Great War Military Vehicles

ALLIED TRUCKS
LEFT...
Photographed in a London
Mews we see a line-up of
British Peerless trucks that
had been handed over to
the recently arrived
American forces. US
markings are just visible
on the bonnet.
RIGHT...
Photographed in Belgium
this Peerless truck was made
in Cleveland Ohio, purchased
by the British who loaned it
to the Australians!
12 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014
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18/09/2014 21:34
OF THE GREAT WAR

A
n arms race raged across

Europe in the years running up
to 1914 as the prospect of war
seemed inevitable and every
country readied itself for the anticipated
conict. Having better weapons than
your opponent was an advantage, but the
speed of mobilisation was considered to
be absolutely crucial, and it was thought
that the country that could put an
organised army into the eld before its
opponent would quickly win the war. At
the time the railways, supported by horsedrawn wagons and steam traction engines,
were considered to be the most eective
way of moving the large amounts of
equipment and ammunition that would be
necessary for a European War, however,
this line of thinking changed shortly after
1896 when Gottlieb Daimler designed
the rst truck powered by an internal
combustion engine.
SUBVENTION SCHEMES
The German military experimented

with the Daimler truck in 1898 and
quickly realised its potential. After
purchasing cars, motorcycles and trucks
for further tests, the military were
suitably enamoured with the idea of
mechanized transport, and in 1907 they
introduced a subvention scheme. Under
this scheme purchasers of a truck of
an approved design would receive an
initial cash subsidy on purchase followed
by a payment (if the vehicle had been
maintained in a satisfactory condition) at
the end of each year on the understanding
that they would hand it over to the Army
in time of national emergency. This gave
the army a large pool of well-maintained
trucks to draw upon in the event of war
without having to pay for them in advance,
and similar schemes were quickly adopted
by Austria and France, with the British War
Oce following suit in 1911.
When war broke out in 1914 the

subsidised vehicles were immediately
called up, but it was soon found that the
subvention schemes had not provided the
volume of mechanical transport required,
and while the schemes were sound in
their operation, they had simply not
been running long enough to register the
number of vehicles required so additional
trucks were sought from every other
available source.
Civilian vehicles were impressed,
domestic manufacture was stepped up
and vehicles were purchased from other
countries with surplus capacity. Belgium
and Russia had no established truck
industry to call upon so purchased trucks
from Britain, France and the United States
and by the wars end Britain had supplied
to Belgium 816 trucks, 352 cars and vans,
2,020 motorcycles and 22,861 bicycles.
Meanwhile Britain had supplied 1,126
trucks (mostly manufactured by AEC,
Austin, Burford and Napier) while the
United States had provided predominantly
Garford, Locomobile, Packard and White
trucks to Russia. Britain went on to supply
vehicles to Italy, Rumania and France with
the largest number going to the United
States who received more from Britain
than had been supplied to all of the other
allied nations put together.
The end result was that the allies had
an incredibly diverse mixture of trucks,
which must have made their maintenance
very dicult. This article certainly could
not cover every single make of vehicle
used by the allies, but seeks to give an
insight into the most common types and
demonstrates how the allied nations
supplied trucks to each other, however,
further information on this subject and
a much more detailed account can be
found in the book British Military Trucks
of World War One that was recently
published by Tankograd Publications.
RIGHT...
Photographed
in Belgium
this Peerless
truck was
made in
Cleveland
Ohio,
purchased
by the British
who loaned
it to the
Australians!
NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 13
18/09/2014 21:34
GREAT BRITAIN & DOMINIONS
he British Army had the record for having

the largest number of trucks in service
by the wars end. Starting the war with
just 80 trucks, Great Britain nished
the conict with 59,940. The subvention or
subsidy scheme was very successful in selecting
trucks suitable for the military, however, by the
time the war started just 700 trucks had been
registered under the scheme. This number was
augmented by the Government taking control of
the motor industry, impressing trucks (and many
hundreds of London buses), and by purchasing

trucks from overseas, most notably the USA, but
also Switzerland and Italy.
The South African and ANZAC forces had
very little mechanical transport of their own to
draw upon when they went to war and had to
rely on those loaned by their allies. The British
War Oce were allegedly not very generous
and provided trucks that had seen better
days and were already in poor condition. The
ANZACs received trucks predominantly made by
Thornycroft, Dennis, Lacre, Commer, Leyland,

Peerless and FWD.
Canada, with its proximity to the United
States predominantly purchased Americanbuilt trucks such as Kelly Springeld, Peerless,
Packard and White. In addition to these the
British War Oce transferred large numbers
of trucks already in British service such as
Daimler, Seabrook Standard, Thornycroft,
Halley, Locomobile, Leyland and Commer to
the Canadian forces.
AEC
The Associated Equipment

Company (AEC) was set up in
June 1912 by Londons largest
bus operator the London
General Omnibus Company
(LGOC) to build and repair
their London buses. In March
1915 the rst Y Type truck
left the factory, but due to a
complicated agreement with
the rival bus builder Daimler,
the AEC built chassis were
tted with Daimler engines and
badged as Daimlers up until
December 1917. After this date
they were tted with 7720cc
JB4 engines manufactured
by Tyler. By the wars end
6,334 AEC Y Types had been
supplied, a large number of
which went to the American
Expeditionary Force such as this
convoy of mail trucks.
ALBION
Established in Glasgow in 1899 Albion trucks were chain drive,

that is power was transmitted to the back wheels by chains
running from shafts on each side of the gearbox to sprockets
on the inside of the rear wheels. This was not a preferred
system within the subsidy scheme and for which accreditation
was not applied. Despite this, the War Department placed
large orders for this Model A10 and by the wars end 5,563
had been purchased. Other Albion models, the A3 and A6
also served having been impressed in small numbers from
private operators.
BELSIZE
In the early stages of the war it was quite common to see trucks painted
with patriotic slogans such as the Are we downhearted no and the This
way to Berlin slogan, which appears on this Belsize. The Manchester-based
Belsize Motors built a range of cars and trucks from 1897 up until 1925
when it closed its doors for the nal time. Belsize did not build trucks under
the subsidy scheme but they were purchased by the War Department to
help alleviate the shortage of mechanical transportation. Although some
went to serve on the Western front the majority seem to have been used
for driver training in Great Britain.
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COMMER
The Luton-based Company of Commer Car produced a wide range of

dierent truck models most of which were impressed into service at some
stage through the war. The 3-ton RC model (such as this one) was found to
be particularly suitable and despite being chain driven, the War Department
purchased in the region of 2,500 of them. The War Department was not
particularly enamoured with the idea of chain drive as they felt them to be
too noisy and required regular cleaning. To overcome this problem Commer
enclosed the chain in a metal case, which protected it from ying dirt and
reduced noise levels very slightly. Commer, despite still using chain drive, was
well ahead of its time by adopting a pre-selector gearbox, which necessitated
new drivers taking a special course to become procient in its operation.
DENNIS
CROSSLEY
The 4,531 cc engine in this Crossley gave it a top speed of 55mph,

which compared favourably to most other British army trucks at
this time, which had a top speed of just 15mph. The Manchesterbased Crossley Motors Ltd supplied approximately 6,000 of these
20/25hp chassis to the War Oce of which the majority went to
the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) who tted them with a body of their
own design and referred to them as Light Tenders. The Crossley
also made a handsome sta car of which two were assigned to
each RFC Squadron.
Guildford-based Dennis
manufactured approximately
3,500 of these 3-ton A Type
trucks under the subsidy
scheme and is now the
only surviving British truck
manufacturer from the
Great War, which still makes
commercial vehicles today.
Fitted with a 49.6bhp engine
manufactured by White and Poppe of Coventry, the Dennis had a good
reputation for reliability with the exception of the chassis which had a
habit of cracking, but this was more likely a result of the poor roads of
the Western Front when combined with the soldiers habit of overloading.
Also well known for producing the N Type re engine, both this and the
A Type were used by British and American forces throughout the war.
HALLEY
The Glasgow-based
Halley Industrial Motors
is a name that most
readers would not be
familiar with, but in 1914
it was one of the ten
largest British vehicle
manufacturers. Halley
produced a wide range
of commercial vehicles and in 1914 the Government took over the control
of production making the Company direct its eorts to building the Model
B35 (as seen here) and the production of artillery shells. The Halley was
predominantly used on the home front for driver training purposes and to
assist in essential war related industries such as munitions production.
HALLFORD
DAIMLER
Daimler trucks served on both sides of the trenches throughout

the war. Initially established in Germany by Gottleib Daimler, the
patent for a two-cylinder engine was sold to a Frederick Simms
who established the Daimler Motor Car Company Ltd in Coventry
in 1896. No further relationship existed between the companies.
The British Daimler started building luxury cars, but soon turned
its hand to buses and commercial vehicles. When war broke
out Daimler directed their services to the war eort. The MET
bus Company had 70 D Type buses commandeered and taken
to Belgium, which was followed by a further 247 most of which
were converted to trucks. A range of other models was to follow
including 2,507 3-ton Y Types (such as this one), nearly 2,000 of
the 30cwt CB model as well as ambulances and sta cars.
Hallford trucks
qualied for
treatment under the
War Department
subsidy scheme
and by the wars
end nearly 2,000
were in military
service. Readers
will note a similarity
with several other
trucks in this article, most notably the bonnet and radiator of the Pierce
Arrow and that it is chain drive with the chains being protected from dirt
by the large cases inside the rear wheels. The radiator is protected from
accidental damage by the large metal plates each side which hold a heavy
metal bar in front of it.
19/09/2014 15:56
KARRIER
Karrier is another once famous British name that disappeared

in the early 1970s. Throughout the war Karrier provided nearly
2,000 of their trucks for military service, the majority being like
this, the three ton WDS Model subsidy lorry. At the start of the
war many of the cab over engine A Type and more conventional
appearance B Type Karriers were impressed into military
service with most of these still in service at the wars end. Like
several other British trucks the WDS Karrier was tted with an
engine manufactured by Tylor.
LGOC
The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was formed in 1855 to

operate the London bus routes. The LGOC initially used horsepower, but
from 1904 purchased a variety of motor buses before building their own
X Type in 1909 followed by the famous B Type in 1910. In October 1914
300 B Type buses were taken to France to be used for carrying troops,
although on landing many had their bus body removed and were tted
with a general service type body such as this one. By the wars end 1,319
B Types had gone to France with a further 300 staying in Britain. Many of
those that had gone overseas were sold back to the LGOC who refurbished
them and put them back on the streets of London.
LACRE
The Lacre Motor Car

Company was named
after the location of its
London factory (Long
Acre). Formed in 1902 to
build cars and light vans
they started making a
range of trucks from 1909
and in 1914 production
was taken over by the
War Department. Lacre
produced approximately
100 of these 35hp
O Types which were
used by the War
Department, Royal
Flying Corps and the
Royal Navy.
LEYLAND
Nearly 6,500
Leyland trucks
served with the
British forces
during World
War One. The
majority of these
were the WO
Subsidy Class
A Type 5000,
also known after
the end of the
war as the RAF
Leyland. The
Company was formed in 1896 to make steam wagons and was originally
known as the Lancashire Steam Motor Company and made their rst
petrol-powered truck in 1904 changing the name to Leyland Motors
three years later. Leyland supplied some of the earliest motor trucks
purchased by the War Oce and in 1913 the newly designed A Type
Leyland was accepted under the subsidy scheme. In 1914 the subsidised
Leylands were called up into service alongside many impressed civilian
Leylands trucks.
MAUDSLAY
The Coventry based motor manufacturer of Maudslay designed a

3-ton truck to meet the specications of the subsidy scheme but
it broke down on both occasions that it was being tested. Despite
this setback it was accepted under the scheme with some of the
production ultimately being contracted to the Meteor works of the
Rover Company also based in Coventry.
NAPIER
One of the most important British precision engineering companies

at this time was Napier. In the run up to the war they had developed
a reputation for building engines, luxury cars and a range of
commercial vehicles. It is not surprising therefore that they received
orders for the construction of aero engines and commercial vehicles
in the 3 -ton, 1 -ton and - ton range. By the end of the war Napier
had manufactured for the War Department in the region of 2,000
trucks. This picture shows a line up of 3 -ton Model B74 trucks.
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PAGEFIELD
THORNYCROFT
The Pageeld N Type truck was made by the Wigan-based company

of Walker Brothers. Accepted by the War Department for inclusion
within the subvention scheme shortly after it was tested in 1913,
the N Type was the rst truck registered under the subsidy scheme
to be taken into service in 1914. Walker Brothers was not a big
concern producing just two chassis a week in September 1916. Their
production was taken over entirely by the War Department and
despite plans to increase production less than 500 Pageelds were in
service by the wars end.
The distinctive disc wheels on the Thornycroft J Type make it one

of the most instantly recognisable trucks of the Great War. With a
background in building steam ships, Thornycroft started building
steam wagons in 1895, one of which was purchased by the Royal
Engineers in 1899 with 10 more subsequently being purchased for
use in South Africa. Thornycroft went on to build trucks powered
by the internal combustion engine and it was their J Type that was
accepted under the subsidy scheme and of which approximately
5,000 were supplied to the War Department. This example has been
tted with both an unusual set of markings and body type.
SEABROOK STANDARD
TILLING STEVENS
In 1896 brothers Herbert and Percy Seabrook set up a London business

to make bicycle parts. From 1911 they started importing and selling
cars that had been made in Detroit by Regal. Just a few years later they
started importing 2, 3 and 5-ton truck chassis made by the Standard
Motor Truck Company of Detroit, which they would assemble and
market under the name Seabrook Standard. Sharing common attributes
of many other Americanbuilt trucks of this time it
has wooden wheels and
exposed drive chains
to the rear wheels.
The actual number
purchased by the British
War Department is
not recorded but was
probably in the low
hundreds.
Tilling Stevens of Maidstone were pioneers in the design of petrolelectric vehicles. The rear wheels were powered by a traction motor,
which received current from an electrical generator powered by the
engine. This method might seem long-winded, but it removed the
need for a gearbox and was therefore easier for novice drivers. A
variation of the petrol electric
system was used on some 3-ton
Dennis trucks (creating the
Dennis Stevens) the generator
of which was ideal for the
powering of searchlights. Only
a handful of Tilling Stevens
trucks were used by the British
War Department although the
French Army purchased several
hundred (like this one) to use
for instructing new drivers.
WOLSELEY
Wolseley was a luxury

car manufacturer that in
the years just prior to the
war reintroduced truck
manufacturing and supplied
trucks under the War
Department subsidy scheme.
This 3-ton A Type Model CR6
displays the black cat emblem
of 818 Company Army Service
Corps and if the top tank of
the radiator is anything to go
by it has recently boiled over.
Wolseley was the smallest
supplier of trucks built under
the subsidy scheme with just
385 being produced during the
war. Wolseley also produced a
small number of 2-ton Model
CL trucks as well as the 12cwt
model CU that was really a car
with a basic pick up type body.
19/09/2014 15:57
UNITED STATES
espite the intention to remain neutral,

