AFV Weapons Profile 03 Tanks Marks I to V

8/19/2019 AFV Weapons Profile 03 Tanks Marks I to V

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. .... ....A Mk . V· moves fo rward durill g Ih e BaIli e of mi e ll s ill A IIgust 1918. OI l Ih e s par e s pro r kel carried b e l wl. ell h e rear ha m s. (I mp erialWa rMu eum )

A tank walking up the High Street of Fler with theBriti h Army cheering behind me sage,

eptembcr 15, 1916.

Our new heavily armoured ca r, known a 'Tanks'now brought into action for the first time, successfullyco-operated with the infantry, and coming a ato the enemy rank and file, gave valuable help inbreaking down their resi tance Somme byField Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, ommander-inChief, B.E.F.

THEY had moved up from their concentration pointat The Loop a rail depot near Bray-sur-Somme :on eptember 3 . The following night, under cover ofdarkne , they contrived, not without difficulty inunfamiliar L1rrounding , to take LIP their po it ions onthe tart-line a prescribed by the orders from GHQ.Luminous tapes were a help , but there was a lot of

The ta ll ks go 10 lI ar a M k . I //l oll o f C Co mpall Y. H ea vySec t ia ll . M ac hi ne GU l Cor ps. crosses a B ri l ish seco nd -lin e tr ench11 ils way fo r ward lI ear Thie p val du ri ng th e Fl ers- Cource le ll e

ac tio ll , Sep tember 15. 1916 ( m p er ia l W a r Mu cum )

By Chris Ellis and Peter Chamberlain

mud and they had mechanical troubles . obody slept,despite their fatigue, because there wa more thanenough checking and repair work to do ; and besidesthat they were deafened by the inces ant roar of thenear-by gun batteries which had been pounding theenemy lines non- top for the three days. At6 o'clock on the morning of September 5 , 1916 , zerohour, the barrage s tarted to creep forward , and 32tank of the Heavy Section, Machine Gun Corps clanked, whee zed, and groaned forward in the morning mist in the direction of the German lines. A newera in the hi tory of land warfare had begun.

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette , as this action hascome to be known, was no glorious military victory. twa an attempt to bolster the flagging Somme Offensive which had started on July I , 1916, with 60,000British casualties on the first day alone as an almostritual acrifice to the supremacy of the machine-gun.The Somme Offensive , on a 14 mile front, had largelyfizz led out within days and the well-defended Germanlines remained stubbornly intact save for one or twolocal gain. Clearly the break through which Baig,C-in- of the British Forces, had hoped for would notbe achieved , and the which had characterizedthe previou 18 months ' fighting on the Western Frontwould remain. An added impetus was required andthis led to Haig's requesting the transfer of a hithertountried force, the newly-formed tank companies , toFrance at the earliest possible date . At this time, lateJuly, neither the tank nor their crews were ready forcombat. 0 more than 75 crews were under training ,the training ground itself had only recently beenestablished, and fewer than twenty tanks had beendelivered. However, prote ts from the tank men thatthe new arm was insufficiently prepared for the ma s s


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Progenitors of the Tank I: the Foster-Daimler petrol (gasoline) tractor ( showlI in use by the Royal Marines Artillery). the engille ofwhich was to be usedfor the projected big wheel machine alld which was subsequellfly used to power all tanks Mk. 1- 1 V

surprise attack which they them elves advocated, werenot heeded. The War Office prevailed, and by midAugust 1916 the still only partially equipped C and Dcompanies of the Heavy Section, MGC were ontheir way to France, earmarked for employment in anew break through attack which was being plannedfor a three mile sector of the Fourth Army front inmid-September. The September 5 attack was topunch at the German lines from Thiepval in the north,through the villages of Courcelette aDd Fler toCombles in the outh.

The fifty available tanks were to be allocated to

(Chamberlain Collection)

work with the various divisions taking part all alongthe ector, with the result that vehicles were distributedin penny packet s only aDd were not used en masse atanyone point. Breakdowns reduced the number ofvehicles to only 32 on the start-line, and the smallnumbers engaged proved inadequate to have anydeci ive effect in forcing a break through , though theGerman lIne was pushed back about a mile, and Flerand ourcelette were captured. Individual tanks performed prodigious feats of valour by the tandards ofthe day; one vehicle (D.17) led two others to Fler anddrove right through it followed by the infantry it was

Pr ogenitors of the Tank 2: the t vo Bullock Creeping Grip tractors which were to form the basis of the projected articlllated Iandship .seell on test by the RNAS at Bllrton-on-Trellf. Jul y 1915. Whell this was abandoned . Bllllock tracks were IIsed on the experimelllal

No. 1 Lincoln Machine . (Imperial War Museum)


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Pr oge nilOr s o/ Ih e Tank 3 : Litll e WilJi e seen on leSI 01 Lin colnDece mb er J, 1915 a s firt ed wilh Ih e lI e w Trilloll lra ck s in pla ce

o/ Ih e Bullock Ira ck s il ori g illall y carri ed . Dumm y lurr el ori g inall y fill ed had bee ll r emove d dur ing Ih e r e-building . NOlI Ih e

s l ee rin g la il . Imperial War Mu e um)

upporting leading to the somewhat exaggeratedreporl quoted above another penetrated the Germanlines and forced more than 300 enemy oldiers tourrender, while German troops ed in panic wherever

tanks appeared rumbling towards them. f the actionat Flers-Courcelette was militarily indecisive, it did

prove to Haig (though not straightaway to theGeneral taff) that tanks had a future. Haig calledinstantly for a thousand more (which were ordered onSeptember 19), expansion of the Heavy Section,MGC to three brigades of three battalions each wasauthorized, and a young lieutenant-colonel (later promoted to General), Hugh Elle , who had been GHQliaison officer on tank matters, was appointed tocommand the tanks in France and wa charged withsetting up headquarters and repair and maintenancewo for the tank in the field.

Such was the effect of the first impact of the tank onthe British High Command . I t acceptance wa by no

means unanimou and the tank men had to fight morebattle with authority before they finally got their way.Within two years the tank wa to prove one of themo t decisive weapon of World War I, and certainlythe only one which , almo t on its own , could break thebloody stalemate of trench warfare. In two years, also,

the British tank arm grew mightily. By February 1917its personnel numbered 9,000 and by the Armistice inNovember 1918 the total had reached about 20,000.Tank output increased nearly one hundred-fold fromabout S in fighting trim in September 1916 to some2,000 at theend of 1918.

