During the winter of 1914, the western front rapidly transformed into trench warfare and the fighting turned into a stalemate. Both sides constructed elaborate trench and dugout systems opposing each other along the front lines, protected from assault by barbed wire, machine guns and artillery. The area between the opposing trench lines became known as "no man's land" was exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties on both sides. The British began looking into a way to break the stalemate.
The Landship Committee was a small WWI British committee whose purpose was to develop armored vehicles to tackle the problems of trench warfare. Established in February 1915 by the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, the Committee was composed mainly of naval officers, politicians and engineers. The committee started with only three members: Eustace Tennyson d’Eyncourt, Director of Naval Construction, as chairman; Flight Commander Thomas Hetherington of the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Squadron; and Colonel Wilfred Dumble of the Naval Brigade. These naval men were selected for their knowledge of boiler plate construction.
The Committee conducted a number of trials with various wheeled and tracked vehicles, and work was in progress on a prototype vehicle. Since these naval officers were developing a "landship", they used naval terms such as “hull”, “sponson” and “turret” in the vehicle designs. In July 1915, the Committee's existence came to the attention of the War Office in Britain and this led to its operations being taken over by the British Army and a number of its members transferred from the Royal Navy.
Little Willie
In July 1915, the Landship Committee began work to meet the requirement for an armoured vehicle to be able to cross an 8 foot (2.4 meter) trench. After several projects which had single and triple tracks had failed, on July 22, William Ashbee Tritton, director of the agricultural machinery company William Foster & Company in Lincoln, was given a contract to develop a "Tritton Machine" with two tracks. Tritton worked with Major Walter Gordon Wilson of the British Royal Naval Air Service on the design. For the vehicle, they acquired pre-built track units from the Bullock Creeping Grip Tractor Company in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Construction of the vehicle, known then as the Lincoln No.1 Machine, began on 11 August 1915. On August 16, Tritton decided to fit a wheeled tail to assist in steering. The prototype was fitted with a non-rotatable dummy turret mounting a Vickers 2-pounder (40mm) Maxim gun. The vehicle used no armored plating, instead boiler plating was riveted to an iron angle frame. It was intended to use 10mm armour plating during production.
The vehicle weighing 18 tons was ready for testing in September 1915. Wilson was placed in charge of the experiments. During test trails, the tracks were not able to carry the weight of the vehicle and the tracks were redesigned. The vehicle was found to be top heavy so the dummy turret was removed and a circular plate covered the hole.
Wilson was unhappy with the basic concept of the vehicle and on August 17 suggested to Tritton the idea of using tracks that ran all around the vehicle. With d'Eyncourt's approval, construction of an improved prototype began on September 17. The second prototype, later known as His Majesty's Land Ship (HMLS) Centipede, was fitted with a rhomboid track frame where the tracks ran up and over the top of the vehicle. The rear steering wheels were retained in an improved form, but the idea of a gun turret was abandoned and the main armament was mounted in sponsons on the sides.
The first prototype was renamed “Little Willie”, the scabrous name then was used by the British yellow press (today the tabloids) to mock the German Imperial Crown Prince Wilhelm. The second prototype was for a time known as “Big Willie”, after his father Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. Later the second prototype was named “Mother”.
Mark I Tank
When not undergoing testing, both prototypes were kept secret and a cover story was created claiming they were a new mobile “water tank.” The abbreviated tank reference became universal from that point on. Although it never saw combat, Little Willie was a major step forward in technology, being the first successful tank prototype to be built. The second prototype "Mother" was further refined into the Mark I tank.
In January 1916, trials of the Mark I tank took place at Lincoln in Burton Park.
The Mark I tanks were built as two types which were essentially the same except for their armament. The "Male" type mounted two Hotchkiss 6-pounder (57mm) naval guns and two machine guns in the sponsons. The "Female" type mounted four machine guns in the sponsons. In combat, male and female tanks would be paired together. The female tank was used to provide defensive fire against enemy infantry attacks while the male tank attacked enemy gun emplacements and crush barbed wire entanglements. A total of 150 Mark I tanks were built, half Male and half Female.