America was inexorably brought into the
conict, declaring war on Germany on
April 6 1917. One year earlier the United
States had launched a punitive expedition into
Mexico to hunt down the bandit Pancho Villa.
At that time the US Army had approximately
200 trucks and cars in service, a number that
immediately proved to be inadequate. Many
hundreds more were quickly purchased from

various manufacturers for use in the hostile
Mexican terrain. Leading the expedition
was General Pershing who developed an
understanding and appreciation of mechanical
transport that proved crucial when he became
the leader of the American Expeditionary Force.
Having access to the vast American
automotive industry was of little consequence as
AUTOCAR
Photographed here
while being tested
by the US Army on
manoeuvres is an
Autocar UF21 tted
with a Command
car type body. The
Autocar is best
remembered for its
use by the Canadian
Army, who purchased
20 for use by the 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade (including eight
armoured versions each equipped with two machine guns), which
were used with great eect against the German oensive in March
1918. The British Army also used the Autocar in greater numbers.
Fitted with a general service type body, 189 Autocars were used in
East Africa while a further 265 were tted with a rectangular tank and
used on the Western Front for carrying water.
DODGE
With the construction

of complete vehicles
commencing in 1915
Dodge was a relative
latecomer to the
automotive industry
having since 1900
just manufactured
automotive parts for
other Detroit based businesses. Dodges rst military vehicle was a
Type 30 touring car, which was used with great success in the hunt
for Pancho Villa. With a reputation for reliability by the end of the
war, the US Army had purchased 7,376 Dodge sta cars, 2,644 light
delivery trucks and 1,012 light repair trucks like this one.
FEDERAL
Once a well-known
American quality
truck manufacturer,
the name of this
Detroit based
Company disappeared
in 1959. Federals
contribution to the
war eort in WW2 is
well known, but its
greatest contribution
during WW1 was the
construction of 1,000 of the Heavy Aviation trucks designed for the
US Air Service that carried the AS name on the radiator and the cab.
During the ghting on the Mexican border and throughout the war
Federal did provide some trucks in their own name comprising 53
5-ton trucks and 85 of their 3.5-ton trucks like this one.
the US Army was simply not able to transport all

the trucks required to France in time. To alleviate
the shortfall the US Army borrowed trucks from
Britain (who supplied 4,306) and France, many
of which had actually been manufactured in the
United States and supplied to their allies. As a
result the United States had an incredibly diverse
range of vehicles comprising 294 dierent makes
and models.
FORD
The ubiquitous Model

T Ford chassis was
purchased in vast
numbers by the allies.
Predominantly used
as ambulances or
eld cars, they were
also tted out as vans
or light trucks. Their
light construction
enabled them to travel through the muddy conditions with much
more ease than the heavier trucks and if they did get stuck it was
fairly straightforward to manhandle them free. This Model T has been
tted with a very basic, locally made pick up type body.
FWD
Built by the Four Wheel Drive Automobile Corporation of Clintonville

Wisconsin the FWD Model B was the most successful four-wheel drive
truck of World War One. Power was transmitted from the Wisconsin
6.39-litre engine through a central dierential to the front and back
axles. This dierential could be locked to prevent the power going to just
one axle. To meet demand the FWD was also made under licence by the
Companies of Peerless,
Premier, Mitchell and
Kissel. A copy of the
truck was also made
in the UK where it
was known as the
British Quad. By the
wars end over 16,000
FWDs had been built
for the allies.
GARFORD
In 1914 the Ohio

based Garford motor
truck company
supplied a number
of their 5-ton truck
chassis to the
Imperial Russian
Government who
tted them with 1
76.2mm gun and
an armoured car body made at Putilov. This 9-ton monster was the
exception to the lighter trucks, which follow into military service.
The British War Department purchased the 0.75-ton Model 66
(as seen here receiving a fresh coat of paint) and the 1-ton model
75 in small numbers primarily for use as water tankers. While the
US Army purchased 1,010 of the 1 and a 1/2-ton trucks and 978 of
the standardised Liberty B trucks. Garford barely survived the
depression and was taken over in 1933 by Consolidated Motors
when the Garford name was dropped.
19/09/2014 16:00
GMC
The most common

product of the
General Motors
Corporation during
the war was the Model 16AA heavy ambulance of which 5,553 were
built by the wars end. This ambulance could carry four stretchers
or eight seated passengers. This photograph shows a 1-ton GMC
model 23 of which 2,401 were used by the military. GMCs other large
contribution was 1,888 Light Aviation trucks, which were designed
and built to standardised specications specially for the Air Service by
GMC, Republic, Paige and Denby.
GRAMM BERNSTEIN
If it wasnt for the name Gramm Bernstein, which appears on the

front cross member, you would not be able to identify the truck.
Gramm Bernstein was based in Lima, Ohio and sold a small number
of 1-ton trucks to the British War Department. These had a poor
reputation for reliability and no more were purchased. The US army
desperate for trucks
of all sorts purchased
66 examples of the 3
-ton trucks like this
one until the company
turned over its
production capacity
to the production
of the standardised
Liberty B of which
they built 1,000.
INTERNATIONAL
HARVESTER
International Harvester
of Akron Ohio (not to be
mistaken for International Motors of New York who owned Mack)
received a contract to make 1,125 of their 1.5-ton trucks for the US Army.
By 1 December 1918 just 485 had been delivered, none of which arrived
in France before the end of the war. Not much information is recorded
about this truck but it is interesting to see that it has the Renault-type
coal scuttle bonnet with the radiator being directly in front of the driver.
JEFFERY
In April 1915 the Thomas B

Jeery Company announced
that they had provided the
French Army with 833 of
their four-wheel drive and
four-wheel steer Quad trucks
from their Wisconsin factory.
The French found that the
Quad met their requirements
for a gun tractor and converted 60 of them (including this one) into a
portee conguration whereby the gun was carried on the back of the
truck. The Quad was designed to act as a competitor to the FWD Model
B, which was being tested by the US Army. The rst prototypes were
delivered to them in 1913 and by 1915 160 of them were in service on
the Mexican border. In July 1916 the Company was sold to Charles Nash
who continued production but they were now known as Nash Quads.
KELLY SPRINGFIELD
On May 24 1918 the Aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps
became the Air Service, the precursor to the United States Air Force.
To achieve an element of standardisation the Air Service designed their
own 3-ton truck, which
they named the Heavy
Aviation. It was built
to this standard design
by the Companies of
Velie, Kelly Springeld,
United, Standard and
Federal with the engine
being manufactured by
Continental.
Shortly after the outbreak

of war the Canadian, British
and French Governments
purchased trucks built by the
Kelly Springeld Motor Truck
Company of Springeld Ohio.
The French purchased the 2.5ton 22.5hp Model K35 while the British and Canadians went for the
3.5-ton 32.4hp model K40. The United States Army ordered 356 of the
worm drive 1.5-ton model K31 of which just 16 arrived in France by
November 1918. This photograph shows a K31 in US Army service but
on the body can be seen the letters WD showing that it had previously
served with the British. Kelly Springelds greatest contribution to
the war eort was the construction of 391 Liberty B and 1,725 Heavy
Aviation trucks which did arrive in France before the end of the war.
HOLT
LIBERTY
HEAVY AVIATION
The caterpillar tractors

manufactured by Holt
were widely used by
the British, French and
American forces for
towing heavy artillery.
The Holt Company
dates back to 1883
and manufactured agricultural machinery but it was their model 75
tractor, which gained the approval of their rst military customer
the Austrian Army! The allied nations were quick to follow and Holt
produced a range of dierent size tractors for their military customers,
with the US Army preferring the armoured 5-ton and 10-ton tractors.
This particular machine is a Holt 75 that has been transferred from
British Army service to the United States Army. You can just make out
the British WD symbol above the front wheel and US on the side of
the fuel tank.
Despite the US Army purchasing

vehicles for service on the
Mexican border, by the time
they entered the war they
were still very short of trucks
and purchased whatever they
could get their hands on. In
order to develop a standardised
design a committee was formed comprising representatives from the
Quartermaster Corps and fteen truck manufacturers, the rst example
being designed and built in just 10 weeks. The end result was the 3.5-ton
Liberty B truck. Orders for 43,005 trucks by 29 dierent manufacturers
were placed before the end of the war of which 9,452 built by 15 of the
manufacturers were actually delivered before orders were cancelled.
This photograph shows an early pattern Liberty being tested. The
wooden wheels were replaced on later models with steel spokes and
the electric headlights would be replaced with kerosene lamps.
19/09/2014 16:00
LOCOMOBILE
The Locomobile Company

of America was the
manufacturer of Americas
most luxurious cars, but
in 1912 built their rst
truck the A Type (which
was of a cab-over-engine
design) was followed three years later by a more conventional
appearing truck in the 3, 4, 5 or 6-ton models. A British buying
mission bought the 3-ton model with the US Army purchasing
67 for use on the Mexican border, followed by an additional
order for 3,690 when the United States declared war on Germany
in 1917. Although Locomobile had the reputation for being the
best-built cars in America, the trucks had a number of problems
with cracking radiators and breaking half shafts. Locomobile went
in to receivership in 1919 with truck production ending three
years later.
MACK
Built from 1916 to 1939

the Mack AC Bulldog has
the record for the longest
production run of any of
the wartime trucks. The
US Army purchased 2,563
of the 5.5-ton and 368 of
the 3.5-ton versions for
use by the Corps of Engineers with the British War Department
purchased 150 of the 5.5-ton version. Like many other heavy
trucks of this time the 40hp engine transmitted power to the back
wheels via chains running from jack shafts to sprockets on the
inside of the rear wheels. The symbol on the front of the hood
is often mistakenly thought to stand for Mack but the symbol is
actually IM for International Motor Company.
MORELAND
One of the more obscure

US Army trucks used
during the war were those
built by Moreland. This
company was established
in Los Angeles California
and marketed under the
slogan built in the West for Western work. The US Army placed
an order for 60 of the 4-ton chassis and 85 of the 1.5-ton chassis of
which 40 and 76 were delivered by December 1918, none of which
left the United States. This photograph shows the 4-ton version,
which has been tted with the standard B Type body.
NASH
With the purchase of

the Thomas B Jeery
Company in 1916 by
Charles Nash, the Jeery
Quad was renamed the
Nash Quad (which was
cast in to the top tank of
the radiator) although it
was planned to bring truck production to an end once the current
military contracts were fullled. With the United States entering
the war the following year production was stepped up and 14,684
being ordered by November 1918. Orders for an additional 3,000
each were placed with Hudson Motor car Co, National Motor
Co and Paige Motor Company although very few of these were
delivered before the end of the war. Photographed in a US Army
workshop on the Western Front, a Nash Quad is receiving a fresh
coat of paint. The Quad has an unusual appearance, as the driving
position is approximately one third of the way back.
PACKARD
One of the most famous American

luxury car manufacturers was Packard.
Established in 1899 to build cars, their rst
commercial vehicle was built in 1905. In
1914 Packard was well positioned to meet
the urgent demand for trucks from the
Britain, France and Russia who used them.
The US Army trialled the Packard in 1909
but did not have any in service until a train load of 27 arrived on the Mexican
border on 27 March 1916, followed by a further 94, to join the expedition
hunting for the bandit Pancho Villa. Packard contributed to the development
of the Liberty B truck but manufactured only ve examples. The US Army
were very pleased with the Packard and by the end of the war they had taken
526 1.5-ton, 3479 3-ton and 17 of the chain drive 5-ton trucks overseas.
PEERLESS
With over 10,000 examples in British

Army service, the American-built
Peerless TC4 was the most numerous of
all British trucks during the war. Peerless
was primarily a luxury car manufacturer,
which in 1911 diversied into making
trucks in the 2, 3, 4 and 5-ton range. The
US Army was quick to purchase some Peerless trucks and used them on the
Mexican border. During the war the British War Department cornered the
market and purchased every Peerless truck they could get except for 385 that
were ordered by the US Army and were taken to Europe. To help make up the
shortfall in trucks used by the US Army, the British War Department supplied
them with some British Army Peerless trucks. The British markings were
quickly painted out and over painted with US markings.
PIERCE ARROW
With the assistance of two British engineers

(who had previously worked for Hallford
and Dennis) the New York based Company
of Pierce Arrow built their rst 5-ton R
Type truck in 1911. The truck proved to be
a great success and two years later Pierce
Arrow produced a scaled down 2-ton
version the X Type. The Pierce Arrow proved to be a reliable truck built at the
right time and found a ready market. They were purchased in large numbers
by the British, French and American forces with the Russians also taking them.
Between April 1914 and December 1918 Pierce Arrow built 11,350 R Types
and 7,051 X Types, and also built 975 of the Liberty B trucks for the US Army.
WHITE
During the course of the Great War the

White Motor Company supplied in the
region of 18,000 trucks to the American,
Russian, French, Canadian and to a lesser
extent the British forces. The largest
customer was the US Army followed by
the French who received White trucks
of all models. The 3-ton Model TC and larger trucks were chain drive with the
lighter trucks being worm drive. Here are a group of TC Whites (with Packard
trucks behind them) being prepared for transportation to Russia.
WILLYS
Willys is better known for the production

of the ubiquitous MB Jeep during WW2,
but during WW1 they supplied the
1-ton Model 65XT to the British War
Department. Fitted with pneumatic tyres
on the front, solid tyres on the back and
powered by a 25.6hp engine the Willys could carry a useful load of 800lb. The
exact number they supplied is not known, but photographs of them are quite
rare and only show them in service within the United Kingdom.
19/09/2014 16:00
FRANCE
uch like Britain, France had a

minimal number of motor vehicles
(approximately 230) in military service
at the start of the war, but was able to
call up those that had enrolled within the subsidy
scheme and impress others. For the battle of the