In July 1917, the Heavy Section, Machine GunCorps shed its now unnecessary secret title andbecame The Tank Corps . For a badge it adopted anoutline representation of its first tank , the Mark I ofF ler -Courcelette fame, the implelozengeshapewhichto this day symbolizes a tank . The Tank Mark I andits immediate successor formed the bulk of Britishtank strength in World War I and these vehiclesrepresented the first practical realization of the land-ship idea in the mechanized age; the fIrst tanks inproduction, the i in ervice, and the first in action.The immediate pedigree of the Mark I tank wasrelatively hort, but the inspiration and effor t which putBritain first in the field with tracked armouredvehicles demonstrates clearly the tactical problemswhich the tank was designed to overcome. Its arrivalon the battlefield was the achievement of a small bandof dedicated and far-sighted individuals .

TH PROG NITORS

The idea of armoured ip for military use ina modern mechanized form had an early public airingin late nineteenth and early twentieth century sciencefiction from, among others, Jules Verne and H. G.Well. Prior to World War I several individuals offeredidea for armoured fighting vehicles to the militaryauthorities of most of the great powers. In Britain,

F. R. Simms, an automotive engineer, had built anddemon trated a war ca r , armour-plated, and armedwith everal gun in 1900. For ervice in the SouthAfrican War in 1899, the British War Office hadactually ordered armoured traction engines, but fordefen ive rather than offen ive purposes. Tract ors with

M olh er or Bi g Willi e or Ce nlip ede which bec ame Ih e prol o lype /or Ihe pr odu clioll h ea v.v /allk s / eal/(rill g all-roulld tra ck s. Ma d e0/ boiler pl a le o llly il had close r space d r i ve lS Ihan pr odu clion ve hi cles ( boilermak ers pil ch in slead o/ Ih e normal eng in ee r ing pi l ch ) billwa s o lh erw ise v irtuall y id ellli cal . Imp e rial W a r Mu eum


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Molher shows irs capabilities 11 all illirial le r f i l before lireofficial demollstrarioll. Note a ccess door ill SpOIISOII. ImperialWarM

crawler tracks were demonstrated (as gun towers) tothe War Office in 1908, but were never adopted, and in

9 2, and again in 1914, an Australian engineer,

L. A. de Mole, had sent plan and pecifications for alozenge-shaped fully-tracked offensive vehicle to theBrit War Office, all of which were filed andpromptly forgotten. Thus the es ential characteristicslatcr incorporated in tanks track for cro -countryperformance, armour for defence, and gun for attack- had been postulated, or even demonstrated, prior tothe outbreak of war. But military aUlhoritie in peacetime are notoriou Iy resistant to innovation and theBriti h War Office (and indeed the French and GermanHigh Command) aw little need for armouredoffensive vehicles before 1914, simply because nopractical demonstration of the need had ever been

given. The closing months of 9 4, after the declarationof war, changed all that.By September 1914, the fighting on the Western

Front was degenerating from a war of movement to astalemate of trench systems opposing each other from

Th e firsr tallk driver : CPO Hill. R A was a member o f 20Squadroll RNA • the IIlIit which provided persollllel for the earlyR A S Ialle/ship experiment alld rrials. Hill drove MotherOil the offiCial demOIlSlratlO1I rllllS ill Hatfield Park, Jallllary26 - Febrllary 2, 1916. alld 01/ Februar y 8 Ire ga l oe a fllrtherdemoll tratioll rllll th i s tim e for Killg George V who was alsogivell a ride ill th e \Ohicle. (Chamberlain Collection)

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Gel/eral arrallgemem 0 rhe Mk. J rallk wilh SPOIISOI/ omif/ed 10sholl' rite el/gille localioll, slarritrg halldl e alld exhallsl pipes.( opyrighl : Bellona Publicatio n s

the Belgium coast to the Swiss border and dominatedby the fire supremacy of the well-sited machine-gun,with the trenches protected by ma ive wire entanglements. n such conditions cavalry was rendered impo-tent and infantry a aults could only be mounted underthe covering fire of a huge artillery bombardment,generally with only limited uccess and heavy troop

losses to the attackers. Continual shelling of the samelimited area of ground, piu the vagaries of theEuropean weather, led to a econdary problem, thatof getting attacking forces and their equipment acrosrough bare terrain which often became a sea of mudfor weeks at a time,

While the British General accepted these conditionsof warfare, and in the absence of a better alternativecommitted larger and larger forces and more andmore gun into what rapidly became a costly war ofattrition, a few more imaginative individual hadapplied themselve to the problem almos t ince thestart of hostilities, obviously influenced, if only ub

consci , by the earlier idea of land hip , Onewho was to play an important role late r wa LieutColonel . . D. Swinton, . secretary of the

ommit tee of Imperial Defence who was ent toFrance a an official war corre pondent in eptember1914. From previou tudy, Swinton appreciated morethan mo t that the machine-gun was likely to be themajor defensive weapon of the war. Hearing of theAmerican Holt crawler tractors which were being used

Tallk piol/eers : ( right to left ) Trittoll , Wilsoll ( ill boots ) ,Hetherillgtoll, alld SWilllOIl cOllfer duril/g Mother 's lest 1 111/.( Imperial War Museum)


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Rear I iew Moth er showillg the s teerillg tail and hydrauli cral/l . Imperial War Museum

A close vie w of th e s lee rill g il ill Ih e rai se d p os il io ll- Oll aMk . Ilallk .

as gun towers by the artillery gave winton the ideathat such a vehicle filled with a uitable armoured bodywould make an excellent means of torming enemy

trenches by carrying infantry or guns with impunityno man ' s land . On h return to London

Swinton communicated the e idea to Lieut-ColonelMaurice (later Lord) Hankey, ecretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence , who n turn pa ed themon to the General taff and to Lord Kitchener,

ecretary of State for War, only to be rebuffed on theground that uch vehicle would be very vulnerable toshell-fire. Meanwhile, over hri tmas 1914, Hankeydrew up a memorandum on the war situation to datewhich included pecial mention of the need for omesort of armoured protection for infantry attacks. Thismemorandum wa circulated to the Committee of

Imperial Defence, one of whose member wasMr. Winston Churchill, Fir t Lord of the Admiralty.Churchill was already aware of efforts being carriedout by the Royal aval Air Service to providearmoured vehicle for its own use, and Hankey'smemorandum in pired hurchill to ubmit a memorandum on the subject to the Prime Minister, Asquith.This was critical of the Army's apathy n tackling theproblem of storming enemy t by the u e ofuitably protected cross-country vehicles, and among

other things called for a committee of engineer

officers and other exper t to be set up by the WarOffice to study idea. It al 0 warned that the Germansmight already be working on imilar line.

As a direct re ult of this memorandum, Kitchenerwas persuaded by Asquith to et up a committee toexamine Swinton's (and similar) ideas. This committeecompri ed the director of fortifications, of artillery,and of transport, from the War Office. On February 17,1915, they witne ed cros -country trial of a Holttractor towing a trailer loaded to simulate the weightof t roop, armour, and armament, but the evereweather condition at the time caused the vehicle togive a very poor performance though t should benoted that Swinton' original idea did not envisage theuse of a trailer . Unimpre ed, the committee reportedadver ely on the project, raising once more theprevious rea on for rejection (vulnerability) and takingthe then till prevalent optimistic view that the warwould be over within months, before developmentcould be perfected. There for the moment War Officeinterest n Iandships terminated, and it was left,paradoxically, to the Royal aval Air Service to takethe initiative.