Production line of British Mark I tanks.
The Mark I tank was powered by a 105hp Daimler engine which drove the caterpillar tracks through three independent gearboxes. Turning was a complex maneuver which required the tank to halt and making it an easy target. The tail wheel was designed to aid balance and steering but in practice proved to be useless and later was abandoned. The top speed that could be achieved was only 4 mph (6.44 kmh). On the battlefield, this was rarely achieved and in many cases the infantry advanced much faster than the tank. The tank had a crew of eight: 1 Subaltern (a junior officer), 1 Gearsman, 2 Breaksmen (in the rear) and 4 loaders/Gunners, of which one was an NCO.
The hull was not divided internally. The crew shared the same space as the engine. The environment inside the tank was extremely unpleasant where ventilation was inadequate and the atmosphere was contaminated with poisonous carbon monoxide, fuel and oil vapors from the engine, and cordite fumes from the weapons. The temperature inside the tank could reach up to 50 °C (122 °F). Men sometimes lost consciousness inside the tank but more often collapsed when getting out into the fresh air. The crew also received physical injuries from the violent movement when the tank drove over rough ground as the tank had no suspension system.
Interior view of a tank.
The tank had no radio or internal communication system. Due to all the noise from the engine and the weapons firing, it was difficult for the crew to communicate with each other inside the tank or with the infantry and other tanks outside. The tank officer often had to get out and walk, to reconnoiter a path for the tank or to work with the infantry.
First Combat
The tank was first used in combat on 15 September 1916, the first day of the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the larger Battle of the Somme. The tanks were organized into subsections of two or three tanks, and were sent into action ahead of the infantry. Open lanes were left in the British artillery barrage, through in which the tanks could advance. It was realized the tanks drew enemy fire so the infantry followed them at a distance. Only 36 of the 49 tanks deployed even made it as far as the start line. Out of the 36 tanks which left the start line, 14 tanks ditched or broke down during the attack, 10 tanks were hit by enemy fire and were sufficiently damaged for them not to continue, and another 7 were slightly damaged.
The tank crews themselves suffered as expected. Besides dealing with engine fumes, the heat and noise, they were hit by hot splinters of metal that flew around inside the tank when hit by enemy bullets. The crewmen were given visors made of chain mail to protect them but they found the visors to be uncomfortable so they rarely wore them. They also could not see where they were going.
On the second day, September 16, only 3 tanks, which led a British infantry division and the New Zealand infantry division, were still operational. Despite all of the tanks’ problems and the difficulties endured by the tank crews, these 3 tanks proved to be successful, because they terrified the German troops. When the Germans saw the tanks for the first time, they ran away. Sometimes, they ran away even before the tanks were close enough for the tank crews to shoot at them.
As a result of the successes with tanks at Flers-Courcelette, the British War Office decided to order more tanks and to expand Britain’s tank force.
Chimpanzee Valley was the Allied code name for an assembly area behind the front line. The exact location and size of the area is unknown but it is stated to be somewhere near Montauban (today Montauban-de-Picardie) and south of Bernafay Wood.
Mark I tanks filling up with petrol in Chimpanzee Valley on September 15th. The tanks have a wire frame and screens mounted on the roof, designed to deflect hand grenades.
Two photos of Mark I tank C.19 named "Clan Leslie" commanded by Captain Archie Holford-Walker in the Chimpanzee Valley on September 15th. After these photos were taken, Tank C.19 was making its way up to the start line when its tail assembly was damaged and it could not continue.
This is the first official photograph taken of a tank going into action on 15 September 1916. The crewman shown is wearing a leather tank helmet. Note the improvised anti-grenade screen and the camouflage scheme.