Marne, 600 Paris taxis were mobilised to transport
French reserves to the battle. In addition to this
approximately 1,100 Parisian busses were pressed
into service, and to boost the number of trucks
ATLAS
One of the more obscure types of trucks

used by the Americans in the war was the
Atlas. Although Atlas was also an American
truck company, the Atlas trucks used in
France by the Americans were built by
the French manufacturer. A small number
of these French trucks were obtained by
the American Expeditionary Force, desperately short of trucks when it arrived.
They appear to have been predominantly used by the American engineers when
preparing the French ports for the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force.
Unfortunately information on Atlas trucks is minimal, although there is one
surviving example at the Maurice Dufresne museum near Tours.
BERLIET
With many thousands of examples

purchased by the French Army, the Berliet
CBA was one of the most numerous trucks
in French Army service, although these
two were loaned to the United States
Medical Corps. This chain drive workhorse had a 5,300cc engine that generated
30bhp and could carry a load of four tons. In common with many other French
truck manufacturers they painted the company name on the side of the canvas as
can just be made out here. Berliet went into administration in 1921, but managed
to recover only to be taken over by Citroen in 1967 and then sold to Renault in
1974 with the Berliet name being dropped not much later.
CROCHAT
The designers of Crochat must have

thought that having good visibility for the
driver was a neccessity as he appears to
be about six feet o the ground. Sitting
above the engine and behind the radiator
would have made the drivers position
pleasantly warm in cold weather, but perhaps not so comfortable on hot days.
Many of these Crochats were purchased by the French Air Force (Aviation
Militaire) who used them for special purposes such as this one, which has been
tted with a radio communications body.
DE DION-BOUTON
The distinctive round radiator

on this French Army De DionBouton was manufactured by the
Company of Solex and appeared
as a proprietary part on a number
of trucks, including those made by
Crochat and Schneider. In 1900 De
Dion-Bouton was the worlds largest
automobile Company producing
400 cars a year and 3,200 engines, which they supplied to other automobile
manufacturers. De Dion Bouton supplied a range of trucks throughout the war
most commonly the 3.5-ton model FR but perhaps most interesting was the
six-cylinder autos-cannon de75 mobile anti-aircraft gun, which was used by the
French, the Americans and in small numbers by the British for the defence of
London from Zeppelins. To The right of the DeDion-Bouton is an American built
Pierce-Arrow in French Army service.
in service the French purchased large numbers

of Fiats from Italy, Packard, Pierce Arrow, Jeery
Quads and White trucks from the United States
and 1,171 trucks from Britain (predominantly built
by Star and Tilling Stevens).
DELAHAYE
The French luxury

car manufacturer
Societe des
Automobiles
Delahaye is
better known for
its racing cars
than its military
vehicles, but
throughout the war it built a range of cars, trucks and vans for
military service of which a handful survive. One of the most
interesting survivors is the balloon winch truck which resides
at the French air and space museum at Le Bourget in Paris.
It is rather easy to identify this truck as a Delahaye, but the
uniforms of the men alongside show that it is in Russian Army
service. Delahaye was taken over by Hotchkiss in 1954 and by
1956 the name had disappeared.
LATIL
The Company
Avant Train
Latil built their
rst four-wheel
drive truck
in Paris in
1911 and two
years later the
French Army
purchased an example, the TAR 01 (Tracteur dArtillerie
Roulante) artillery tractor. This enormous truck weighed
nearly six tons and was used (alongside the Renault EG) for
towing the heavy Schneider 155mm gun. The TAR 01 was not
the only truck from the Latil stable as they also produced
the four-wheel drive TP, which when tted with a winch, was
adopted by the French and American balloon services for use
with observation balloons. After the war Latil built trucks for
agriculture and forestry work before merging with Renault
and Somua to form Saviem.
MORS
This rather odd

looking machine
is a 20hp Mors.
A French-built
luxury car that
has been tted
with a rather
crude wooden
body, making a
rather useful light delivery truck. Photographs of the cars
appear in French Army service and it seems strange that the
French, who were desperate for vehicles of all kind, would
supply such a chassis to their allies. They were for a time
built under licence in the USA and were sold in the UK in
the lead up to the war so it is possible that it was either an
American import or came from a stock of chassis that had
already been imported into the UK when war broke out.
19/09/2014 16:00
PANHARD
Not easy to recognise in this position but the

photographer recorded on the back of the
photograph that this is a Panhard that has
suered the indignity of slipping o the edge of
the road, a fairly common hazard at this time.
This photograph gives a clear view of the chain
drive system. Just inside the rear wheels is a
chain that runs to jack shafts protruding from the side of the centrally mounted gearbox
from which runs a prop shaft to the engine. Panhards main contribution to the war
eort was the enormous four-wheel drive Chatillon-Panhard heavy gun tractor.
PEUGEOT
With a background in building coee grinders and bicycles

Peugeot diversied, and with an engine supplied by
Daimler, built their rst internal combustion engine car
in 1891. Just ve years later they were making their own
engines and a range of cars and motorcycles. Throughout
WW1 Peugeot supplied the French Army with motorcycles,
cars and trucks. This photograph shows a 4-ton Model
1525 being driven past an American MP. The 1525 Model
was introduced in 1917 with 4,084 being manufactured by
1920. The octagonal radiator is quite distinctive with the
Peugeot badge just visible riveted to the top.
SAURER
The now
defunct Swiss
Company of
Saurer has an
interesting
claim to
fame that of
being used
by both the
allies and central powers during the war. Saurer
trucks were built in the 2, 4 and 5-ton capacity
(in both chain and worm drive) and were not only
manufactured in Switzerland, but also under licence
in the USA, France, Germany and Austria. The British
War Department purchased Saurers made under
licence in the USA while the French purchased those
built in Suresnes in France as well as those built in
Switzerland to stop them from being sold to the
Germans. This four ton Model B worm drive Saurer is
in French Army service.
SCHNEIDER
RENAULT
Probably the most famous of all French

automotive manufacturers was Renault, who
supplied the French Army with cars, vans, trucks
and tank transporters (the model FU, capable of
carrying the FT17 tank). This photograph shows a
four-wheel drive model EG gun tractor, which in
this instance has been lent to the US Army Corps
of Engineers for truck recovery work. It appears
that this Renault is being anchored into position
so that it can pull another truck out of the mud
using the winch mounted at the rear. Almost the
entire width of the cab is the radiator, which is
located behind the engine. Renault gave their name to this style of bonnet, which was
copied on American built Mack, Kelly Springeld and International Harvester trucks.
It is well known
that the LGOC
London buses
were taken o the
streets of London
for use on the
Western front, but
exactly the same
thing happened in Paris with the handsome single deck
buses made by De Dion, Brillie and Schneider being
taken for military service. All three manufacturers
produced very similar chassis (even using the same
round radiator manufactured by Solex) of which this,
a Schneider PB2, was the most numerous of the Paris
buses taken into service. The body on this Schneider
is not that of a bus, but that of a much simpler troop
carrier although the cab roof is identical to that of a
Paris bus suggesting that it had been re-bodied.
ITALY
mongst all the belligerent nations

Italy was almost unique in being
able to meet all of their mechanical
transport requirements without
resorting to more than a handful of foreign

imports. In fact Italy supplied vehicles to
many of their allies such as Great Britain,
France and the United States. The Italian
FIAT
One of the most prolic truck manufacturers throughout the war

supplying trucks to the French, American, British and their own
Army was Fiat. Appearing in French army service is this chain drive
2.5-ton 18BL model, the chains being enclosed in a case much
like the British-built Commer. The French automobile sections
painted quite
elaborate
markings on
their trucks
and this is a
particularly
ne example
with what
appears to be
a clock painted
on the side.
motor industry was based around two

cities, Milan and Turin, the home of such
famous names as Fiat, Lancia, Spa and Isotta
Fraschini.
LANCIA
Commencing production
in 1906, Lancia was a
high quality Italian car
manufacturer, which took up
the manufacture of trucks
shortly before WW1. The
1.5-ton model Z was used
by both the Italians and the
British, but the name Lancia
is more often than not associated with the armoured car version, which was
constructed by Ansaldo on the Lancia truck chassis. The Lancia was used in
a variety of roles by the British War Department during the war, but at the
end of the conict a large number were used in Ireland where they were
tted with steel plate and used as armoured troop carriers. This Lancia has
been tted with fairly crude armour and a turret, which no doubt did little to
improve its road handling characteristics!
19/09/2014 16:00
Armortek F_P.indd 1
10/09/2014 09:44
T
Bicycles and
Motorcycles
in the Great War

Historian and author Richard Pullen takes
a look at the development of two-wheeled
transport in the First World War
he development of the rst motorcycle

was completely dependent on the
creation of the Safety Bicycle in the
late 1880s. The safety bicycle was so
called as it oered a safe and very welcome
alternative to the manly and quite hazardous
Penny Farthing and at a stroke, the world had
what we would, even now over 130 years later,
recognise as a modern bicycle. The design of
the original safety bicycle incorporated equally
sized wheels and a strong diamond shaped
frame, which made it perfect as a platform for
the creation of the motorcycle.
It wasnt long before inventive people
started to marry small petrol and steam
engines with bicycles and in 1885 Gottlieb
Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach created their
Reitwagon or Riding Wagon, usually sited by
most people as being the worlds rst true
motorcycle, although as with many such
claims, this is open to interpretation. The
further development of the Safety Bicycle was
very slow as the machine had been such a
terric creation that it was just about right rst
time and any modication or changes for the
better were almost unnecessary. However, its
powered ospring, the motorcycle, had huge
24-28_motorcycles2.indd 24
09/09/2014 20:29
ABOVE...
A wonderfully restored Motor Machine
Gun Corps Matchless twin photographed at
Belton House in 2010 as part of a WW1 living
history display.
TOP RIGHT...
In an eort to boost the numbers of
motorcycles available to the military, hundreds
of motorcycles were given away free to the
military in 1914 by their patriotic owners.
ABOVE RIGHT...
A despatch Rider pictured here on a Douglas
2.75hp motorcycle. Note the mu to keep the
hands warm tted to the end of the handlebars.
BELOW...
A motley looking crew of Dispatch Riders
photographed sitting astride their Triumph
motorcycles in mid 1917.
ABOVE...
The BSA Folding Bicycle ready for action.
LEFT...
A Great War period Douglas advertising card
showing an ASC rider with his machine.
BELOW LEFT...
A mixed patrol of Belgian cyclists and
motorcyclists in early 1915. The motorcycle
is a British made Douglas.
BOTTOM LEFT...
The standard BSA Non-Folding Mk IV
Military Bicycle.
BELOW...
A member of the South African Motorcycle
Corps pictured here on his over-loaded BSA.
09/09/2014 20:29
ABOVE...
A Great War Despatch
Rider serving with the
Army Service Corps.
CENTRE...
A view showing the
BSA Folding Military
Bicycle as part of a
mans marching kit.
ABOVE RIGHT...
10th Battalion
Signal Section Royal
Engineers pictured in
France anked by two
of their motorcycles.
room for development and by the

outbreak of the First World War in
1914 the machine was unrecognisable
when compared to the early eorts
such as the Reitwagon.
The motorcycle was now an
established and relatively advanced
piece of machinery. There had
been a thriving racing scene in
the early 20th Century, which had
given impetus to the machines
development, and although to the
modern eye they may look primitive
and fragile, this was very far from
the truth. Just before the war there
were well over one hundred dierent
motorcycle manufacturers and
assemblers in Great Britain alone

and although many of these did not
survive the economic rigours of the
war, the motorcycle as a vehicle
did very well out of the constant
need for stronger, faster or larger
machines. As a piece of military
hardware, the motorcycle became
invaluable for many dierent roles
such as message dispatch, convoy
work or even as mobile machine gun
or radio outfits.
In much the same way as early
motorcycles obviously owe their
existence to the Safety Bicycle,
the early army motorcyclist owed
his existence to the various Army
Cyclists Corps. In 1914, the British

army had over 14,000 men who were
experienced cyclists, fully equipped
with the latest military specication
bicycles. Although the idea of
soldiers riding into battle on bicycles
may seem quaint or even absurd to
us today, these men were actually
the fast moving Shock-Troops of
the time as they could be quickly
dispatched to engage with the
enemy and when needed, they could
jump onto their bicycles and fall back
just as quickly as they had advanced.
In August 1914 at Mons, these men
proved their worth, with French and
British cyclist battalions ghting a
Getting lost was a very serious business
for a Dispatch Rider, so constant study
of trench maps was essential.
09/09/2014 20:29
ABOVE LEFT...
vital rearguard action that helped slow the
advance of the German Army and giving the
Allies breathing room.
The First World War was to become a
mechanised war and many companies such
as Triumph, Sunbeam, Zenith, Rover, AJS,
Sunbeam, Premier, Raleigh, P&M, New
Hudson and Norton produced items for the
military, including bicycles and motorcycles,
but there is perhaps one maker that will
always be quite rightly associated with their
wartime production, Birmingham Small Arms,
better known by their initials, B.S.A. The
company built all manner of items during
the war including the legendary .303 Lee
Eneld rie, locks for Maxim Machine Guns,
Interrupter Mechanisms for ghter aircraft,
high explosive shells and complete Lewis
Machine Guns, but it is for their two wheeled
transport that they are perhaps most famous.
The B.S.A. logo of three ries, known as the
Piled Arms trademark, became one of those
rare, internationally recognised symbols
that stood for quality and innovation in any
language and the company sold their products
to every country imaginable.
OUTBREAK OF WAR
Until not too long ago, it was quite common for

many companies to have a summer shut down
so that general maintenance and stock taking
could be done. B.S.A. always chose to have
their shut down in the early weeks of August,
which was usually just ne, but in August 1914
Great Britain went to war and all forms of
transport, both motorised and pedal powered
were urgently needed. B.S.A. were operating
on a skeleton sta and busy with general
upkeep of their machinery when the order
came through for 500 Military Specication
Bicycles, fully assembled with lamps front and
rear, carriers front and rear, bells, rie clips etc,
A soldier of the South African Motorcycle Corps

on his BSA with full kit.
ABOVE...
Despatch Riders of the Royal Sussex Regiment.
ABOVE RIGHT...
ot much is known about this image except that
it shows Captain Harvey on his Sunbeam.
ready for riding and to be delivered within 24

hours. Messengers were sent to the homes
of the holidaying workers and gradually the
factory came up to strength and after working
through the night and eating meals whilst
they stood at their machines, the company
managed to ll the order.
Later in the war, contracts of 500 units
would become commonplace and their
wartime production gures usually ran to
more bicycles being built in a single day than
would have been produced in a week prior
to 1914. The B.S.A. folding bicycle is usually
more associated with the Second World War,
when the company made them for airborne
troops, but the company actually started to
produce a collapsible machine in mid WW1.
With the release of two bolts, the folding
B.S.A. could be transformed from bicycle to
backpack in less than 90 seconds leaving the
soldier free to operate his rie unhindered.
The other two-wheeled wonder that the
company had great success in supplying to
the Army was the B.S.A. 4 HP Motorcycle.
BELOW LEFT...
A late war Douglas motorcycle, very nicely
restored to its military trim.
BELOW RIGHT...
This would have been familiar sight in WW1;
the motorcycles had a hard life and would
have needed constant upkeep.
Many were bought by the British, French

and Russian military and 400 were sent to
the South African Motorcyclist Corps for use
in the inhospitable terrain of East Africa. In
their attempts to locate and engage with
the elusive German General von LettowVorbeck, the South African Motorcyclist
Corps undertook an expedition of 2,800
miles through swamps, across rivers and
along rough bush tracks. Each motorcycle
carried 140lbs of equipment, plus the rider
and according to post war advertising from
the company, every single one of the B.S.A.
machines completed the journey successfully.
Another manufacturer who became vital in
supplying motorcycles to the war eort was
Douglas. In 1906, the Douglas Engineering
Company of Kingswood, Bristol bought the
research, drawings and prototypes for an
engine designed by Mr. W. Barter. He had
tried to produce the engine himself, but his
company had not been a great success and
Douglas hoped they could do better. Until
now, Douglas had been producing castings
for drain covers, lampposts and so on, but in
1907 their motorcycle entered the market and
soon became a much sought after machine.
The Douglas 2 3/4hp was an excellent creation
and was renowned for being Vibrationless
due to the horizontal twin arrangement.
With the outbreak of war in 1914, the British
Army needed thousands of motorcycles,
cars, lorries and other vehicles. Many were
commandeered and many were simply given
to the army by patriotic owners. Douglas
became one of the main suppliers to the War
Oce and they eventually produced around
70,000 2hp and 4hp motorcycles for the
military. The Douglas 4hp was especially
useful and, with the addition of a sidecar,
saw action as mobile machine gun units and
even as fully kitted out Marconi radio outfits.
09/09/2014 20:30
The smaller 350cc Douglas 2 leant itself

perfectly to other motorcycle duties such as
dispatch and convoy work in every theatre of
the war, from France and Belgium to Salonika
and East Africa.
After the war, Douglas bought many of
their old worn out and battle weary WD
machines back from the army. The old
motorcycles were reconditioned and sold on
again, this time to civilian buyers. This may
sound like a bit of a scam as the new owners
would have thought that they were getting
a brand new machine, but these machines
were completely refurbished and it was
standard procedure after the war, with most
motorcycle, lorry and other vehicle makers
doing exactly the same thing.
The Douglas must be one of the most
well-known and prolically photographed
motorcycles to see service during the Great
War, but a very close second must be the
Trusty Triumph. The company was one of
those, like Daimler, with a very complex history
intertwined with a German factory. Despite
this, their 550cc Model H was chosen to be
one of the motorcycles deemed suitable for
military use and was therefore supplied to the