The R. .A.S. had become involved in the use anddevelopment of armoured vehicle at the very beginning of the war when they had modified some ordinary

touring car with machine-guns and armour plate toprotect the landing trips and seaplane bases (at Calaisand Dunkirk) which they had et up for their air

n rance . These vehicles had a verylimited offen ive ability, but did serve to prove to theR. .A.S. the value of armour protection. As a resultthe commander of the R.N.A.S. , Captain (later RearAdmiral Sir) Murray Sueter, had suggested to Winston

hurchill the u e of a tracked armoured device forland warfare , utilizing the British-made DiplockPedrail crawler tracks. Meanwhile Flight-CommanderT. G. Hetherington the R. .A.S. armoured cartransport officer had propo ed to Sueter the idea of a

hl'e ll'll O l er fo r eC llr il),. a (ir SI bat ch of Mk . I rank s leav es Fo ler's for Ih e Irail/in g g r oulld 01 Th etfo rd , Jun e 1916 .Imper ia l War Mu c um )


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giant la nd battleship with three 40-foot diameterwh arranged tricycle fashion round a platformwhich mounted three turrets each with twin 4-inchnaval guns, the whole contraption being driven by a800 h.p. submarine diesel engine. The 40-foot wheelswere con idered necessary to enable this mon ter tocro s the widest (9-foot) German trench. This vehiclewa not unlike a imilar type of Iandship which hadfeatured in one of H. G. Wells ' novels .

THE L NDSHIPS COMMITTEE

On February IS 1915 two day before the quiteunrelated Army trial of the Holt tractor, Hetheringtonwas able to describe his land battle hip ideapersonally to Churchill, who, greatly impres ed byth imaginative cheme, et up a committee knownas the Land hip Committee under the chairmanship of Mr. (later Sir) Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt,the Director of aval onstruction, to consider itspracticability. Formed on February 20, the committeeincluded Hetherington and variou co-opted transportexpert and engineer. t first task wa to report on

the two type of Iandship suggested, tracked(Sueter' idea) or big-wheeled (Hetherington' . OnMarch 26, Churchill, on hi own initiative, authorizedconstruction of 12 tracked and ix big wheel land-

hip , the de ign for the latter having been caleddown con idcrably by the committee in the interveningmonth to a more practical size with IS-foot diameterwheels. n the meantime, Lieut Albert Stern , anotherR. .A.S. armoured car officer, was appointedecretary of the committee.

The contract for the b ig wheel machines went toFo ter' of Lincoln , whose commercial Foster-Daim lerpetrol (ga oline) tractors were already being used to

haul big guns for the Royal Marine Artillery inFrance; it wa propo ed that components from thetractor could form the basis of the big wheelmachine. oncurrently work proceeded on thecrawler track Iands hip under the supervision ofColonel Crompton, a veteran engineer whose transport experience dated back to the Crimean War. Oneof his as istants was Lieut W. G. Wilson, another

The Kil/g of he Belgians inspecls a knocked 0111 Mk. I afler heFlers-Collrcelelle action. This is a female. ale lire door in Ihespollson, lire bomb roof alld lire Iail . t mperial War Museum)

An old Mk. J in e for training 1 Ihe Tallk Corps depol i l lFrance in /917 demon Irales trendr·ero sillg techniqlles 1 Pllpidrivers. Imperi al War Mu eum)

R. .A.S. armoured car officer who had been anotable automotive engineer before the war. TheDiplock Pedrail tracked la nd hip de ign provedimpractical when it wa reali ed that the vehicle watoo long (over 40-feet) to negotiate corners in the

narrow lane of France. Also the Pedrail and it modeof drive was complicated and under-powered. n earlyMay 1915 therefore, work on the e vehicle wasuspended, the prototype being eventually handed overto the Army for another purpo e though it wa neversubsequently used. An articulated cha sis was nowdeemed to give the required Oexibility formanoeuvring and an R. .A.S. officer was sent to the

A Mk. I female ill December /9 /6 after the tail and bomb roof had been removed, showing oddilion o f tire slowoge Iray at he rear.mp erial War Mu cum)


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Fille view o f 0 Tallk Mk . I ma l e or Arras. April n . 1917 . showsrhe modified harc/ma y ill hull rop al/d Ihe widel/ed shoes.Nole Ihe cavalr y 01 Ihe hori zOI/ . (Imperial War M

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A Mk . I f felllale ( he P erfec r La d y ) seen durillg Ih e BaIlIe o fCambrai Oil NOI elllber 20,1917. Tile Mk . IV had by lhis lilllelar ge ly r ~ p l c e dIlIe earlier Mark s. (Imperial War Museum)

United State to purcha e two Bullock Creeping GripCaterpillar tractors to serve as a basis for the articulated design. While in the U.S.A., the officer was alsoinstructed to order two sets of lengthened Bullocktracks and suspension components since those on the

standard Bullock tractor were a little short for crossinga 5-foot trench or surmounting a 21-foot parapet theminimum performance characteristics thought desirable by the committee. The Bullock tractor was anagricultural machine, chosen as being most suitablefor the job after the Landships Committee hadwitnessed a demonstration of its capabilities onGreenhithe marshes.

In June 1915 the two Bullock tractor arrived in

M k. I V lallk s ullder cOllsrruclioll {/ Fosler s. showil/g rh e Daiml erengilles alld differenlials ill Ihe ce nrr e. Silllplicily o f Ihe basicdesigll is lIIelt apparefll illl is I ielV. ( Impenal War Mu se um )

Britain and were taken to a new testing ground whichthe R. .A.S. had e tabli hed at Burton-on-Trent,Lieut Wilson being placed in charge of the test programme. Meanwhile construction of a full-size woodenmock-up of the big wheel machine at Foster'sshowed that even with 15-foot wheel, uch a vehiclewas too big (and too big a target) to be practical, sothis project was cancelled at the end of May. Thearticulated version of the land hip was also doomedto failure; te ts howed that the stres es imposed onthe coupling between the two tractors were too great

when crossing trenches and, despite its flexibility, thecomplete articulated vehicle was still too unwieldy.Work on the articulated land hip was abandonedtherefore, and the Landship Committee decidedinstead to build a new experimentalequivalent to one half of the articulated version. OnJuly 22, Mr. (later Sir) William Tritton, chief executiveof Foster's, was asked to undertake this task utilizingthe lengthened Bullock tracks which had been broughtover from America. The order was confirmed twoday later, and Lieut Wilson wa to Foster'sto help Tritton with the design as a service (andLandships Committee) representative

