If World War I had been avoided, it's more likely that no country would've seen the need for tanks. One should remember that it was the ensuing trench warfare and resulting stalemate which brought about the need for tanks.Dave Bender wrote:1911 was too early for effective armored fighting vehicles. Automotive technology was not sufficiently advanced for an adequate power to weight ratio and adequate reliablity. Gunther Burstyn had the right idea, but he was 10 years too early.
Had WWI been avoided and Austria-Hungary remained intact, I expect Herr Burstyn's original design would have been updated and you would have seen some Austrian tanks in the 1920s using reliable 225 hp Daimler water cooled engines for propulsion.