War Oce in large numbers. At the outbreak
of war in 1914, Triumph was producing
around 4000 of their Type A single-cylinder
motorcycles every year and by 1915 the
company was almost completely dedicated to
military production. By the end of the war they
had made over 30,000 motorcycles for the
Allied forces.
The Model H was a very comfortable,
very well built motorcycle which could be
worked on by just about anyone and could be
stripped using very rudimentary tools. The
Type H is often described as the rst modern
ABOVE...
No 4 Platoon H.C. Divisional Cyclists Corps line
up outside the Church in Hildenborough in Kent
prior to being sent to France.
ABOVE LEFT...
This is not a mobile Machine Gun outfit,
the sidecar is just being used to move a
Lewis Gun and boxes of magazines around.
ABOVE RIGHT...
Men of the Automobile Association march
through London with their bicycles before
being formed up into an active service.
motorcycle as it had a chain driven primary

drive, three speed gearbox, a clutch and a
kick-starter. The kick starter and clutch may
sound like they should have been standard
equipment on every motorcycle, but this was
not the case and many motorcycles of the
time had to be run o to get them started and
were tted with a crash box and no clutch.
Two-wheeled transport in war rarely
receives the attention it deserves, often being
overlooked by historians in favour of aircraft,
tanks or battleships, but it is undeniable that
many men owed their lives to the trusty Don-R
racing through shot and shell or guiding their
convoy through the pitch black of night.
LEFT...
This photograph is signed from Frank and shows
him and his pals with their military bicycles in
November 1914.
RIGHT...
Whilst training these troops use their V Twin
Zenith sidecar outfit as an improvised rest for
a Lewis Gun.
Little is known about this image except

that it was taken early in the war
somewhere in England.
09/09/2014 20:30
TANKS OF THE G
Great War
historian and author
Richard Pullen
delves into some
of the facts and
figures surrounding
some of the most
important and most
interesting tanks
of the Great War
he struggle to build a
viable tracked armoured
ghting vehicle was one of
the most vitally important
arms races ever to face the military
world, due in no small part to the
stalemate on the battleelds of
Europe. The British were the rst
to create a tank and the rapid pace
of development resulted in such a
speedy evolution that by the end
of the war, just two years later, it
was a quite dierent machine to
the rst lumbering monster that
struggled with the terrain. Not only
did the tank change and adapt to meet new
challenges and encompass new technology,
but the idea of the tracked AFV was taken
onboard and given a twist by other countries,
with France, Germany, Russia, America and
Italy all producing tanks. Despite the fact that
some were too late to see action and others

would have been useless if they had ever
been put into battle, the tank as a battleeld
weapon had nevertheless made its mark and
as a battleeld weapon was here to stay. In
hindsight, it is easy to pile scorn on eorts
like the American Steam Tank or the giant
30-38_great_war.indd 30
17/09/2014 17:07
GREAT WAR
British Flying Elephant, but they all go to

show how the designers were vying for
a workable design, often using untried
technology to create an answer to a
problem that many thought unsolvable
and as a result the variety of tank designs
in those early days oer a fascinating
insight into those early days of mechanised

warfare, so while the tank wasnt an
immediate success, and some experiments
were perhaps less than practical, it did shape
the weapon that has become universally
known as the Tank and so far at least, has
lasted nearly 100 years. As to whether it lasts
another 100 years is anybodys guess, but
for the time being it shows no signs of being
dropped from the battleeld.
17/09/2014 17:08
GREAT BRITAIN
MK I HEAVY TANK & MK II - III TRAINING TANKS

A crew of 8 men, Male tanks equipped with 6-pounder cannon and
three Hotchkiss .303 machine guns, Female tanks equipped with ve
Vickers .303 machine guns with armoured jackets. Mk III Female armed
with ve .303 Lewis Guns. Fully loaded weight was 28-tons (Male), 27tons (Female). Maximum armour thickness of 12mm, Mk II and III were
training tanks constructed from unarmoured Boilerplate. The radius
of action was just 23 miles, at a maximum speed of 3.7mph. Powered
by Daimler sleeve valve petrol engine giving 105hp at 1000rpm.

Total of 150 Mk I tanks produced, 37 Male by Wm Foster and Co.
of Lincoln and 113 Male and Female machines by the Metropolitan
Wagon and Finance of Birmingham.
Total of 50 Mk II tanks produced, 25 Males by Fosters of Lincoln and
25 Females by Metropolitan in Birmingham. One Mk I and one Mk II
survive, both at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.
MK IV HEAVY TANK
Crew of 8, Male tanks equipped with shortened 6-pounder

cannon and three .303 Lewis machine guns, Female tanks
equipped with ve .303 Lewis Guns. Unditching gear
tted, probably only at Central Workshops in France.
Fully loaded weight was 28-tons (Male), 27-tons (Female).
Maximum armour thickness of 12mm. The radius of
action was just 35 miles at a maximum speed of 3.7mph.
Powered by a Daimler sleeve valve petrol engine giving
105hp at 1000rpm. Some late production tanks had
125hp engines.
A total of 1245 Mk IV tanks were produced, 640 by
Metropolitan as tanks and 180 as Supply Tanks, 100 by
Wm Fosters, 100 by Armstrong Whitworth and Co. Ltd
of Gateshead, with the remaining 225 built in Glasgow
by the Coventry Ordnance Works, Mirrlees

Watson Co. and William Beardmore Co.
Just seven Mk IV tanks survive in various
museums around the world, including
Bovington, Museum of Lincolnshire Life,
Ashford in Kent, as well as Belgium, France,
Australia and USA.
17/09/2014 17:08
THE MK V HEAVY TANK
Like the previous tanks, the Mk V had a crew

of 8 men. Male tanks equipped with shortened
6-pounder cannon and four .303 Hotchkiss
machine guns, Female tanks equipped with
six .303 Hotchkiss machine guns. Fully loaded
weight was 29-tons (Male) 28-tons (Female)
with a maximum armour thickness of 14mm.
Radius of action 45 miles with a maximum
speed 4.6mph. The Mk V was powered by a
Ricardo 6-cylinder petrol engine developing
150hp at 1000rpm. A total of 700 Mk V
tanks were produced, all by Metropolitan in
Birmingham and a total of eight Mk V tanks
currently survive in various museums around
the world, including the example at Bovington,
which is still in running order.
MEDIUM A WHIPPET
The Whippet had a crew of 3 or 4 men and was equipped with four
.303 Hotchkiss machine guns. The fully loaded weight was 14-tons,
with a maximum armour thickness of 14mm. The radius of action was
45 miles with a heady top speed of 8.3 mph courtesy of twin Tylor JB4
Petrol Engines, each developing 45hp. Some 200 Medium A tanks were
produced, all by Wm Fosters of Lincoln. Five Medium A tanks survive in
various museums around the world.
17/09/2014 17:08
MEDIUM B AND C
Both had a crew of 4 men and both were equipped with four .303
Hotchkiss machine guns. Male variants were planned, but never
produced. The Medium B weighed 18-tons fully loaded while the
Medium C weighed 19.5-tons fully loaded. Both had a maximum
armour thickness of 14mm. The radius of action for the Medium
B was 45 miles, while the radius of action for the Medium C was
approximately 75 miles, though Wm Foster and Co. quoted 120 miles.
The Medium Bs maximum speed was 8.5 mph, while the Medium Cs
maximum speed was 8 mph. The Medium B was powered by a Ricardo
4-cylinder petrol engine developing 100hp at 1200rpm, while the

Medium C used a Ricardo 6-cylinder petrol engine, which developed
150hp at 1200rpm.
Just 60 Medium B tanks were produced by Metropolitan in
Birmingham, Coventry Ordnance of Glasgow and North British
Locomotive in Glasgow, while 36 Medium C tanks were produced by
William Foster and Co of Lincoln. Neither tank saw action in WW1 and
of the two machines, the Medium C is regarded as the superior of the
two. No Medium B or C tanks survive.
17/09/2014 17:08
MK I AND II
GUN CARRIERS
A crew of 4 plus gun crew of another 4

men. Equipped with one .303 Hotchkiss
machine gun for defence. They carried
either a 6-inch Howitzer + ammunition or
a 60-pounder Field Gun + Ammunition.
Loaded weight with a 6-inch gun was
31-tons, and with a 60-pounder gun
34-tons. The unloaded weight was 27tons. Maximum armour thickness was
12mm, and the radius of action was
approximately 35 miles with a maximum
speed of 3.7 mph. The Gun Carriers
were powered by a Daimler 6-cylinder
petrol engine that developed 105hp at
1000rpm. The gun carriers were not true
Tanks, being used instead to transport
large calibre guns. A total of 48 Gun
Carriers were produced as well as two
salvage variants, all by Kitson and Co. of
Leeds. None survive today.
ANGLO-AMERICAN
MK VIII LIBERTY
HEAVY TANK
The massive Mk VIII had a crew of

12 men, the British version was
equipped with a pair of 6-pounder
cannon and six .303 Hotchkiss
machine guns, while the American
version was equipped with a pair of
6-pounder cannon and six .30 Cal
Browning machine guns.
The fully loaded weight was
approximately 37-tons with a
maximum armour thickness of
16mm. The radius of action was 52 miles, with a maximum speed 5.7
mph. The British version of the Mk VIII was powered by a Ricardo
V12 300hp petrol engine, while the American Version was powered
by a Liberty V12 300 hp petrol engine. A total of eleven Mk VIII were
produced in Great Britain by North British Loco Works in Glasgow, with
several more produced after the war from parts. One hundred were
produced by the Rock Island Arsenal between 1918 and 1920. Two
American Mk VIII tanks are known to survive, both in the USA. One
British-made Mk VIII survives at the Tank Museum at Bovington.
17/09/2014 17:08
FRANCE
RENAULT FT-17
The diminutive Renault FT-17 had a crew of just 2 men. Male tanks were
equipped with a 37mm Cannon in a fully rotating turret, while Female
tanks were equipped with a single 8mm Hotchkiss machine gun in a fully
rotating turret. Fully loaded the Male and Female weighed 6.5-tons with a
maximum armour thickness of 22mm. The radius of action was 22 miles, with
a maximum speed of 5mph. The tank was powered by a Renault 4-cylinder
35 hp petrol engine. A total of 3694 Renaults were produced by various
factories with Renault as the primary manufacturer, but were also produced
or used by many other countries including America, Russia, Great Britain,
Norway and even Nazi Germany. Around 20 FT-17s or variants thereof,
survive in various
museums around
the world.
by a Panhard-Levassor 4-cylinder 90hp petrol engine. A total of 400 Saint

Chamond tanks were produced by Compagnie des Forges at Acieries de la
Marine at dHomecourt, today only one Saint-Chamond survives at the
Muse des Blinds in Saumur.
SAINT-CHAMOND
The French St Chamond tank had

a crew of 8 or 9 men and was
equipped with a 75mm main
gun and four 7.62mm Hotchkiss
machine guns. Fully loaded the
tank weighed 23-tons and had
a maximum armour thickness
of 17mm. The radius of action
was approximately 36 miles with
a maximum speed of 7.5mph.
The tank used coil sprung Holt
type tracks and was powered
17/09/2014 17:09
SCHNEIDER CA1
The Schneider had a crew of 6 men and was equipped with a 75mm Blockhaus
Schneider cannon and two 8mm Hotchkiss M1914 machine guns. Fully loaded it
weighed 13.6-tons and had a maximum armour thickness of 11mm. Like the St
Chamond, the Schneider also used coil sprung Holt type tracks. It had a radius
of action of approximately 50 miles with a maximum speed of 8.1mph. The tank
was powered by a Schneider 4-cylinder 60 hp petrol engine. 400 Schneiders were
built by Socit doutillage mcanique et dusinage dartillerie otherwise known as
SOMUA, only one Schneider CA-1 survives at the Muse des Blinds in Saumur.
GERMANY
A7V STURMPANZERWAGON
The German A7V had a crew of 18 men and was equipped with a 57mm
Maxim Nordenfelt cannon as its main armament and six, 8mm Maxim
machine guns. Fully loaded it weighed in at 31-tons and had a maximum
armour thickness of 30mm. Like the French Schneider and St Chamond
tanks it used coil sprung Holt type tracks. Operationally

it had a radius of action of around 40 miles and a
maximum speed of 9mph. The A7V was powered by a
pair of German Daimler-Benz 4-cylinder petrol engines
with a combined output of 200hp. Just 20 A7V tanks
were built by Daimler-Moteren-Gesellschaft, DaimlerBenz, at Marienfelde, and today only one A7V survives at
the Queensland Museum in Australia, however, in 2013,
another possible surviving A7V was found in the Wieprz
River in Poland.
17/09/2014 17:09
PROTOTYPES, ONE OFFS AND SPLENDID ODDITIES