Utilizing the Bullock track and suspension unitsready to hand, piu a standard 105 h.p. FosterDaimler pet rol engine, also readily available, work onthe new de ign, known as the Tritton o r 0 ILincoln Machine , was rapid. By August 1] construction had started, the machine having a box-like bodyof boiler plate while a dummy turret simulated arevolving turret with 2 pdr. gun which was planned tobe fitted later. Overall height was 10ft. 2 ins. and theweight was about 14 tons. To aid stability and assiststeering a hinged steering tail of two 4 ft. wheelson a bogie frame was fitted at the back. On September10, 1915, the No I Lincoln Machine had its first

trial and promptly ran into trouble, since its trackproved inadequate for a vehicle of its size. The trackcentre were narrow , the grip was poor, and the trackshad a tendency to hed. Improvements were needed,and Tritton and Wil on took the vehicle in handaccordingly. After much experimentation they produced an entirely new design of track with lengthened

A Mk. I female cOll verled 10 a wireless IOllk is sholl'1I 1 Qu ee l/Mor y durillg a visi l 1 Tallk Corps Cel/lral Workshops al En ll .Frollce. NOIl Ill{/( g Ulls are removetl. Gellera( Eltes. a l l ~CorpsComlllallder ill Frollce is lIeareS I 10 Ih e vehIcle. (I mp c nal WarMu cum


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Mk I V mal e with a f emale b ehilld ) b eillg IIlIload ed frolll a flat car at the Plateall railh ead to take part ill th e Call/brai 0ffe llsi veNo vemb er 20 , 1917 . ot e how th e SPOIIS S ar e Wllllg illboard f or t r all sp ortati oll . ote al 0 th e e arl y se o f h e fa scil/ e . Impcnal WarMu cum )

track frames, roLiers, and shoes of ca t steel which wereriveted to links which in turn had guide to engage theinsides of the track frame. Thi new and muchimplified form of track and uspen ion became

standard for all future British tanks produced inWorld War I. With new tracks, the vehicle wa rebuilt by December 1915 and in its modified form itwa named Little Willie . t wa , however, alreadyoutmoded before completion.

While the No I Lincoln Machine wa running ittrials the previous September, Wilson had alreadyperfected the brilliant idea which was to evolve into thetanks which eventually reached production. A majordrawback of t h e 0 I Lincoln Machine wa itinstability, which threatened to overturn it if it tackleda parapet higher than 2t-feet. The tandard Germantrench parapet was 4 ft high and the big wheelmachine had been calculated mathematically to runover parapet of this height. Wil on therefore drew upa new scheme for the vehicle which retained the hull ofthe 0 I Machine more or less unaltered butcarried the tracks around the full height of the hull in

such a form that the lower run which contacted theground wa haped approximately like an arc from a6O-foot diameter wheel. The advantages of the bigwheel idea were thus integrated with the compactform of the crawler track Iandship , giving rise tothe now -cia sic lozenge hape a oeiated with the tank.A wooden mock-up of the idea wa hown to theLand hips Committee when they w the trialsof t h e 0 I Lincoln Machine in September. Theadvantages of the new de ign were obviou , particularlyas it met new requirements laid down by the Army,and recently pa sed to the committee, for a trenchcrossing ability of 8-feet. To keep down the height andthus reduce the centre of gravity, the modified designdispensed with the turret and the armament wasplaced in sponsons, one each ide of t he vehicle.

REVIVED R M Y INTER S T

Meanwhile Colonel Swinton had continued hi effortto get the Army interested in landships . He ubmitted a paper on the subject to GHQ in France andwith the help of an intere ted taff officer wa put incontact with the Landship Committee which

hurchill had et up. Thi staff officer, Major Glyn,wa in trumental in persuading the General Staff to

liai e with the Landships Committee , as a result ofwhich four War Office repre entatives were invited tojoin the committee at the end of June. Swinton ' s idea,including h' views on armament and trench-cros ingability for future land hips , could thus now,through the committee, reach the men who wereactively working on the land hips experiment.Features sugge ted by Swinton, including 6 pdr. ratherthan 2 pdr. gun and 10 - 12 mm. armour thicknes ,were incorporated in the new lozenge-shaped machine

Fr ont vie w of f emal e tan k s hows o bse r val io ll port s.


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A slalldard M/.;. I V lIIale showill g Ihe short ('alibre 6/Jdr


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rk I Male tank of c Company, Heavy Section, Machine Gun Corps:M.l.S. Clan leslie , C.19 in camouflage finish for thes-Courcelette attack, September 15 1916 the f irst tank action .

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Detail of name styleas applied to Clan lesl ie .

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Crews personal emblem of Mark V B.4.

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Beute Panzerwagen IV (Mark IV Female captured by Germans), Hanniexhibited in Berlin in January 1918.This vehicle was captured at the Battle of Cambrai and is shownafter refitting for German service, but before allocation toa German tank abteilung hence the absence of the company numberfrom the panel on the side. It retains lewis guns, later replacedby German 1908 pattern machine guns.

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Mark V Male tank B.4 of 2nd (formerly B ) Battalion, Tank Corps,August, 1918. This vehicle took part in the Battle of Alberton August 24 when it was immobilised with a damaged t rackfrom German shell-fire.

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The il/creased trel/cl cros sil/g abilit y 0/ th e Tadp ole Tail " 0 11 a M k. I V bei llg dC I O l st ra ted (1/ th e Tank SlIppl y Departll/ cnt 's tes lgrolllld , Well/bl ey Park . ( Imperial War Mu cum)

Service , but in May this was changed to HeavySection, Machine Gun Corps , a more secretive title.In November 1916, after the tanks had seen action,the name was to be changed once again to HeavyBran ch, Machine Gun Corps , before the name

Ta nk Corps was adopted in July 1917. MeanwhileSwinton toured Army units and officer training unitpicking a nucleus of volunteers with mechanicalexperience for training as crews, and the R. .A.S.personnel (including Stern and Wilson) were alltransferred to the Army with the appropriate ranks.Swinton planned to build up three complete tankbattalions each of five companies with 12 tanks each.Hi s plan was vetoed by GHQ in France, however, whowanted a . company organization, each with 25

tanks. This was the establishment in force at the timeof Flers-Courcelette. Thcre were six companies A,B C, D, E and F of which C and D arrived inFrance in August, A in September on the very morningof the attack, and B in October. After the tanks hadmade their mark, however, and were given their ownorganization in France, the corps was further reorganized (from January 1917) into battalions eachwith three companies of 25 tanks each. The existingcompanies were expanded to form the battalions. Bythe time of the Battle of Amien in Augu t 1918, theorigina l six companies had expanded into a great forceof 18 battalions, 16 of them in France, with more being

formed.In March 1916 the first training chool for tank men

was set up at Bisley ranges, Surrey, but three monthslater, in June, on delivery of the first tank they movedto Thctford, Norfolk, on the estate of Lord Iveagh. ]twas from h ere that the first two companies, C and D,followed s hortly by A, left for France in August 19 16 .By the following November a larger esta blishment warequired to cope with the expans ion plan, and Swintonse lected Bovington Camp, at Wool in Dorset, as a new

home for the tanks since there was plenty ofsurrounding heathland avai lable for realistic training.Bovington has remained the training base for British

armoured force ever since.The first 100 production tanks were a ll planned to

be similar to Mot her and armed with 6 pdr. guns.