Film: Crew and officer enter Mark I Male tank
Film: Tank Mark I
Female Mark I Tank of C Company, ditched somewhere north of Bouleaux Wood while supporting the 56th Division on September 15th. On the left of the sky line is Lesboeufs, and on the right is Morval. It encountered troops of the German 185. Infanterie-Division. Note shell hole on the side of the tank.
This Mark I Male tank (D 17) is surrounded by some of the infantry from the 122nd Brigade, 41st Division, whom it led into eastern part of Flers on September 15th. The brigade had a total casualty of 1200 out of 1800 on that day. This photograph was taken two days later on the 17th.
A Brigadier General and his staff pose beside Mark I tank 17 of D Company, which was used as his Headquarters near Flers on 21 September 1916.
This is my close up of the above photo. The "D17" is above the soldier's head on the right. Note all the gear draped on and hanging from the barrel of the 6 pounder gun.
Film: OUR EMPIRE'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IWM 440-7
Tank Organization
Originally formed as Companies of the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC), designated A, B, C and D companies. Each Company consisted of 4 Sections of 3 tanks of each type (male and female Mk 1’s). Each company also had another machine in reserve.
In November 1916, the Companies were expanded to Battalions, carrying the same letter designations. A battalion consisted of 3 Companies. Three mobile workshops provided the engineering support to service the tanks. An expansion program was ordered to build a force of 14 additional battalions.
The Tank Corps was formed from the Heavy Branch MGC on 27 July 1917 and the battalions adopted numbering rather than letter designations (although tank names followed the same lettering: for example, 7th Battalion tanks were all named with a letter G, like Grouse, Grumble, etc.) Each Tank Battalion had a complement of 32 officers and 374 men.
From the earliest days, men of the HB MGC were often drawn from the Motor Machine Gun units, with drivers from the Army Service Corps. In many cases, the men never actually officially transferred and fought in the tanks under their original regiments.
In 1917, E Company was formed for service in Palestine also known as the Palestine Tank Detachment.
Mark II and III tanks
The Mark II was built from December 1916 to January 1917 by Foster & Co and Metropolitan (25 Male and 25 Female respectively). The Mark II incorporated minor improvements over the Mark I. With the Army declaring the Mark I still insufficiently developed for use, the Mark II (for which orders were first placed in July) would continue to be built, but would be used only for training. Due to this intended role, they were supposedly built with unhardened steel, though some doubt was cast on this claim. Initially, 20 were shipped to France and 25 remained at the training ground at Wool, Dorset in Britain. The remaining five were kept for use as test vehicles.
The Mark III was also a training tank and used Lewis machine guns and a smaller sponson for the females. Fifty were built (25 Male and 25 Female respectively). It was originally intended that the Mark III was to have all the proposed new design features of the Mark IV. This is why there were two distinct training types, the Mark II being a slightly improved Mark I. However, the development of the new features was so slow that the change from the Mark II was very gradual. The Mark III did not see action overseas. The last two Mark IIIs were melted down during WWII.
Arras
During the Battle of Arras (9 April to 16 May 1917), British troops attacked German defenses to the east of the French city of Arras. The British achieved the longest advance since trench warfare had begun, surpassing the record set by the French Sixth Army on 1 July 1916. The British advance slowed in the next few days and the German defense recovered. The battle became a costly stalemate for both sides and by the end of the battle, the British Third Army and the First Army had suffered about 160,000 casualties and the German 6th Army about 125,000.
There were not enough operational tanks for the planned offensive, and 20 surviving Mark Is and all the Mark IIs remaining in the UK were put into action, suffering high losses, mainly due to the new armor-piercing bullets the Germans employed.
Forty tanks of the 1st Brigade were to be used in the attack on the Third Army front, 8 with XVIII Corps and 16 each in VII Corps and VI Corps. When the blue line had been reached, 4 of the VII Corps tanks were to join VI Corps for its attack on the brown line. The black line (first objective) was not to be attacked by tanks, which were to begin the drive to the front line at zero hour and rendezvous with infantry at the black line two hours later. The tanks were reserved for the most difficult objectives beyond the black line in groups of up to 10 vehicles, 4 tanks were to attack Neuville Vitasse, 4 against Telegraph Hill, 4 against The Harp and another 4 against Tilloy lez Mofflaines and 2 were to drive down the slope from Roclincourt west of Bois de la Maison Blanche. Once the blue line had fallen, the tanks still running were to drive to rally points.