LITTLE WILLIE
TANK PROTOTYPE
Regarded as the forerunner to the tanks that

took to the battleeld, Little Willie was projected
to have a crew of 6 men with a proposed
armament of a 2-pounder cannon and up to
four .303 Hotchkiss machine guns. In terms of
weight, sources dier with quoted fully loaded
weights of between 16 and 28-tons. The vehicle
was constructed from unarmoured Boilerplate
of a maximum thickness of 6mm. Radius of
action was anticipated to be approximately 25
miles with a maximum speed of 3.5mph. Little
Willie was powered by a Daimler sleeve valve
petrol engine developing 105hp at 1000rpm.
Only one example was ever built by Wm Foster
and Co. of Lincoln in 1915, which still survives at
the Tank Museum Bovington, Dorset.
CARRO FIAT TIPO 2000
AMERICAN STEAM TANK
The American Steam Tank had a crew of 8 men and was equipped with a
forward mounted ame-thrower and four .30 Cal Browning machine guns.
Fully loaded it weighed approximately 51-tons and was constructed from
unarmoured Boilerplate of a maximum thickness of 13mm. The radius
of action is unknown, but it did have a maximum speed of 4mph and was
powered by a pair of Kerosene burning 2-cylinder steam engines
producing 500bhp. One example was built by the US Army Corps
of Engineers and the Stanley Motor Carriage Co. of Massachusetts
in 1918, with the tank being sent to France in mid to late 1918
for testing, however, it never went into production nor did it see
action. The Steam Tank does not survive.
Italys contribution to the tank world in WW1 was the Carro Fiat Tipo
2000, which had a crew of 10 men and was equipped with a 65mm
cannon and seven 8mm Revelli machine guns. Fully loaded it weighed 40tons and had a maximum armour thickness of 20mm. The radius of action
was 47miles and the maximum speed 4.5mph. The tank was powered
by a Fiat 6-cylinder petrol engine producing 240hp. Two examples of this
deceptively good tank built by Fiat in late 1918 (some sources say a total
of 6 had been built by 1920) and while the tank never saw action in the
Great War, it stayed in service until 1934. None survive today.
FLYING ELEPHANT TANK
The Flying Elephant was to have a crew of 8 men and be equipped

with a either a 6-pounder or more probably a 12-pounder cannon
depending on sources, and six .303 Hotchkiss machine guns.
Fully loaded the weight was to be approximately 100-tons with
a maximum armour thickness of 75mm. The radius of action is
unknown, as is the maximum speed. The tank was to be powered
by a special version of the Daimler 105hp petrol engine, consisting
of two units running from a common crank and producing around
200hp. The prototype was almost nished by Wm Foster and Co.
of Lincoln in December 1916, but later scrapped in favour of
Mk I production.
17/09/2014 17:09
Saint-Chamond
Pascal Danjou looks at the First World War French St Chamond Heavy Tank
ABOVE...
This Saint-Chamond
tank is one of the very
rst models, and isnt
even tted with the
later cylindrical outlet to
evacuate the fumes from
the 75mm gun, which was
later positioned between
the two observation
cupolas.
BELOW...
This example of the French
Saint-Chamond Heavy
Tank (Number 62 593) has
the later pitched roof, but
still lacks viewing ports
and retains its model 1912,
75 mm gun.
espite the raging ware,

which threatened Frances
very existence, the design
and production of Frances
tanks of the First World War was
subject to a great deal of in-ghting
and political controversy. Wrangling
between those associated with the
projects, together with disputes as
to how the projects were apparently
railroaded through the design
and acceptance process, would
eventually result in two of the most
famous French tank designs of the
war, but the path from design to
production was far from smooth, and
ghting in the boardrooms between

the two rival design teams would
match the erce ghting the tanks
would encounter on the battleeld!
It all started in January 1916
when a committee was set up with
the backing of General Jore to
decide how best to design and build
the machinery necessary to try and
break the stalemate of the trenches
on the battleelds of France, more
specically tanks. The committee
was composed of Lieutenant
Colonel Cordier, Squadron Leader
Ferrus, Captain Delaunay Belleville
and Lieutenant Fouch and from
the outset, the American Baby Holt
tractor, which used tracked running
gear, was earmarked as a suitable
basis for the designs.
Two dierent projects evolved,
which eventually became the
Schneider and Saint-Chamond
tanks. The designs of the two tanks
diered in their approach, not least
the size of the machines, with the
St Chamond becoming the larger
of the two designs, however, both
utilized modied variations of the
Holt tractor running gear.
Having been pushed through

the design process in favour of the
Saint-Chamond, the Schneider tank
was tested at Vincennes on February
21, 1916, in the presence of General
Mourret, director of automotive
service. The tests were found to be
satisfactory, with the tank crossing
wide trenches, but it was discovered
that the steel pins and barbed wire
used on the battleeld could get
tangled in the running gear, however,
the defect was seen as being easy to
x and the Schneider was approved
for production, which could have
sealed the fate of the larger SaintChamond, however, the authorities
still had a preference for heavy
tanks and following a great deal of
bureaucratic wrangling regarding
the way the Schneider was pushed
through the approval process, it was
eventually decided that work on the
Saint-Chamond should continue.
NEW THINKING
The way in which the Schneider had

been pushed through the design and
approval process annoyed many of
those involved, and Colonel Emile
40-44_chamond2.indd 40
09/09/2014 20:30
Rimailho, who directed the design

of the Saint-Chamond, vowed that
the new tank would be bigger and
better than the Schneider in every
way. As a result of this the SaintChamond used an undercarriage that
was much longer than the standard
Holt tractor chassis and comprised of
three suspension unit elements in an
eort to increase the trench crossing
capacity of the vehicle.
The massive machine had a crew
of nine men, which comprised of
a commander, a Sergeant gunner,
two main gunners, four machine
gunners and a mechanic. Compared
with smaller Schneider, the SaintChamond had much more room
inside and was therefore a little
more comfortable for the crew.
The armoured box-like hull was
huge in comparison with Schneider,
with an elongated front end that
ABOVE...
Faced with delays in the production
and development of the tank gun, a
number of Saint-Chamond tanks were
produced as supply vehicles instead,
without the main gun tted, as shown
here, however, they did participate in
the rst French tank battle at Berry au
Bac together with the Schneider.
extended forward of the tracks to

accommodate the larger 75 mm
main gun positioned at the front of
the tank. This extra length initially
caused some problems on the
battleeld, with the gun digging in,
but a small roller was eventually
tted to allow it to glide over the
ground more easily.
The design of the Saint-Chamond
hull evolved many times over
the years it was in service, with
changes to the angle of the roof, the
vision cupolas and the addition of
extra armour plate to combat the
increased calibre of the German
weapons, the end result saw the
original design weight of just under
20-tonnes increasing to more than
24-tonnes by the end of the war!
In an eort to make the
increasingly cumbersome tank more
drivable on the battleeld, changes
were made to the running gear,

increasing the track width and adding
skids to help it cope with additional
weight, but none really made any
great dierence and the massive
Saint-Chamond, which measured 8.9
metres in length 2.7 metres wide and
2.4 metres high, was never an agile
vehicle on the battleeld. Despite
these drawbacks an order for 400
units was placed in April 1916.
The Schneider was deemed to be
dicult to drive so it was decided
to t the Saint-Chamond with a
petrol-electric transmission made
by Crochat Collardeau to give tank
greater exibility. Propulsion was
provided by a Panhard 100hp petrol
engine, which provided power to the
generator that supplied current to
each of the two electric motors, one
for each track. Although the system
was complex, it was the only one
BELOW LEFT...
Photograph of a Saint-Chamond taken during training. The angle of the photo shows o well the two
observation cupolas between which is the cylindrical outlet to evacuate the fumes from the 75 mm main gun.
BELOW RIGHT...
Saint-Chamond tank number 62 792 was one of the last models tanks to be received and included some of the
later additions such as better vision for the tank commander and the model 1897 version of the 75 mm gun.
09/09/2014 20:30
ABOVE...
Tank 62 474 photographed in 1917 at
Yvelines, which was one of the main
training areas for the tank units.
LEFT...
View looking inside the Saint-Chamond
showing some of the controls. Unlike
Schneider tanks, it can also turn on itself.
existing at the time that allowed the complete

transmission of the power and torque
required without the need for heavy and
physically demanding driver controls normally
associated with the rst tanks. Despite this,
the driver controls were still complex, but did
at least allow the tank to turn on the spot and
duplicate controls were also provided at the
rear of the tank to allow the driver to reverse
the huge vehicle more easily.
Unfortunately right from the outset it
appears that the Saint-Chamond was not very
good on rough terrain, with the shedding of
tracks and breakages in the undercarriage
a frequent occurrence, and as a result was
rarely able to cross trenches wider than
1.8 metres, despite being designed to cross
much wider trenches. In terms of weapons,
it was decided to increase the size of the
main gun for the Saint-Chamond to a 75 mm
model 1912 cavalry gun with a higher muzzle
velocity, which was more powerful than that
of Schneider. This gun was used

for the rst 165 vehicles built,
with the 75 mm gun model 1897
replacing it for the remainder of
production. In addition to the main
gun the Saint-Chamond was tted
with four Hotchkiss Model 1914
machine guns.
Additional changes to the tank
included a modications to the
original at roof to an angled roof
because it was found that the at roof was a
trap for grenades! Unfortunately what should
have been an improvement actually created
production delays,
and the decision to
simplify the roof
construction by
removing the raised
cupolas turned
out to be a serious
error, not least
because it reduced
the visibility for
the crew! The rst
tanks with pitched
roof were delivered
ten days after the
battle of Berry au
Bac, with the new
developments very
badly received by
the crews who
actually refused to use the tanks until a

solution was found!
Production of the Saint-Chamond ended
in March 1918. Sadly the Saint-Chamond was
not a great success on the battleeld, not
helped by numerous mechanical problems
and an almost total lack of spare parts,
which was made all the more dicult by the
constant changing of the design that had
resulted in numerous, but dierent parts,
including the track shoes of which four
dierent types were tted! Today just one
example of the WW1 Saint-Chamond tank
survives at Saumur.
CAMOUFLAGE AND MARKINGS
In accordance with details issued on the

1st January 1917 by General Estienne, the
French Saint-Chamond tanks were issued with
BELOW...
Good view showing the inside of the central area
of the Saint-Chamond and giving an indication of
the relatively spacious crew compartment when
compared to other tanks of the time.
09/09/2014 20:31
RIGHT...
In this interior view of the Saint-Chamond
we can see the 75 mm main gun, this
particular weapon is the model 1897 used
in later models of the Saint-Chamond.
ABOVE...
The tank shown is one of the rst models and
bears the name Cyclops. The vehicle belongs
to IAS 34, of note is the very particular style
of calligraphy used by this group for the letters
A and S.
painted in white or black, but it

seems that some were painted in
red, with the colour of these being
left at the discretion of each group
and therefore quite variable.
In the case of the SaintChamond, each tank also wore
numbers in Roman numerals (I, II,
III, IV etc.), which corresponded to
its place in the battery. The letters
A and S were also added with the
group number in Arabic numerals,
with Saint-Chamond groups being
numbered from 31 to 42. With
no apparent consistency in the
numbering of the units, it is likely
that the choice of names was left to the crew
or the tank commander, with typical examples
being: AS 31: Yvette, Teddy, Min lil Quiquin,
Fantomas, Zigomar, Mibella, AS 32: The
Trojan, AS 34: Cyclops, Werewolf,
etc. most of which were left to the
imagination of the crew, although
there were some anomalies such as
the appearance of a pelican insignia
seen on AS 31 of the Second Battery,
a stork on AS 32 and a crocodile on
AS 38.
At the time of the rst use of
tanks, no specic rules for the
application of camouage had
been established, the colours and
designs being at the discretion of
the crew and, which resulted in a
very diverse range of schemes being
used by dierent units. It was not
until September 1, 1917 that a note
from General Headquarters of the Armies of
the North and Northeast specied how to
camouage tanks. Instructions were primarily
intended to mask the visible viewing slots in
order to avoid them becoming targets with
intention of blinding the tank, but another

note dated December 17, 1917 aimed to lay
down a specic method for the painting of
tanks, which mentioned the need to use matt
paint, mottled colours, and the addition of
black veins. It was also suggested that the
vision slots and holes should be hidden using
darker patches and the painting of false slots
to confuse the enemy.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE
It was not until May 5, 1917 that the new

Saint-Chamond tanks were properly engaged
in combat for the rst time following the
failure of an initial commitment of French
tanks at Berry au Bac. Skeptics naturally
thought that this new weapon was dead in the
water following that initial failure, however, a
second engagement took place on the slopes
of Laaux, a key point on the German front,
which saw Saint-Chamond and Schneider
tanks being used successfully despite intense
and erce ghting.
This use of the tanks was a shock to the
German command, and overcondent in the
capabilities of their artillery, went on to use
RIGHT...
Here we see an example of the rst model of the
Saint-Chamond. Note the variety of camouage
used and the length of the barrel protruding
forward relative to the vehicle, which could
cause it to get stuck on rough terrain.
vehicle registration numbers in

the 62 401 to 62 799 range, with
the group numbers being added
while the vehicles were in the
parks and awaiting dispersal. Each
battery was allotted a dierent
name and an associated device
and letters, such as AS for those
tanks belonging to Ace of Spades
for the First Battery, Ace of Hearts
for the Second Battery, Ace of
Diamonds for the Third Battery
and an Ace of Clubs for the Fourth
Battery, all in the order of the
popular card game of bridge.
Most markings were usually
09/09/2014 20:31
the guns in an indirect re role, which

ironically prevented a massacre of
the tanks, but more importantly,
opened the eyes of the French
command as to the possibilities of
this new weapon. Fighting tanks
was new to the German troops who
tried to put tanks out of action by
attacking with grenades, often from
beneath the tank, and during the
ghting, the French artillery took
the decision to destroy several tanks
that had broken down near the lines
to prevent them falling into enemy
hands. As a result of the sixteen
tanks that started the assault, only
twelve were actually involved in
the ghting.
The second key engagement of
Saint-Chamond tanks took place
between the 23rd and 25th of
BELOW...
It was quite possible to have several
types of tanks within a same group,
here we see an example of the last
generation tted with the 75 mm
model 1897. The tank belongs to the
First Battery and bears a pelican as a
personal badge.
October 1917 at Malmaison. This

engagement saw the introduction of
a new technical innovation with two
Saint-Chamond and two Schneider
tanks being equipped with wireless
for better communication on the
battleeld. The French Army had
learned from previous battles that
the tanks were better used in a
mopping up operation, completing
the work of the artillery, and ghting
in close liaison with the infantry.
Unfortunately a catalogue of
errors and heavy losses saw the
initial assault on the rst day grind to
a halt, with the attack failing to reach
the objective. A second attempt the
next day faired little better, with all
the tanks becoming bogged down
or being destroyed by enemy re,
which wasnt helped by continuing
problems with the tracks coming o
the Saint-Chamond tanks. Needless
to say this second engagement was
a huge disappointment and left the
French command seeking new ways
to use the tank, especially with the
Germans having introduced tank
traps and mineelds onto

the battleeld.
Other engagements using the
Saint-Chamond would unfold
similarly, with varying degrees of
success, but in the main the tank
failed to live up to expectations
on the battleeld. As the ghting
continued, the lack of spare parts,
mechanical breakdowns and battle
damage meant that roadworthy
examples of the Saint-Chamond
were becoming increasingly rare, but
they battled on to the end despite
the fact that more than half of them
had been lost in combat or due
to mechanical failure. The Ghent
oensive, which began on the 14th
October 1918 was the last ghting to
include the Saint-Chamond, where
they played only a limited role.
This article originally appeared in Issue
17 of Tank & Military Vehicle magazine,
published by Histoire & Collections.
TOP...
Photograph of the
Saint-Chamond number
62 782 taken during
trials. This is one of the
rst models to have
the sloping roof and no
longer has the viewing
cupolas on the roof.
CENTRE...
Tank AS 31 is from the
Fourth Battery as its
marked with the Ace of
Clubs, which seems to
either black or red.
ABOVE...
View of an early model
Saint-Chamond, as
witnessed by the 75
mm main gun, which
is a model 1912, and
the cylindrical viewing
cupolas on the roof with
the vent for the gun
fumes between them.
09/09/2014 20:31
BRITISH TANK ODDITIES