]n April 1916, however, Swinton was instrumental inchanging this schedule to include a proportion of

vehicles eventually settled at half-and-half to havean all·machine-gun armament, the idea being to provide vehicle capabl e of protecting the 6 pd r . gun tanksfrom infantry attack or of chasing fleeing enemyinfantry. The tanks with 6 pdr. gun would thenconcentrate on tackling enemy guns, fortifications,and defences. The tanks with 6 pdr. guns were knownas males paradoxically making Mother a male- while the vehicles with machine -guns only wereknown as females . Approval to increase the initialorder to 150 vehicles was obtained at the same time .The 6 pdr. guns were obtained from the Admiralty(who also provided training facilities for them), sinceat the time Mother was designed thc Ma ster-Gcneralof r d n a n ~wa still unsympathetic to the landshipidea and refused to make Army guns available. Thefemale tanks had two Vickers machine-guns in placeof each 6 pdr. in a modified sponson. Secondary arm-ament in both male and female Mk. I tanks con i tedof Hotchkiss machine-gun s in balllllounts.

A Mk. IIma/ e lan k ill a G erman seco nd-l i ll l tr ell ch atlh e Ba tl leo/Cafllbrai , No ve mber 20, 19 17 . (Imperi a l W a r Mu eum )

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Rare view o f a Mk I V male wilh Tadpole Tail and Slakes mortar carried 11 a plolform betweell the rear horns as t es ted in Slimmer.1918 . by th e Tallk SlIpply Departmelll at Wembley Park. Imperial War Mu eum)

T NK M K . I

The Mk. I tank, which was the type used at FlersCourcelette and succeeding tank actions until aboutMay 1917, was virtually identical to Mother exceptthat it wa built of armour instead of boiler plate. Ofriveted construction throughout, it was essentially abox with lozenge-shaped sides carrying the tracks.There was a rai ed cupola in the hull front for thedriver and for the commander who was also thebrakesman and a pon on on each ide carrying the

main armament in limited traver e mounts. Theponson could be unbolted for tran portation by railto reduce the width and the weight. Sometimes thesponsons were towed behind the vehicle on a trailer inconfined areas like country lanes, also to reduceoverall width. Removing and replacing the sponsons

was an arduous task since each weighed I ton 15 cwt.and had to be manhandled. There was a round manhole in the roof for observation and egress, but theusual means of getting in or out of the vehicle wasthrough the door fitted in the rear of each sponson.

Other external features peculiar to the M k. I when itfirst went into action in 1916 were the bomb-roof andthe steering tail . The former was a tented roof ofchicken-wire on a wood or wire frame, carried abovethe hull top to prevent hand grenades from lodgingand exploding on the roor. This was cumbersome,

fragile, and in practice hardly needed, so the bombroof idea was soon discarded. The steering tailwas the device introduced in the 0 I LincolnMachine to aid stability and teering. It consisted oftwo iron spoked wheels on an Ackermann teeringaxle controlled by wires from a steering wheel in the

Th e Mk V featllred a l ew ellgil/e alld a raised cl/pola olltlte hll((lOp . Tlri s is tire mal e Iersiol/. Imperial War Mu um)

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driving position. The entire bogie unit was sprung fromthe back of the hull which also carried an hydraulicram which allowed the bogie and wheels to be raisedclear of the ground for normal travel. A towinghaw er and other stores were normally carried on aplatform on the bogie frame . Main aim of the steering tail was to give increased effective length fortrench crossing and also to assist steering. Very largeradius turns or minor course corrections could beeffected by the rudder-like action of the tail with noneed to change gear on the vehicle's tracks . While the

s teering tail was effective on good ground, however,it proved something of a hindrance in combat conditions since it became easily bogged in mud or cratersand wa vulnerable to shell-fire. As a result the tailswere completely discarded from November 1916 andsteering was carried out by gear changing only. Afterthe Mk. fs had the tail removed, most were fittedwith a stowage tray on the hull rear between the

horns to take the hawser and other stores.Thecentrally mounted engine was a Daimler 105 h. p .

petrol type as had been used in the Foster-Daimlertractor. t had a two-speed gearbox with a differentialdrive to two cross-shafts. These were connected, in ide

the horn, to the rear driving sprockets by chain driveand reduction gear. A gravity feed fuel ystem wasused which gave the disadvantages of fuel starvationwhen the tank was reared at certain angles and a firerisk due to the petrol tank' being mounted highinside the hull. There was a tubular water radiatorsited behind the engine with a fan driven from theengine . Outlet louvres were cut in the hull rear but airintake was simply through the normal openings in thehull. The engine exhaus t were led straight to holes inthe hull roof. To disper e smoke and spark twinbaffle plates were fitted over each hole; ome vehicleswere later fitted with extemporized silencers and

exhaust pipes by the Central Work hops at Erin inFrance. Steering was effected either by applying thebrake on one side, which was tiring for the brakesman(as much effort was required) and bad for the brakes ,or by changing gear to neutral on one side andengaging first or second gear on the opposite track .Then the clutch was let in and the vehicle lurchedround accordingly. Four men were needed for thisoperation, two gearsmen at the differential obeyinghand signals from the driver and the brakesmancommander who sat at the front. Once the new

Fille view a f a Mk. V male ill mint cOlldition shows the 1111ditchillg beam 011 its rails alld tire ball m01l1ll in tire from cupolafor tire machine-glln .

A Mk. V female an test shOwing 10 advantage the /fops in the sideo f he cupola alld the hat ch illtroduced 11 the driver s cupola. Notealso Ihe access hal ches beneath Ihe SpOIISOII. (ChamberlainCollection)

direction was achieved, of course, the gear had to bechanged again for straight running .

The Mk. I, like its immediate was aroomy vehicle, but uncomfortable for the crew.

i ion devices were crude, ju t lits or nap , ventilationwas poor , and the ride was rough since the tracks werenot sprung. The armour plate was riveted to unarmoured angle irons and girders (while the armourquality was it elf crude), so that there was much

s plash particularly when joins were hit by s mallarm fire. Communications were equally crude; eachtank normally went into action with two carrierpigeon but other than that flag (or vo ice ) were theonly mean s of communication. Initially it wasplanned to payout a field telephone cable from eachtank as it moved forward, but this had obviouslimitations and the equipment, though fitted at fir t,was never (or rarely) used.

