Tanks were created to provide the infantry with the means of creating a break-in. It had to have the armour to weather small arms fire and shrapnel/shell fragments, the ability to cross trenches and crush barbed wire, while at the same time providing fire support for the infantry as they advanced into the enemy's defensive positions. The Mark I Tank had all of these, and despite it's mechanical flaws, it made a valuable contribution to the British victory at Flers-Courcelettes in September 1916.