While the recognized form of
the WW1 tank is that of a gun
tank, there were others that
performed less offensive roles
hile the use of supply vehicles,

armoured recovery vehicles and
cranes may be commonplace
on todays battleeld, back in
1914 when the First World War broke out,
such things didnt exist, indeed the tank as
we know it didnt even exist! The tank was

only introduced onto the battleeld in 1916,
but it didnt take long before work began on
the modication of tanks to enable them to
perform dierent tasks such as recovery and
mechanical work and the supply of stores and
munitions to the frontline. On the whole it

was outdated, redundant or damaged vehicles
that were used for these purposes, however,
design work was undertaken in Britain on
newly developed vehicles, which continued
on after the war had ended.
46-50_oddities.indd 46
13/09/2014 21:41
SALVAGE TANKS
This Mk IV Female has been tted with

a salvage jib, enabling the crews to
lift heavy items. Note that there is no
winch tted at this time, just a simple
block and tackle on the end of the jib.
(Photo courtesy Tank Museum)
The mechanical unreliability of

the new tanks quickly created a
need for some means of repairing
and recovering them from the
battleeld. Initially a simple salvage
jib xed to the front of the tanks
hull and protruding forwards in
front of the tank was tted. The jib
had no form of lifting device itself,
but a series of chains with a block
and tackle was used to raise and
lower the items being recovered or
worked on at the time.
The jib could be used to lift
engines and gearboxes, two of
the major items that required
replacement or repair on those
early tanks, and for this purpose
the equipment was
perfectly adequate,
Two men, presumably part of the crew, pose for the
however, later on in the
camera with their Mk IV Female salvage tank. As
war trials of a dierent
you can see it has a xed jib and block and tackle
variation on the salvage
arrangement for the lifting chain on the front.
tank took place, which saw
a hand powered winch
being tted to the rear
of a Mk IV supply tanks
roof to increase the lifting
capacity of the vehicle. The
tank is well photographed
and seems to have spent
its time at Bovington Camp
in Britain.
LEFT...
One of the rst modications
introduced was that of the salvage
or repair tank. This Mk IV Female
has been tted with a simply jib
arrangement for lifting heavy items
such as engines and transmission
units, as shown here in this photo
taken at the Central Workshops of
the Tank Corps in Teneur.
LEFT...
Mk IV supply tank
number 466 was
modied to accept a
standard salvage jib,
and a large manually
operated winch
to the rear of the
roof. The platforms
on which the men
operating the hand
winch can be seen, as
can the lifting hawser
running up to the jib.
The vehicle was used
on Bovington Camp.
(Photo courtesy
Tank Museum)
BELOW...
BELOW...
Another view of tank 466 at Bovington. Note the

sponson trolley with a pair of tank sponsons on it in
front of the tank. A canvas sheet also covers the top
of the tank, suggesting that it wasnt in use at the
time the photo was taken.
A good view of a salvage tank in typical

pose next to another tank, however, the
gents in civilian clothing would suggest
that this was not on frontline in France,
but probably in Britain during training.
13/09/2014 21:42
ABOVE...
The Gun Carriers were not
hugely successful and many were
converted to the role of supply
carriers, such as this example.
The space normally occupied by
the gun between the two driving
cabs provided plenty of space for
stores, but getting to the stores
must have been hard work.
RIGHT...
On the supply tanks the Male gun
sponsons were replaced by plain
sponsons to maximize storage
space onboard. This is a converted
Mk IV, but various types of tanks
were used throughout the war.
13/09/2014 21:41
ABOVE LEFT...
SUPPLY TANKS
The gun carriers were of limited success in their initial role

and many were converted for other purposes, including
the supply of material. Here we can clearly see the word
Supply painted on the side of the rear body.
The need to keep the men and

ABOVE...
machines fed with stores, equipment
and ammunition at the frontline was A pair of supply tanks seen here in France late on in the war.
The plain sponsons without the guns are clear to see here.
a real logistical headache during the
First World War, not least because
of the ground conditions, especially
outlived their usefulness as combat machines.
in the winter months. It was often the case
Their guns were removed and the apertures
that trucks couldnt traverse the muddy
plated over, but later on a number of Mk I
terrain and therefore it was suggested that
Gun Carriers and the later Mk IV tanks were
redundant and outdated tanks, which could
also converted to supply tanks. It was also
cope better with the poor terrain, should be
standard practice for the supply tanks to have
converted to supply tanks.
the word Supply painted on either sponson,
Supply tanks were rst employed in 1917
although it was sometimes the case that the
during the Battle of Messines. Standard
word Baggage was used instead.
practice prior to the introduction of supply
tanks was for tanks to
return to their start point
following an engagement
in order to rell with fuel
and ammunition, however,
it was thought that if supply
tanks followed the gun
tanks on the battleeld,
the replenishment could
take place in the eld, thus
saving time and valuable
fuel. Initially it was the
early Mk I and Mk II tanks
that were used, having
LEFT...
Tank 261, a Mk IV Female training
tank, was converted to handle
airships at the Royal Naval Air
Station, Pulham in Norfolk.
The pyramid shaped steel tower
was connected to the nose of
the airship, but the idea was
less than successful and never
adopted properly.
ABOVE...
Side view of Tank 261, providing
a good view of the pyramid
shaped tower that was used
to tow the airships. The tank
was used at the Royal Naval Air
Station, Pulham in Norfolk, and
after the war a request was
made for a Mk V to replace the
older Mk IV, but nothing ever
came of it.
13/09/2014 21:43
LEFT & RIGHT...

After the war
redundant tanks
were converted for
a number of uses,
here we see a former
gun carrier that has
been tted with a
large steam powered
crane with grab
bucket produced by
Priestman. It wasnt
taken into service.
(Photo courtesy
Tank Museum)
GUN CARRIER CONVERSIONS
AIRSHIP TOW TANK
Tank 261, a Mk IV Female training tank,

was converted to handle airships at the
Royal Naval Air Station, Pulham in Norfolk.
At the time airships were in widespread
use, and their handling on the ground was
normally carried out by teams of men and
ropes attached to the airship, but a tank was
converted to see if it was possible to reduce
the number of ground crew involved in the
operation by using the heavy tank to take
the strain.
The pyramid shaped steel tower was

connected to the nose of the airship, but the
idea was less than successful and as youll see
from the accompanying photos, still involved a
great many ground crew to handle the unwieldy
airships. The airship tank was never adopted
properly, and just the one tank was converted.
After the war a request was made by the
commander at Pulham for a Mk V tank to replace
the older Mk IV, the Mk V being easier to drive
than the now outdated Mk IV,
but nothing ever came of it.
The Gun Carrier Mk I, designed to carry

artillery such as the 60-pounder gun across
the battleeld didnt fare that well, having
found itself virtually redundant by the time it
saw active service. The war was changing, and
the role of carrying heavy artillery forward on
the battleeld to support the infantry as they
broke through enemy lines soon disappeared.
As a result the Gun Carrier Mk I found
itself without a role to play so many were
converted to supply tanks instead, however,
other roles for the vehicle were considered.
After the war one example was stripped
of the upper superstructure and tted with a
large steam crane with grab bucket. Wellknown crane manufacturer Priestman made
the steam crane, but the vehicle was very top
heavy and not entirely stable on rough terrain
so the project was soon abandoned.
A marginally more successful conversion
of the Gun Carrier Mk I did see limited service
during the latter stages of the war. Two
vehicles were converted to crane salvage
tanks, with the crane being a simple hand
operated example.
ABOVE & RIGHT...

Two examples of the fty Mk I Gun Carriers to be built were
converted to crane salvage tanks, as shown here. The crane
was a simple hand operated example, but the remaining upper
superstructure seems to be to a dierent design on both vehicles.
13/09/2014 21:42
Schneider CA.1
A
PASCAL DANJOU TAKES A LOOK AT FRANCES

FIRST TANK, THE SCHNEIDER CA.1 CHAR DASSAULT
s the Western Front stabilized

and the stalemate of trench
warfare set in, it soon became
clear that any attempts to break
through the German lines by conventional
means would result in a huge loss of life.
Networks of barbed wire soon covered the
battleeld, often proving insurmountable
to the infantry tasked to break through
them, and preparatory artillery barrages
aimed at destroying the barbed wire ahead

of the infantry did little to help. It was clear
that something else was needed to end this
stalemate and the tank seemed to be the
perfect solution, providing a means to break
down the barbed wire forests as well as
covering re for advancing infantry and all
from the safety of their armoured box.
The need to design a vehicle capable
of breaking through the barbed wire and
trenches was key to success on the battleeld

and the English, French and indeed Germans
all pressed forward with dierent projects.
History has shown us that the English were
rst to use the tank on the battleeld, despite
requests from the French to wait until their
tanks were ready in order to maximize the
surprise element against the Germans, but
despite Britain pressing ahead, German and
French tanks quickly followed. After a number
52-56_schneider2.indd 52
10/09/2014 19:35
LEFT...
This Schneider tank was destroyed
at Berry au Bac. Despite having the
add-on armour for protection against
the new German new armour piercing
bullets, the Schneider CA.1 remained
vulnerable to artillery re.
Chamond tank, but it also saw the

two rival teams falling out with each
other along the way.
The birth of the Schneider was
a little more straightforward, and
following initial suggestions for
the building of armoured tractors
by Col Jean-Baptiste Estienne, and
further involvement by Gen Joseph
Jore, Estienne visited a number of
manufacturers with a view to them
building the planned new vehicle. At
the time Renault (who would later go
This tank was destroyed on the night

of 16 or 17 April 1917. The manner in
which the metal sheets are displaced
suggests that the machine suered a
violent internal explosion.
RIGHT...
Photograph of an up-armoured Schneider
at one of the training camps. The sight to
the right of the upper frontal armour was
used to help the aiming of the 75 mm BS
gun, while the small platform on the left
of the roof was used to hang a lamp.
BELOW...
The Holt Model 75 artillery tractor, as
used by the British Army, or at least the
tracked running gear, was the basis of
the Schneiders design.
(Photo P. Danjou and F. Vauvillier)
of abortive attempts to create a vehicle capable of

carrying out the task of mowing down the barbed
wire and crossing the networks of trenches, work
began what would become the rst successful
French tank, the Schneider CA.1 Char dAssault.
Although originally envisaged as the only
French tank design needed, work on the Schneider
tank would take place in parallel with a rival design
that came about due to political wranglings and
eventually led to the production of the Saint-
on to produce the long-lived FT-17 Light Tank), had

no spare production capacity at the time and so
attention turned to another rm, Schneider, where
Estienne met with chief engineer Eugine Brilli.
After working together on the proposed tank,
which was based around the Baby Holt artillery
tractor, the project went on to gain invaluable
support from Gen Jore, and a production order
for 400 vehicles soon followed.
In actual fact the Schneider CA1 tanks were built
by one of Schneiders subsidiaries, Somua (Societe
dOutillage Mechanique et dUsinage Artillerie), but
many other subcontractors were also involved in
the manufacture of the tanks. Despite the fact that
the rst 100 vehicles were due to be delivered by
August 25 1916 with the remainder by November,
because the design and construction of tanks was
completely new, which in turn resulted in many
technological challenges along the way, it caused
RIGHT...
In 1915, the Technical Section Engineers created ten
vehicles based in Filtz tractors equipped with a steel
blade to cut the barbed wire. Its capabilities, especially
on rough terrain were thought to be so mediocre that it
was quickly abandoned.
10/09/2014 19:35
a great many delays and as a result of the

400 vehicles planned, just 8 tanks had been
delivered by 25 November 1916 and most
of them were supplied with non-hardened
armour! It would take until August 1918 for the
entire order to be completed.
As the rst tank ever built in France the
Schneider CA.1 was not without teething
problems, such as the rst examples having
no self-starter and therefore involved a
crewmember having to leave the tank to start

it up, which was a terrible handicap should
the engine stall whilst on the battleeld!
Unfortunately the problem was not solved until
the 245th vehicle had left the production line!
Another problem to reveal itself on the
battleeld was that the tanks would catch
re all too easily when hit by enemy shells
and shrapnel because the thin fuel tank was
positioned to the front of the hull. To solve
this later production models saw the original

fuel tanks being replaced with twin, doublewalled tanks that were relocated to the rear
on the outside of the hull with additional
armoured protection.
Camp Champlieu Park (SP54) was
responsible for the modications to the tanks
that had already been delivered, and on the
9th July 1917 four civilians welders were sent
by the Somua to assist with the cutting and
ABOVE...
A Schneider CA.1 of an unidentied unit. Note the additional plates of armour
around the front end of the vehicle and the stand o armour plate on the barrel
of the 75 mm main gun.
RIGHT...
Although a poor quality photo, this image does show the way the additional
armour plate panels were spaced o the original hull armour for maximum
protection.
BELOW...
Another view of an up-armoured Schneider CA.1 tank clearly showing the
additional stand-o armour plates that were added to counter the German
armour piercing bullets.
installation of the side door in the hull, another

of many modications to be introduced on
the Schneider. The teams were so practiced in
the work required that they could completely
disassemble the armour in ve hours! By
July 15, 1917, at least four tanks were having
their updates completed per day at hands of
mechanics, and by the time of the German
oensive of March 21, 1918, all 245 Schneider
tanks had beneted from these improvements.
CA.1 SPECIFICATIONS
The armoured body or hull was initially

constructed from 11.5 mm thick armour
plate, and featured a ship-like bow, designed
to allow the vehicle to slide out of trenches
should it get stuck, although in reality the idea
didnt really work very well. A forward facing
barbed wire cutter was also mounted on the
10/09/2014 19:35
RIGHT...
A ne example of the colourful camouage patterns
that sometimes adorned the Schneider before
orders on the camouage of vehicles were issued.
BELOW...
In this photo of a late production Schneider with
the add-on armour plate, we see a typical example
of the camouage schemes applied to these tanks,
with the dark lines applied between the dierent
colours clear to see.
front, with the idea being to either cut or push

the wire beneath the tracks to be trampled
into the mud.
The armour used on the Schneider wasnt
particularly thick and from the 210th vehicle to
be built, was reinforced by adding additional 8
mm plates spaced o the original armour for
maximum protection following experience of
newer, more powerful armour piercing bullets
being used by the Germans. This armoured
body was placed on a frame consisting of two
chassis rails joined together by crossmembers
carrying the engine to front and transmission
to the rear. The undercarriage consisted of
two suspension bogies that contained three
and four rollers respectively rolling on a track.
The drive sprocket was place to the rear of
the tank, with a large idler wheel to the front,
around which a total of 34 steel tracks pads
ran. To increase its trench crossing capacity,
the tank was equipped with two curved tails at
the back.
The Schneider CA.1 was originally planned

to have a 37 mm gun, as suggested by Colonel
Estienne, but this was ultimately replaced by
the 75 mm gun BS (Blockhouse Schneider)
that was capable of ring an explosive shell
at a muzzle velocity of 200 m sec with an
eective range of 600 m, but only accurate
up to 200 metres. As secondary armament,
two 8 mm Hotchkiss machine guns were
placed on the anks, mounted on a pivot in
hemispherical domes, which gave them a very
good lateral and vertical movement.
The Schneider CA.1 was powered by a 60
BELOW...
This Schneider CA.1 tank is one of the latest
models and beneted from addition of extra
armour and a new side access door (note the
hinges on the second panel line). It also features
changes to the camouage application that
conform to the note of September 1st 1917 on
the subject.
horsepower engine specially developed by

Schneider, which gave it a maximum speed of
8.1 km/h and a range is 80 km and weighed
12.5-tons with a total length of 6.32 metres.
Although delivered from the factory in
artillery grey, the various units soon added
the camouage patterns needed to disguise
the vehicles on the battleeld. At rst this
was ad hoc, but soon orders were issued
to standardize the colours used and the
application of the patterns to maximize the
camouage eect. Even so a certain amount
of leeway was given to the units when
applying the paint, but key elements such
as the disguising of vision slits and weapon
positions on the tank, and the disrupting of
the vehicles shape and the use of matt rather
than gloss paint were strictly adhered to.
UNITS
Schneider tanks were incorporated into the

rst units of the AS (Special Artillery) and were
allocated the AS numbers 1 to 17. In actual fact
20 Schneider units would eventually be created
between November 17, 1916 and June 2, 1917
under the 81st Artillery Regiment, but AS 18,
19 and 20 were ultimately disbanded and rearmed with Saint-Chamond tanks.
As of May 10, 1917 right up until February
8, 1918, the Schneiders were divided into eight
xed groups, and after some remodeling their
composition was based on four Schneider
AS (48 tanks) with other groups responsible
for repairs and supplies, which accounted for
vehicle groups numbered one to four (16 tanks).
Each group consisted of four smaller groups of
10/09/2014 19:35
LEFT...
This Schneider belongs to the Spanish Army
and features a number of modications but
still bears the French camouage, suggesting
it was photographed in Morocco between
1922 and 1929.
AS and each group consisted of four batteries,

identied by the playing card symbols favoured
by the French such as Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds
and Spades. The numbering of AS units within a
group was not continuous, with the AS numbers
being distributed upon arrival at camp location,
as result Group I consisted of AS, 2, 4, 5, 9,
Group II was AS 3, 8, 11, 12, Group III was AS 1,
6, 10, 15 and Group IV was AC 13, 14,16 and 17.
IN COMBAT
The use of the tanks in combat was still the

subject of debate amongst the high command,
and following the initial use of tanks by the