• M KS ND III

Haig 's request for a thou and more tanks after FlersCourcelet te was een by the tank pioneer as atriumphant vindication of their previ efforts. Stern,now a Major, who e committee had been recentlyre-organized as the Tank Supply Department , instantlyplaced orders for the necessary armour plate andengines. A man of great energy and foresight, he alsorealized that the Daimler engine and it associated

Prior to lire introdllctioll of the ulldit chillg beam torpedo spudswere used for th e same purpose. H ere IGI k crews IIl1der traillillgwatch a demonstratioll o f heir use. ( Im p eria l W ar Mu eum)


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A few Mk. I v s were COl vert ed to Salvage Tan ks by th e additiollo f sheerlegs al/d Westons purchase. They were IIsed maillly at thetallk parks and at Ihe Eril/ depOI for mail/tel/al/ce work 011damaged tanks. ( Imperial War Mu seu m)

t iss ion were the lea s t satisfactory part of theexisting M k I de ign; at thi time, therefore, he tooks tep s to investigale some alternative types of drive andtran mi ss ion for pos ible fitting to future vehicles. OnOctober 10 , 1916 , however , the Army Councilcancelled Haig ' order for a thou and vehicles adecision which Stern was no w easily able to reverse byan appeal to Lloyd George. Additionally , while animproved design for Ihe new tanks was being workedout he obtained permi s ion for another 100 of theexisting de s ign to be built a s an interim type to keepthe fa ct orie occupied. De ignated Mk . \[ and III (50of each) and produced , once again, in both male andfemale form , these vehicles were 'milar in all respectto the Mk 1 ave for detail alterations. Most obvious ofthe se were a revised hatch with rai ed coaming on thehull top and wider track hoe at every sixth link (inmo s t vehicles) to give improved traction. Mk. in

Chillese lab o ur ers ho sing down a Mk. V ill for repair 1 th e Erilldepot. Ole Ihe ball 1 1 0 111 1 for Ihe rear machille-glll/, Ihe eXlernalarmoured f uel lallk , al/d Ih e pos t with se maph ore arms forsigl/a ll il/g. ( Im perial War Mu se um)

addition had thicker armour, to Mk. IV standard.Internally there were evera l towage modification.Produced in early 1917, they supplemented the Mk. Tand ome remained in fir t-line u e at Cambrai inNovember 1917 , though largely supplemented byMk.IY by then. They were in all the earlier tankaction of J917 at Arras, Messine and Ypre .

Once replaced in fir t-line ervice by later Mark ,Mks I- JlI were u ed either for training or for s pecialpurpo e role. Foremo t of the e were tho e converted to Supply Tanks. Guns were removed and theembra ure s plated in so that s tore could be carried.These vehicle could supplement w hat they co uld carryby towing o-called tank sledge which were madeby the Tank Corps Central Workshops in France.Each sledge held 10 tons of store and up to threecouldbe hauled by one tank. The other role of the redundantMk. Is wa a wireless tanks , unarmed but with an

Rollellcourt Tal/k Park ill JUlle 1917 showillg Mk. { V s under mail/lenallce il/ the backgroulld wilh all o ld Mk. I ( D 2J) nearesl . Mallholehal ch all Ihe hull lap oflhe lafler i ll I visible . (Imperial W ar Mu se um )

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"office" built into one sponson and wireless equipmentin the other. They had a pole-mast and spreader forthe aerial. Wireless tanks were used at Cambrai tosend back me sages, the first time wireless was used inaction from tanks.

MK . V

By February, 1917, production was ready to start on

the new design to fulfil the main order. Designated Mk.I V this vehicle retained the engine and transmi ion ofthe earlier Marks but incorporated many other refinement in the light of battle experience. Chief amongthese were an externally mounted fuel tank withAutovac pump fitted between the rear horns, smallersponsons for both male and female versions whichcould be wung inboard rather than un hipped fortransportation, silencer and exhaust pipe for theengine, improved internal stowage, short calibre 6 pdr.guns in the male to improve manoeuvrability, andLewis guns (later replaced once again by the Hotchkiss). There was also an " unditching" beam and

associated carrying rails on the hull top. Armourthickness was increased to 12 mm. on thi vehiclesince the Germans had by this time developed ananti-tank rifle and bullet which could penetrate thethinnersidesofthe Mk. r The first production Mk.lVswere delivered in April 1917, and \,015 were built inthe ratio of two male to three female.

A full description of the Tank Mk. IV together withan account of its participation in the Battle ofCambrai,the first great tank action where tank were used nmasse is given separately in this Series.

Suffice to say here that the Mk. IV was numericallythe most important tank of World War I. By the fortunes of war it also became the most importantGerman tank. Mk. [Vs captured at Cambrai andearl.ier acti on were re-fitted by the Germans at theirtank base at harleroi, re-armed as necessary, and

used to equip four new tank companies in December,1917, to supplement the existing three with A7V . Inorder to distinguish British tank from similar typescaptured by the Germans, GHQ, in June, 1918, orderedthe painting of prominent red and white recognitiontripe on the horns and cupolas of all British vehicles.

In German service the Mk. IV was known as the BeutePanzerwagen I V ( captured armoured vehicle").

M K V

On March 3 1917, everal Mk. [ and Mk. IV tankswere tested by the Tank Supply Department fitted withthe experimental transmissions and power unit whichStern had ordered from companies and engineerworking in this field. One vehicle had We tinghou epetrol-electric drive which could be controlled by oneman and had a motor and generator to each trackgiving infinitely variable speed control. A imilarvehicle had Daimler petrol-electric drive, while a thirdwas fitted with Williams-Janney hydraulic pump andmotors which gave a form of control similar to the

petrol-electric vehicles using a pump for steering andspeed regulation. A four th vehicle wa a very complicated type with Wilkins Multiple Clutche whichinvolved much gear changing to maintain a traightcour e. Last of all there was a vehicle fitted with anepicyclic gearbox designed by Major (formerly Lieu .)Wi who had been involved with the design of theearlier vehicle. Epicyclic gearing and brakes replacedthe change-speed gearing in the rear horns as fitted inearlier Mark and there wa a four- peed gearbox onthe planetary principle replacing the two- peed boxand worm gear prev' y u ed. Though the petrolelectrics in particular offered attractive features , they

were complicated to produce and it was thereforedecided tO'standardize on Wilson's epicyclic gearboxfor future vehicles. This was a mo t important tepforward for it now allowed gear changing to be done

Th e M k . V' s ho willg Ih f g lh elll'd hl/ff . Th i s is e mof e Impcrial War u seum)


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Thr ee M k. V· tauk s fe mal e move throu g h th e villa ge of Mealllt a f ter it s captur e Baili e af Am i ell s, Au gust / 918.

by one man the driver with consequent improvement in vehicle control and handling.

