.
 

Dorknought

Land Ship is the most obvious as they had to come up with ‘tank’ as a cover. It required heavy engineering and organisation to come up with the tank so that restricts it to a naval establishment. Army’s are less likely to be the initiator.
 
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Peg Leg Pom

When I wrote Naval Gift I gave the prototype tanks the code name Chariot. The idea was that any agents reporting that the British were testing Chariots would be thought insane.
 

Deleted member 147289

How about Dragoons? It would certainly distract enemies since they would think that whoever is creating "dragoons" would certainly refer to cavalry formations. Also, Caterpillar comes to mind as a tank is a caterpillar with a gun.

Landship isn't bad either as it would make sense that the first tanks, being quite large and bulky, might be compared to ships.
 

groundhogday666

Banned
The way we call them in french... "tank" of course, but also,
-Véhicule blindé (= armored vehicle)
-Char d'assaut (= assault cart / assault chariot ? sounds very stupid ! assault vehicle ? )

Land ironclad (to you, H.G Welles !)
Land battleship / ground battleship
Land cruiser
Land destroyer

Battlecart ? Battlecar ?
 
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AdA

In Portugal if you used to word "Tanque" (portuguese for tank) rather than "Carro de Combate" (portuguese for Combat Car and our correct word for tanks) in a armoured unit you would be asked if you were planning to do laundry (as you would in a washing tank)

Assuming a British origin for the term, Chariot would be a good one, since the tanks have similar role to combat chariots in antiquity.

For an animal name, I suggest Elephant, again for military history reasons
 
marathag

marathag

Gerna said:
Also, Caterpillar comes to mind as a tank is a caterpillar with a gun.
Click to expand...
That's why Holt Manufacturing Company trademarked 'Caterpillar' before WWI for their tracked machines, a good choice, and after merging with their largest competitor, Best Gas Tractor Company, as Caterpillar in 1925

But Crawlers, or Gators would be a US choice.

Then there the German way, spell out exactly what it was, an Armored Fighting Vehicle, Panzerkampfwagen
 
Driftless

Driftless

Donor
I like the landship or war wagon lines.

Or, an alternative to the original deceptive term of "tank", call it a beetle, or a land crab, or a toad, or (if it originates in North America) an armadillo
 

Otto Kretschmer

Kicked
In Polish tank is called "czołg" which may be translated as "crawler", from the verb "czołgać się" which means "to crawl". It's one of languages that don't used the original word tank for tanks.

I guess it could be called armor or cuirass as well.
 
Count of Crisco

Count of Crisco

I personally like landships, IOTL the team which developed the British tanks was known as the Landships committee so that could be the British name in ATL.
Several Germanic languages call them something which translates to armored fighting vehicle.

I would also think that there is a case to be made calling them mobile forts, tracked gun nests, crawlers.
On a silly note how about doom turtle?
For the sensation of the ground shaking maybe call it a shaker, or quaker? Rumbler?
 
marathag

marathag

Count of Crisco said:
On a silly note how about doom turtle?
Click to expand...
In WoT, this is the Doom Turtle
1609459052360.png
 
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