British in 1916, and an initial failure of the
French tanks soon after, Col Jean-Baptiste
Estienne became ever-more convinced that
the only way to successfully use the tank was
en-masse, and started stockpiling the few
Schneider tanks that he had at his disposal
until more could be delivered.
By April 16, 1917 just 208 Schneider tanks
had been delivered, of which only 100 had
the additional armour plates tted, but the
Schneiders true baptism of re came on April
16, 1917 at the Chemin des Dames oensive
Berry au Bac. A total of 121 tanks were

engaged in two groups, however, German
troops had learned from their rst encounters
with the British tanks and the French tanks
found themselves facing trenches extended to
ve metres wide in places!
Following a series of disastrous attacks and
counter-attacks the tanks had only managed
to make small advances, but under erce
artillery re, some tanks managed to advance
more than 5 kilometres, albeit at great
sacrice to the accompanying infantry and at
the loss of 32 of the 80 tanks.
This terrible failure could have spelt the
end of the tank, however, the fact that they
were able to make a breakthrough inside the
German lines convinced the commanders to
continue with the experiment. In the event
Schneider tanks would be used twice more
in 1917 in conjunction with the larger SaintChamond tanks and this time they enjoyed a
little more success.
The Schneider and Saint-Chamond tanks
would continue to be used throughout the
closing years of the war with varying degrees
of success, but these actions took a heavy toll
on the vehicles themselves and by September
1918 the Schneider tanks were worn out, with
damaged vehicles being stripped of parts to
repair the few still running. By the end of the
war just ft y Schneiders were still capable
RIGHT...
The Schneider went on to serve into the early days of WW2 and here we see an
ammunition carrier photographed in 1940.
BELOW...
Towards the end of their lives some Schneiders were stripped of their armoured bodies
and used as ammunition carriers or artillery tractors.
of ghting, but with the advent of the FT-17

Light Tank, they had no place within the
organization of the French armoured units
and many were stripped of their armoured
superstructure and used instead as mortar
carriers or artillery tractors.
Despite a chequered career, the Schneider
tank can be considered as the rst of many
French tanks, along with its contemporary,
the Saint-Chamond tank, and we must salute
the courage of the crews who went into battle
onboard these new, unproven vehicles and
ultimately won the war.
The full version of this article originally
appeared in Issue 16 of Tank & Military Vehicle
magazine, published by Histoire & Collections.
10/09/2014 19:35
GERMAN OPPOSITION
We take a look at the only German tank to fight against the
British and French forces during the First World War, the A7V
Elfriede was captured and recovered o

the battleeld. After a little work the A7V
was returned to running condition and
underwent a series of tests by the Allies.
Note the signatures of the soldiers responsible
for the capture and recovery of the tank.
60-64_german.indd 60
11/09/2014 15:18
RIGHT...
A side view of Elfriede, which was captured
and recovered by the Allies. The three
suspension units can clearly be seen, and the
soldiers on and next to the tank give a good
indication of the size of the A7V.
lthough the British, had introduced

the tank to the battleeld in 1916,
which was soon followed by other
tanks from France, the German A7V
didnt see combat service until 1918. Of the
one hundred chassis ordered in early 1918,
just ten were earmarked to be built as ghting
vehicles with armoured bodies, while the
remainder would be used as unprotected
cargo carriers. Following the successes of the
British and French tanks, the number of fully
armoured A7Vs was later increased to twenty,
and despite seeing service between March
and October 1918, would remain the only
tanks produced by Germany in the First World
War to be used in combat operations.
DEVELOPMENT
The Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, 7

Abteilung, Verkehrswesen or General War
Department, 7th Branch, Transportation,
was formed in September 1916 following the
appearance of the rst British tanks on the
Western Front. The appearance of the British
tanks came as something of a shock to the
BELOW...
Motive power for the A7V came from a pair of centrally mounted Daimler
4-cylinder petrol engines, each delivering just over 100 horsepower.
11/09/2014 15:18
A7V No. 504 Schnuck, was captured by the New Zealanders, as

witnessed by the words NZ Division chalked on each of the crosses
on the tank. The photograph was taken at Fremicourt in August 1918.
German high command, who demanded

that they should have their own tanks to
enable them to ght on equal terms with
the British tanks.
Joseph Vollmer, a reserve captain and
engineer, was tasked with the design and
building of the rst German tank. Few
parameters were laid down other than the
vehicle should weigh around 30-tons, be
capable of crossing ditches up to 1.5 metres
wide, have all-round armament, which should
include machine guns as well as a larger
calibre weapon, and be able to reach a top
speed of at least 12 km/h.
Like the French Schneider and SaintChamond tanks, the running gear was loosely
based on the Holt tractor, with examples
loaned by the Austrian Army being copied by
the designers working on the A7V, but one key
element in the design was that it should be
capable of being used for both the armoured
A7V tank and the unarmoured berlandwagen
(overland vehicle) cargo carriers.
On 30 April 1917 the rst prototype was
completed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
in Berlin-Marienfelde. For the purpose of the

rst trials the prototype was tted with a
wooden mockup of the armoured body, and
in May 1917 a nal version, equipped with
10-tons of ballast to simulate the weight of
the armour plate on the production vehicles,
was completed and demonstrated in Mainz.
That rst design featured a main cannon
both front and rear, however, the rear-facing
cannon was later removed and the number
of machine-guns increased to six for the nal
version. The rst pre-production A7V was
built in September 1917 and soon followed by
the rst production model in October 1917.
DESIGN
Despite rst appearances the A7V was not a

particularly big vehicle at 7.34 metres (24.1 ft)
long, 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, and 3.3 metres
(11 ft) high. The length of the vehicle was similar
to the British tanks of the time, but the box-like
armoured structure gave the appearance of a
much larger vehicle. Production vehicles were
constructed largely from 20 mm thick steel
plate, which was increased to 30 mm thick at
the front and just 10 mm thick on the roof, with

designers taking the view that the roof area was
unlikely to sustain much in the way of direct
re due to the height of the A7V. Unlike the
later British and French tanks, the steel used in
the construction of the A7V was not hardened
armour plate, and this signicantly reduced its
eectiveness against enemy re, something
the British learned very early on in the design
of their tanks, and while it was sucient to stop
machine gun and rie re, it was no match to
larger calibre artillery.
An A7V crew usually consisted of around
to eighteen soldiers, typically comprising of
an ocer, commander (usually of the rank
of lieutenant), driver, mechanic, mechanic/
signaller, twelve infantrymen for the six
machine gunners, six loaders for the machine
guns, and two artillerymen, one the gunner
and the other the loader. Armament consisted
of six machine guns and a 57 mm MaximNordenfelt cannon mounted at the front.
Interestingly some of these cannons were of
British manufacture and had been captured
in Belgium early on in the war. Anything
between forty and sixty cartridge belts of 250
rounds each were carried depending on space
and availability. A further mixture of canister,
anti-tank, and explosive shells for the main
gun, totaling 180 were also carried, however,
in reality up to 300 rounds for the main gun
were sometimes stowed for combat.
Like the British tanks, the German
A7V was built in both Male and Female
variants, with the Female being tted with
LEFT...
Tank No. 503 was so worn out by the end of
the war it was abandoned. Note the modied
German crosses painted on the side.
11/09/2014 15:18
RIGHT...
The exact identication of this
A7V has not been possible, but it
is thought to belong to Unit 1 and
may be No. 526. According to the
inscription on the photo the tank is
pictured in St Quentin, Apr 1918.
two additional machine guns in

place of the 57 mm main gun,
however, the Female variant was
not favoured by tank crews and it is
believed that only the one vehicle,
chassis number 501 saw combat
as a Female, and was converted
to accommodate the 57 mm gun
shortly after its combat debut due
to the lack of available repower.
Motive power for the tank was
provided by a pair of centrally
mounted Daimler 4-cylinder petrol
engines, each delivering just over
100 horsepower. 500 litres or
110 imp gallons of fuel was carried
and the top speed for the A7V about
15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph) on
roads but just 5 kilometres per hour
(3.1 mph) across country, however,
while the road speed was quite high
compared to other WWI tanks, the o-road
capabilities were poor and the A7V was prone
to getting stuck. The excessive front overhang
and the low ground clearance (400 mm max)
meant trenches or very muddy areas were
often impassable to the A7V, and this problem
was exacerbated by the fact that the driver
could not see the terrain directly in front of
the tank, due to a blind spot created by the
positioning of the xed turret high up on the
vehicles roof, but on open terrain the speeds
were much better.
Unlike the British rhomboid tanks of the
time, the A7V incorporated a limited amount
of suspension with each of the track units

individually sprung, and this was seen as an
advantage over the unsprung British tanks.
This type of suspension was, like the French
Schneider and Saint-Chamond, based on the
Holt tractor type suspension unit, with three
separate track units on each side, and each
unit having four springs, totaling twenty-four
for the vehicle.
IN COMBAT
The 21 March 1918 saw the combat debut of

the A7V with ve tanks of Abteilung I under
the command of Hauptmann Grei being
deployed north of the St. Quentin

Canal. Unfortunately three of the
tanks broke down before they
even entered combat, while the
remaining tanks stopped a minor
British breakthrough in the area,
so their impact on the battleeld
was minimal.
Following that rst engagement,
the rst ever tank-to-tank combat
took place on 24 April 1918 near
Villers-Bretonneux. Three A7Vs
were involved in the action along
with supporting infantry where
they encountered three British Mk
IVs. The British Mk IVs, two Female
and one Male variant, engaged
the A7Vs, but during the battle the
two Female Mk IVs broke o their
attack after sustaining damage
from armour-piercing bullets and
nding that their own machine
guns were ineective against the
A7Vs. The Male tank continued on
and attacked the lead A7V with
the 6-pounders, knocking it out
with three direct hits, after which
the two remaining A7Vs withdrew,
pursued by seven British Whippet
tanks mopping up the retreating
infantry, however, four of the Whippets were
knocked out.
The next major engagement to involve
A7V tanks was when three detachments of
ve tanks headed up four German divisions
spread over a 4 mile front at VillersBretonneux. Although one tank refused to
start, the remaining vehicles enjoyed some
success, breaking through the British lines
with the tanks.
During the engagement two of the A7Vs
toppled into shell craters, while others
encountered mechanical problems, and
following a counterattack, three more were
Tank No. 525 Siegfried was responsible
for halting the advance of British Whippet
tanks east of Cachy. Siegfried is pictured
here with her crew following the battle.
11/09/2014 15:19
Sadly this was the fate for many of

the A7Vs, not to mention many British
tanks after the war, however, it does
provide a view of the A7Vs interior.
captured by the Allies. Of the three captured

tanks, one was beyond repair and later
scrapped, another was recovered and used
later for shell testing by the French, and the
third was recovered by Australian troops, this
particular vehicle being Mephisto.
AFTER THE WAR

Civil unrest in Berlin in 1919 saw two lightly
armoured vehicles that resembled the
wartime A7V being put to use on the streets
by a Freikorps tank unit. The aim was to put
down the civil unrest in the city, and the
appearance of the vehicles came as something
of a surprise. Rather than being built on the
armoured A7V tank, the vehicles were in fact
based on the chassis from the unarmoured
berlandwagens and were armed with four
MG08/15 machine guns.
May 1918 saw A7Vs being used against the

French near Soissons, during the Third Battle
of the Aisne, but were unable to cross a wide
trench due to the poor o-road performance
of these vehicles. The Second Battle of the
Marnen on the 15 July, at Rheims included
eight Germans A7Vs and twenty captured
Mk IV tanks being pitched against the French
lines, resulting in the loss of ten of the Mk IVs
but none of the A7Vs. The nal use of A7Vs in
World War One was in a small, but surprisingly
successful action that took place near Iwuy on
11 October 1918, but the A7Vs would play no
further part in the war after that.
CONCLUSION
Although the A7V was far from a success,

there were new and improved tank designs
in the pipeline, however, the end of the
war cut short all work on the other tanks in
development at the time. With just twenty
A7V tanks being built their contribution to
the war eort was minimal, in fact far more

captured British tanks saw service with the
Germans than the A7V, with around ft y
British tanks being used compared to just
twenty A7Vs. When compared with the
2,500 British tanks and 3,600 French FT
series tanks built, the German contribution
to armoured warfare in the Great War was
minimal, however, it would all change in
World War Two!
Today the only surviving A7V is currently in
the Workshops Rail Museum, North Ipswich,
Queensland, Australia. A 57 mm cannon
from an A7V (believed to be from the tank
Schnuck) is on display at the Imperial War
Museum North in Manchester, and two
full-size replicas have been constructed, the
rst, Wotan, is on display in the Deutsches
Panzermuseum in Munster, while the second is
a running replica built by Bob Grundy of British
Military Vehicles in Wigan in 2009 and now
resides at the Tank Museum, Bovington.
LEFT...
On January 15th 1919, this vehicle appeared

on the streets of Berlin in the service of the
Freikorps. The vehicle had the appearance of
the A7V, but was actually based on the chassis
from the unarmoured berlandwagen.
With most
of the upper
armour cut away,
the centrally
mounted engines
and running
gear can clearly
be seen. Note
also the angled
mounts for the
body above the
track units.
(Photo courtesy
Tank Museum)
11/09/2014 15:19
Carole Nash F_P.indd 1
17/09/2014 09:55
MEPHISTO
GRANT MCDULING LOOKS AT A REMARKABLE TALE INVOLVING
THE THEFT OF A7V NO. 506, ALSO KNOWN AS MEPHISTO
hen an Australian Major

ordered his Diggers
to steal a German
tank from under the
noses of his adversaries on the
night of 22nd July, 1918, he could
hardly have known that a century
later it would be one of the most
valuable military vehicles in the
world. Vehicle 506, a German A7V
tank, was built by Daimler-Benz and
assigned to Abteilung 1, one of three
armoured units of the German Army
and carrying the units distinctive
identifying insignia of a skull and
crossbones on its front armour.
During the German Spring Oensive
of March 1918, Vehicle 506, along with
three other A7Vs and ve captured