Major Wilson now designed an improved vehicle tofeature his transmission, Designated Tank Mk. V ithad hull and armament similar to the Mk. IV but nowalso featured a new purpose-built Ricardo tankengine of 150 h.p . which Stern had ordered early in1917 when the transmissions were being te ted. TheM k . V went into production at Metropolitan Carriageand Wagon works , Birmingham, in December, 1917and first deliveries were made to the Tank Corp in

France in May , 1918. Aside from the more powerfulengine which had built-in radiator with intake andoutle t louvres in the hull sides the Mk. V had arai ed cupola at the rear for the commander, whichgave infinitely better visibility from the interior, andwhich al 0 had flaps giving acce s to the unditchingbeam and rails from inside the vehicle . There was aemaphore arm for signalling which could be erected

aft of the cupola from inside the tank and an additionalmachine-gun in the hull rear. Later production vehicleshad wider tracks. By the lime of the Armistice inNov emb er 1918, 400 Mk. V had been built , halfmale and half female. The M k V began to replace the

Mk. IV in mid-1918 though many Mk. IVsremained in first-line service at the time of theArmistice .

MK . V EVELOPM NTS

Though the lo zenge-shaped tanks could cros s 8- 10 fttrenches there was , by late 1917, a demand forincreased trench-crossing ability. Tritton of Foster ' soffered the solution of the Tadpole Tail longerrear horns to replace the existing horns. These were tobe built as a kit and sent to France for fitting toexisting tanks. The tail increased vehicle length byabout 9 ft. and was quite effective, but trials showedthat it lacked rigidity especially over rough ground.Thus the idea was not adopted for ervice. In summer1918 tests were carried out with 6-inch Newton andStokes mortars mounted on a platform between therear horn on a Tadpole Tail vehicle. The idea wasto put down covering fire ahead of a moving formationof tanks. Other tests were made with mortars in thesponsons. either of these ideas was put intopractice.

A superior solution to the Tadpole Tail wasevolved by the Tank Corps Central Workshop. Anextra 6 ft. of side panelling wa simply inserted int o avehicle which had been cut in two. This gave longerground contact with no loss of rigidity and had theadded advantage of giving greatly increased internalcapacity. ideal for carryi ng res or infantry. Up to


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A Mk V· male co mpl ete with recognitioll stripes. Note side door in lengthened section. Tire 6 ft 10llg extellsioll was mode lip o f threeadditiol/al tal/clard 2ft widesidepollel

25 infantrymen could be accommodated and the ideaof using these vehicle to carry troops was tried at theBattle of Amiens in August 1918. However , due to thepoor ventilation in the tank the troops were in nocondition to fight when disembarked. As modified thevehicle was designated Mk. V* and was used mostly asa store carrier in the closing months of the war. Of 579vehicles converted (additional to vehicles used unconverted as Mk . Vs), 327 were in service by the time ofthe Armistice and another 23 were used by the UnitedStates 30lst Tank Battalion together with 12 standardM k. Vs , this unit being the sole U.S. tank battalionwith British tanks and operating under British control.

A refinement of the Mk. V* was the Mk. V** whichwas mechanically and physically similar except that itwas built (by Foster s) a a lengthened vehicle fromthe start. The commander s cupola in the V** wasbrought forward immediately behind the driver scupola. Only 25 Mk. V were built and none werecompleted until after the war. Mo t were use d inwar days as the British Army s first bridge-laying andmine-clearing tanks in an experimental R .E. squadron.Initial orders for the Mk. V had totalled 200 vehicles,but this was reduced just before the Armistice in anticipation of the Mk. VIII which was scheduled to gointo production soon.

Fittingly the Mk. Vs were in at the kill. On August8, 1918, nine battalions of them (324 veh in all)spearheaded the great opening phase of the Battle ofAmiens the turning-point of World War 1. ]nSeptember they led the way acro s the HindenburgLine , and by the fir t week in ovember four Briti s htank battalions were poised ready to push throughthe Fore t of Mormal towards Mon. They nevermade it becau e the Armistice of November 11 broughtfour years of bitter fighting to a sudden end. t wouldperhaps have been poetic justice for the Army s

newest arm, the tanks, to fight their way into Mons in1918 just as the oldest arm, the infantry, had fought sovaliantly to hold it in 1914 . But even if they didn tmake M the tank had come a long way in thosefour years. A new era indeed.

A.F.V. Series Editor: DUNCAN CROW

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The Mk V was similar to the V· bUI was buill from lire Slarl asa lengthel/ed vehicle i/lslead of bei/lg COl/verted fro a Mk VCupola was brollglztfonvard afl o f Ihe driver s cllpola. ( Im p erialWar Museum

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k . V tank s under pr odu c tioll 1 Fo s ter s. Note the ammuni-tioll ra cks clearl y visible illlid e thefarth er vehicle s. Imperial WarMu eum)

SPECIFIC TION T NK M RK I

GeneralCrew : Eigh t - Driver , commander / brakesman bolh in hull front). Two

gunners male) , two machine -gunners or four maChine -gunnersfemale) . Two gearsmen right and left of rear compartment).

Banle weight : 28 tons male), 27 Ions female) .ry weighl : 26 ; Ions .

Power / weight ralio : 3 ·7 b .h.p ./ ton ma le) , 4 b .h .p ./ ton female),Ground pressu re . 27 ·8I b s,/ sQ . inch male). 26 ·8Ibs sQ inch female).Dimensions

Length overall : 32 fl. 6 in. w ith tail) . 25 fl. 5 in . withOut tail).Hull length : 23 fl. 6 in .Height : 8 ft . 2 in .Width wilhout sponsons : 8 fl . 8 ; in.Width over track and sponson s: 13 fl. 9 ; in . male) , 14 ft 4 ; in.

female) .Track centles : 7 h .Track WIdth : 20 ; in.

ArmamentMale : 2 x 6 pdr . 40 ca libre HOlchkiss OF Naval pattern) : 3 Hotchkiss

machine -guns .Female : 4 x Vickers ·303 machine -guns with armoured jackels) :

2 x Hotchkiss machine -guns .

Auxil iary Armam entThree Hotchk,ss machine -guns male) plus two more female) .

Fire ControlVoice and hand signal

mmunition

Male : 6 pdr . shell 332 : SAA 6.272 .Female : SAA 30,080.

Sight ing and VisionPeep slots and loopholes .

Communications

Hand signals or voice internally .Pigeons or flags externally .

ArmourCut and drilled as soft stee l and subsequently hardened . All -riveted

construction using angle irons and girders .Front : 12 mm .Sides and back : 10 mm .Roof and belly : 6 mm .

EngineDaimler 6 cylinder sleeve , in line pelrol engine 105 b.h .p . al 1,000 r.p .m.Fuel : 50 gallons internally in gravity feed tanks .

Transmission

Two -speed main gearbox with worm drive and d ifferential. Twosecondary gearboxes on differential shaft and chain drive to rearsprockels .

SuspensionUnsprung ; 90 track shoes and 26 rollers .

Electr ical systemil

PerformanceMaximum speed : 3 · 7 m .p .h.Vertical obstacle : 4ft . 6 in .Maximum Irench crossing : 11 ft . 6 in . wilh tail) or 10ft . Wilhout tail).Wad ing depth unprepared) : 4 h . 6 in .Fuel consumption : 1 m .p .g .Radius of action : 23 ·6 miles .

Special featuresSome veh icles convert ed to Supply Tanks with WIder sponsons and no

guns; some others converled to Wireless Tanks in 1917 .

ark V lank s move f orward wirh crib s to c r oss th e tributarie s of th e S ell e riv er durin g th e filial stag es o f rh e War , O ctober /9/8 , whenBritain s tank fo r ce wa s at a p ea k o f 25 burra/ian s 18 o f h em in Fran ce illcludill g oll e armoured car baflalioll. I mperial War M u cum

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The /eatllres 0 / the Mk. V ore well shown ill Ilris posed propagallda picllIre 0 / a veMrle crossing a British Irench. IIwl/l/ed /or Iheoccasioll by Tank Corps mel/. This HOIChkiss-armed/elllale shows Ihe radialor in lake 10llvres, the rear cllpola, alld Ihe IIl/ditchillg beam.I1 is a 1st Ballalioll (formerly A Ballalioll) vehicle. (Chamberlain Collection)

SPECIFIC TION T NK M RK

GeneralCrew : As Mk.1 but with revised duties.Battle weight: 29 tons (male), 28 tons (female).Dry weight : 27 tons .Power/weighl ralio: 5'17 b.h.p./ton (male). 5·4 b.h.p./lOn (female).Ground pressure: 22 ·2Ibs./sq . inch (male), 21·5Ibs./sq . inch (female).DimensionsLength overall : 26 ft . 5 in .Hull length : As Mk. 1.Height : 8 It. 8 In .Width without sponsons : 8 ft . Si n.Width over track and sponsons: 12 ft. lOin . (male). 10ft. 6 in . (female).Track centres : 7 ft .Track Width: 26 in . First 20 0 . 20 2 n.

rmamentMale: 2 x 6 pdr. 23 calibre OF; 4 x Hotchkiss machine - guns in ball

mounts.Female: 6 x Hotchkiss machine-guns.

Fire ControlAs Mk. I; telescopic sights for main guns.mmunition

Male: As Mk. IFemale : As Mk . 1

Sighting and VisionAs Mk . I with addition of rear cupola .Communications

As Mk . I., plus semaphore arm aft of cupola.rmour

Construction as Mk.1.Front : 16 mm.Sides and back : 1 2 mm .Roof and belly: 8 mm.EngineRic3rdo 6 cylinder in line petrol type 150 b.h.p . at 1,250 r.p .m .Fuel : 93 gallons in armoured tanks .

Transmiss ionFour -speed epicyclic gearboK plus chain dr ive to rear sprockets.SuspensionAsMk . l .

Electrical Sys temNil

PerformanceMaKimum spelld: 4·6 m .p .h.Vertical obstacle: 4 ft 6 in.

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MaKimum trench crossings : 10f t . (13ft. on.Mk . V' and V ) .Radius of action: 45 miles .Special Feature sUnditchmg beam on most vehicles.Mk. V ' and Mk . V generally as Mk. V except for length (32 ft. 5 m ,).

weight (3 2 - 35 tons). and height (9 ft . ).

A Brilish Mk. V SlIpply Tallk operalillg in support 0/ the V.S.301 SI Tal/k Ballalioll (wlrich also lIsed British tallks) , part 0/ theBrilish 41h Tank Brigade, gives a lift to IWO V. . ignal CorpslIewsreel cameramell at tire so-called second baILie o f Cambrai( Ihe breachillg 0/ the Hindellbllrg Lille) , September 29, 1918,whel/ the 301st first wellt illto actioll. This pictllre gives a parlicl/larly clear view o/Ihe elllarged mild sleel SP l1S llS filled toSupply Tallks. hamberlain Collection)


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The new Profile Publications AFV Series of books on the Armoured Fighting Vehicles of the World, will continuethe pattern established by the twenty-four issues of Armour in Profile. But there will be a big difference inpresentation, format, size and cost.

The new Series will be published in thirty monthly parts and each will contain twenty-four pages, up tofifty photographs, plus a full colour centre-spread of the subject tank depicted in five views, piu additional viewof mod ified chassis.

AFV will be Edited by Duncan Crow and contributors will include many well-known names such as MajorJames Bingham, RTR, Peter Chamberlain. Major-General igel Duncan, Chris Ell Major Michael orman,RTR, Waiter Spielberger and B. T. White.

The thirty-month programme is as follows and each part can be obtained from your local Profile tockist, or anybookshop, model hop or newsagent, or direct from the publishers.

Part Titl e

I Churchill British Infantry Tank Mark IV2 PanzerKampfwagen III3 Tanks Marks I- V4 Stuart / Honey5 Light Tanks Marks I- VI6 Valentine British Infantry Tank Mark III7 Mediums Marks A - D8 Crusader Cruiser Tank Mark VI9 Early British Armoured Cars

10 PanzerKampfwagen V Panther11 M3 Grant12 Mediums Marks I- I l l13 Ram14 Bren Univers al Carrier15 PanzerKampfwagen I and II

Part Title

16 Churchill and Sherman Specials17 Russian K V18 PanzerKampfwagen 38(t)19 Armoured Cars Guy, Daimler, Humber20 Sherman 7521 French Mediums22 T 54 /T 623 LVTI - ]V24252627282930

German Armoured Cars - Sd K fz 231-4M48 / M60Rus ian BTType 97 MediumSaladin,.Armoured CarConqueror, M 103Leopard, Chieftain

A new and valuable feature of AFV will be the hard back bound volume, which will appear concurrently withthe monthly parts. These volumes, seven in all, will eventually cover in depth the history of the ArmouredFighting Vehicle of the World from the first lumbering giant of World War One, to the Panzer of World WarTwo and the computerized killers of today.

Each of the seven volumes will include a number of AFV parts, supplemented with additional new material on

contemporary AFVs. Thou ands of word of text, hundreds of new photograph and pages of new, full colour,general arrangement drawing of AFVs, together with the tank men s uniforms, which will show (in colour) thevarious battle colours and in ignia.

Watch out for the new Profile A FVs and the luxury bound volume, all at your local retailer during the nextthirty months.

Volume OneVolume TwoVolume ThreeVolume Four

AFV of World War OneBritish AFVs 1919-1940

AFVs 1940-1946American AFVs of World War Two

Volume FiveVolume Six

Volume Seven

German AFVs of World War TwoAFVs of World War Two:Russian, French, ltalianModern AFVs

Documents

AFV Weapons Profile 03 Tanks Marks I to V