British tanks, entered the fray near St.
Quentin in support of highly trained
shock troops. The tanks early wartime
endeavours were promising, having
proved successful in overcoming sti
enemy resistance at Pontchu Redout.
After that action, Vehicle 506 was sent
to Charleroi for running repairs before
being assigned to Abteilung 3, where it
was assigned the nickname Mephisto
and had the skull and crossbones
replaced with its name and a graphic of
the devil running o with a British tank
under one arm!
It wasnt long before Mephisto
next saw active service, this time as
part of the Germans drive to capture
66-68_mephisto2.indd 66
09/09/2014 20:32
MAIN PHOTO...
A German A7V tank captured by
the 26th Battalion, at Monument
Wood, near Villers-Bretonneux,
in an operation on 14 July 1918.
(Photo Courtesy of the
Australian War Memorial)
RIGHT...
Wartime photo showing
Mephisto after capture and the
additional artwork added by the
proud captors.
LEFT...
Mephisto was displayed
behind this glass cabinet
at the Queensland
Museum for 60 years,
until the museum moved
to new premises at
South Bank.
RIGHT...
Mephisto being
unloaded from the
S.S. Armagh at
the Norman Wharf, a
week after its arrival in
Brisbane on 2 June 1919.
Workshops Rail Museum)
Villers-Bretonneux. Fourteen A7Vs,

including Mephisto, were assigned the
role of infantry support and on the
morning of 24 April they crossed the
German front lines near Marcelcave.
The group cleared the British front
and advanced on a fortied farm in
Monument Wood. Here Mephisto
developed engine trouble, but pushed
on regardless until it became bogged
down in a shell crater and there it
remained until Australian troops of
the 26th Battalion AIF, under the
command of Major JA Robinson,
moved in and regained the area.
During the hours of darkness on
22 July Major Robinson ordered two
vehicles of the British 1st Gun Carrier
09/09/2014 20:32
LEFT...
Mephisto being moved by
Queensland Rail using two
30-ton cranes, themselves
dating from 1902, and a
at-bed wagon.
Workshops Rail Museum)
LEFT...
After being moved to the Museums new premises, Mephisto was displayed in a
climate-controlled space designed to prolong the life of the tank, but the disastrous
oods in 2011 necessitated its removal and restoration.
BELOW LEFT...
A close up of one of Mephistos bogie units.
(Photo Courtesy of the Workshops Rail Museum)
BELOW RIGHT...
A rarely seen view of the A7Vs interior showing the breech of the
forward facing main gun.
Company to advance and capture

the now abandoned German tank.
The troops, which were mainly from
Queensland, advanced under artillery
and air support and successfully
accomplished their mission, despite
sti resistance from the Germans.
Many of the soldiers who were
involved in the tanks capture etched
their names into the rear armour plate
of the tank.
Major Robinson was instrumental in
sending his war booty back to Australia
via Vaux, Dunkirk and London. In June
1919, Mephisto arrived in Brisbane
and was towed to the Queensland
Museum by steamrollers belonging to
the Brisbane City Council, remaining on
display there for 60 years, until the

museum moved to new premises
at South Bank, where it was housed
in a specially constructed, climatecontrolled space.
Then came the ood of 2011, and
like everything else, Mephisto suered
as a result of the oods and had to be
moved from its location for restoration
work to be carried out to repair the
damage caused by the oods. In 2013
Mephisto was moved once again, this
time to Ipswich and the Queensland
Workshops Rail Museum, renowned
for its ability to work with extremely
heavy pieces of machinery, where
the restoration of this rare military
machine continued.
09/09/2014 20:33
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01/05/2014 11:17
GREAT WAR TANKS
AT BOVINGTON
T
he amount of World
War One era tanks in
preservation around the
world is tiny in comparison
to those dating from World War
Two, and while there are the
odd few exhibits to be found in
museums elsewhere in the world,
the nest collection of World War
One era tanks anywhere is housed
at what is widely regarded as the
spiritual home of the tank The

Tank Museum, Bovington.
Few realise that the birth of the
Tank Museum happened almost
by accident, and the tale of the
museums formation reads like a
fairy tale. The Tank Corps Centre was
established at Bovington Camp in
1916, and has remained there ever
since, but following the cessation
of hostilities in 1918, much of the
The Tank Museum

has the finest collection
of WW1 era tanks in
the world and we
take a look at whats
on show there
British tank force was deemed as

being redundant as arguments
started between the high command
as to how best to conduct a war in
the future. The tank was of course a
new weapon, and its rst use wasnt
entirely successful, leading some
doubters to call for the disbanding of
the Tank Corps, but despite this the
design and development of newer
models of tanks continued.
RIGHT...
If theres an odd vehicle
within the museums
Great War tank collection
its the French Renault
FT-17, with all the other
tanks being British, but
it was a very signicant
design at the time, and
went on to see widespread
service in WW2.
70-74_bovington2.indd 70
11/09/2014 16:07
LEFT...
The Medium Mark A Whippet tank at the Tank Museum has a plaque stating that it was
commanded by Lieutenant C.H. Sewell at Fremincourt in August 1918 and in full view of
the enemy and regardless of his personal safety he rescued the crew of an overturned
tank, but returning under heavy re to aid his driver he was killed. He was posthumously
awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
ABOVE...
The museums Mk IV Male tank has recently been replicated in plastic by Japanese
kit manufacturers Tamiya, who have a long association with the Tank Museum. This
particular vehicle spent its time at HMS Excellent, the Royal Navy Gunnery School at
Whale Island, after the First World War. It was restored to running order in the 1970s
when it was returned to the Tank Museum.
BELOW LEFT...
While attractively displayed, the museums Mk I is quite dimly lit and the raised position
makes it quite dicult to study the tank closely.
BELOW RIGHT...
The idea of a tracked vehicle was nothing new before the advent of the tank, and the
Hornsby chain track tractor provided inspiration for the designers of the very rst tanks.
Needless to say theres one at the museum.
BELOW RIGHT...
Little Willie is regarded as the
genesis of the tank. Had it not
been for the fact that it was
being used as a gate guardian
at an aireld in Gloucestershire
during WW2, it could have been
cut up for scrap and lost forever.
Thankfully it takes pride of place
in the museum now and even
has a beer brewed by a local rm
named after it, which is on sale at
the museum!
11/09/2014 16:08
ABOVE...
The Mk V is in running
condition and used
to appear regularly
at the museums
major shows just a
few years ago. Sadly
it is now so old and
so valuable it rarely
moves under its own
power in case it is
damaged.
BELOW...
The Mk IX Infantry
Supply Tank is
one of the largest
WW1 tanks in the
collection. The only
armaments carried
were for defensive
purposes and
consisted of machine
guns front and rear,
plus pistol ports
for using personal
weapons.
By the early 1920s a large number

of tanks had begun to amass on
Bovington Heath, many awaiting
their fate while others were used
for training or target practice, but
in 1922, someone in charge and
obviously proud of their heritage,
decided to set aside a selection of
twenty-six tanks representing various
types of tanks used by Royal Tank
Regiment in those formative years on
land at the camp. Unfortunately the
tanks were left open to the elements
and quickly began to deteriorate
from rust and neglect, but a chance
visit to the camp by author Rudyard
Kipling led to the suggestion that the
tanks should be saved and preserved
for future generations and not simply
left to rot in the open air. With that
the decision to move the tanks
indoors was made, thus establishing
what would eectively become the
Royal Tank Corps Museum.
TROUBLED TIMES
At that time the museum was still on

Bovington Camp and therefore was
only open to service personnel, with
the tanks being used as instructional
aids and as testament to the birth
of the Royal Tank Regiment, but the
gathering of vehicles and tank-related
material continued apace. What could
and should have been an incredible
collection of rare and unusual tanks
was dealt a body blow with the
outbreak of the Second World War,
which saw the loss of many rare tanks
during the nation-wide drive for
much-needed scrap metal, indeed the
loss of the many hundreds of World
War One tanks presented to towns
and cities up and down the country is
well documented.
Thankfully a few of these early
WW1 era tanks escaped the cutting
torch due to the circumstances in
which they were being used at the
time. Little Willie for instance,

widely regarded as the genesis of the
modern tank, was acting as a gate
guardian on a Gloucestershire aireld
and therefore escaped, as did a Mk
V Male tank, which commanded the
approaches to Bovington Heath in
preparation for the feared German
invasion, while various other
machines watched the coastline and
therefore survived.
The end of the Second World War
saw the museum managing to survive
as a collection largely intact and now
occupied part of a large hangar on
Bovington Camp. The decision to open
the museum to the general public was
made shortly after the end of the war
and the new Royal Armoured Corps
Tank Museum nally opened its doors
for the rst time in 1946. At that point
only half of the original hangar was
being used for the museum exhibits,
but the rapid growth in numbers of
11/09/2014 16:09
LEFT...
This Mk V** Female
tank was a further
development of the
Mk V*, which saw the
hull being lengthened
to enable it to cross the
increasingly wide German
trenches. It had the added
benet of providing a little
more room inside, but
conditions were still harsh
in these early tanks and
visitors are able to walk
inside the exhibit to see
for themselves.
vehicles being added to the collection

in the intervening years, especially
with the many German vehicles
captured during WW2 nding their
way to Bovington following evaluation
by the military, saw the remainder
of the hangar being given over to the
museum, eectively doubling it in size
at a stroke.
WW1 VEHICLES
Before the inux of WW2 tanks, the

nucleus of that very early collection
of tanks within the Tank Museum
collection consisted mainly of tanks
from the Great War period, which
after all were the in-service tanks at

that time. Despite two world wars,
a great many thankfully survived
those dicult years and went on
to form the stunning collection of
Great War tanks that attracts many
thousands of visitors and historians
to the museum each year. Sadly there
are a few gaps in the tank timeline,
with those vehicles having been
scrapped either at the time having
been deemed surplus to requirement
or during the scrap metal drives
of WW2, but those that are at
the museum are remarkably rare
survivors and oer a unique insight
into the development of the tank as a

battleeld weapon.
The Tank Museums WW1
collection has moved around the
museum building several times over
the past 68-years, and today the
collection is eectively split into two
main areas. Little Willie, the French
ABOVE...
The sponson trolley
may not look that
interesting at rst,
but its an extremely
rare exhibit and one
worth a closer look.
BELOW...
The Mk II was a further development of the Mk I tank and this
Female variant has one sponson tted and the other removed
to reveal the inside of the tank, which gives visitors a good
indication of just how cramped the conditions were inside
these early machines.
11/09/2014 16:09
ABOVE...
The museum has
another replica,
namely a German
A7V, which was
created by Bob
Grundy of British
Military Vehicles. Bob
has worked closely
with the museum for
many years and now
the A7V regularly
appears at Tankfest
with the Mk IV
replica.
ABOVE RIGHT...
The largest of the
Great War tanks
at the museum is
the Mk VIII, a joint
venture between
the Americans and
the British. It never
served in anger, and
the museums exhibit
once stood outside
the museum on a
huge plinth anked
by a Mk IV Female
and the Mk IX.
Renault FT-17 Light Tank, the Mk II

Female and Medium Mark A Whippet,
are all to be found in the Tank Story
Hall, which was the most recent hall
to be added to the museum. The
remainder of the collection is housed
in the George Forty Hall, part of
the original museum building, and
home to a large proportion of the
WW1 tanks for many, many years.
Unfortunately this older part of the
museum is not as well lit as the new
hall and two of the collections key
exhibits, namely the Mk I and the Mk
IV, are not as attractively displayed
as they might be, especially the
Mk I, which is depicted in a trench
crossing diorama above the visitors,
making it quite hard to study closely,
however, the Mk IV is opened up to
the public on occasions to allow them
to see inside the tank and witness for
themselves the cramped condition
endured by early tank crews.
This same hall also incorporates
the new Warhorse to Horsepower
exhibition, which recently opened over
the summer and is now home to the
Mk IV replica tank that is regularly seen
performing at Tankfest. In the not too
distant past the museums original Mk

V, which remains in running condition,
was regularly displayed at special
events, however, it is now so old and
fragile, and deemed as too historically
important a vehicle, to use on a regular
basis for mobility displays, so the Mk
IV replica plays an important role
within the collection, allowing younger
visitors to see what these rst tanks
looked like on the battleeld.
Other interesting vehicles displayed
within the George Forty Hall include
a Mk V** tank, which is eectively
a lengthened and much modied
version of similar tanks in use at the
time, a Mk IX infantry supply tank,
which was largely unarmed and used
primarily to transport material on the
battleeld, and the huge Mk VIII, which
was a joint venture between the British
and Americans towards the end of the
war, but never actually saw any action
during the Great War.
Look a little closer and you will also
nd other tank-related exhibits such
as an incredibly rare sponson trolley,
which was used to move and transport
a pair of sponsons from the early
tanks whilst the vehicles were being
transported by rail because with the

sponsons tted to the tanks they were
too wide for the tunnels on the railway
network at the time if left on the
tanks! The sponsons were therefore
detached, placed on the trolley and
towed onto the railway carriage by the
tank itself. Later models incorporated
the ability to swing the sponsons
part way inside the hull of the tank
to reduce the overall width, thus
eliminating the need for these trolleys.
Dig a little deeper still and youll
nd all manner of exhibits displayed
in cabinets around the halls, which
included the likes of medals belonging
to RTR recipients, hand-built scale
models and even works of art
depicting the tank, so as you can see,
if you have an interest in tanks of the
Great War the Tank Museum really is
a fantastic place to visit. If youve not
been to the museum its a real must
for any tank enthusiast, and I can
guarantee that once you visit youll
return time and time again!
Further details about the museum,
its exhibits and opening times can
be found on their website at:
www.tankmuseum.org
The museums superb replica Mk IV tank was created by special eects people for Steven
Spielbergs lm War Horse, and was acquired by the Tank Museum. The tank now plays
an important role within the collection, allowing younger visitors to see
what these rst tanks looked like on the battleeld.
11/09/2014 16:09

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ALLIED TRUCKS

12 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014

OF THE GREAT WAR

n arms race raged across

The German military experimented

When war broke out in 1914 the

NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 13

GREAT BRITAIN & DOMINIONS

he British Army had the record for having

hundreds of London buses), and by purchasing

Thornycroft, Dennis, Lacre, Commer, Leyland,

The Associated Equipment

Established in Glasgow in 1899 Albion trucks were chain drive,

14 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014

The Luton-based Company of Commer Car produced a wide range of

The 4,531 cc engine in this Crossley gave it a top speed of 55mph,

Daimler trucks served on both sides of the trenches throughout

NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 15

Karrier is another once famous British name that disappeared

The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was formed in 1855 to

The Lacre Motor Car

The Coventry based motor manufacturer of Maudslay designed a

One of the most important British precision engineering companies

16 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014

The Pageeld N Type truck was made by the Wigan-based company

The distinctive disc wheels on the Thornycroft J Type make it one

In 1896 brothers Herbert and Percy Seabrook set up a London business

Wolseley was a luxury

NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 17

espite the intention to remain neutral,

hundreds more were quickly purchased from

With the construction

the US Army was simply not able to transport all

The ubiquitous Model

Built by the Four Wheel Drive Automobile Corporation of Clintonville

In 1914 the Ohio

18 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014

The most common

If it wasnt for the name Gramm Bernstein, which appears on the

In April 1915 the Thomas B

Shortly after the outbreak

The caterpillar tractors

Despite the US Army purchasing

NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 19

The Locomobile Company

Built from 1916 to 1939

One of the more obscure

With the purchase of

One of the most famous American

With over 10,000 examples in British

With the assistance of two British engineers

During the course of the Great War the

Willys is better known for the production

20 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2014

uch like Britain, France had a

scheme and impress others. For the battle of the

One of the more obscure types of trucks

With many thousands of examples

The designers of Crochat must have

The distinctive round radiator

in service the French purchased large numbers

The French luxury

This rather odd

NOVEMBER 2014 MILITARY MACHINES INTERNATIONAL 21