Male Mark II tank No. 781 "Iron Duke" moving through Arras on its way to the front on 8 April 1917.
This is my close up of IWM Q 6418.
Lusitania
The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was sunk on 7 May 1915 by the German submarine U-20, 11 miles (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1,197 passengers, crew and stowaways, including 124 Americans. Mark II Male tank No. 788 of the 1st Tank Brigade was named "Lusitania". This tank belonged to C Battalion, 9th Company of VI Corps. It was given the unit number C47 and the tank commander was Lieutenant C.F. Webber.
Two photos of Mark II Male tank C47 "Lusitania" moving up through Arras on 8 April 1917. Note the Grouser or Spud external track extensions which widen the tracks for improved traction in mud and snow.
Mark II Male tank "Lusitania" in Arras.
When zero hour came on 9 April 1917, Webber was in a state of great anxiety, for his tank developed trouble in the secondary gears. The crew set about trying to repair it, and after a 3 hour struggle the Lusitania was ready for battle. But before they were about to move, they received an urgent message from an infantry colonel stating a machine gun was holding them up and to investigate. Lusitania crawled slowly towards the stubborn machine gun position, opened up with the 6-pounders, and soon silenced its chatter.
Then the infantry moved forward with their new friend, following so close that when Lusitania ploughed through the barbed wire, and poked her nose over the German parapet, the crew could not fire the 6-pounders for fear of hitting their own troops. But it was not necessary, for the Germans, thoroughly scared at the sight of a 6-pounder gun waggling about over their heads, threw up their hands and surrendered. Lusitania then steered along the railway, subjecting a stronghold known as the Feuchy Redoubt to broadsides of 6-pounder and machine gun fire. The enemy decided to withdraw from the redoubt and retreated to a dug-out near a railway arch. Lusitania approached the arch, but Webber was so keen on the chase that he overshot the mark and ran into their own artillery barrage. Artillery shells began falling around Lusitania so Webber hastily turned Lusitania around and headed back to the advancing infantry. After returning to the infantry, Webber waited patiently while the bombers blasted the Germans out of their dug-out.
A high bank came next, but Lusitania had become so hot with its exertions that she could not climb the steep slope. Webber decided to stop again and give the engine a chance to cool down. The crew flopped down to sleep, completely drowsed by petrol and cordite fumes, tired out due to a lack of rest, and sapped by the heat. When the engine became cooler, and the crew were aroused, Lusitania then clambered up the slope and plunged into battle again. Passing the infantry, Lusitania battered her way through more barbed wire and, blazing away with her guns, chased the enemy from another redoubt and rounded up two snipers. A little later on in the day came another SOS from the infantry. Once more Lusitania cruised up to an enemy trench and swiftly silenced two machine guns. But by this time the battle-scarred Lusitania was running low on petrol, the ignition magneto failed to function, and Lusitania's journey came to an end. The crew was not dishearten, for they still fired away incessantly, causing heavy German losses.
Darkness came and they were still stranded. The engine could not be started. Against the steel sides, German bullets pattered like hail. Switching on their small cabin lights, the crew strained again and again at the heavy starting handle, but without any results. The Germans increased their fire, aiming at the loopholes and chinks, through which light gleamed. Soon the splash from their bullets became so uncomfortable that all lights were switched off. It was 2130 hours. For 12 long hours, Lusitania had been cruising across no man's land. Now Lusitania's petrol tanks were almost dry. Webber decided to abandon the tank and return to their lines. But Webber did not know where their lines or the Germans were.
Barbed wire which became entangled in the tracks had dragged the camouflage net over the outlet of the exhaust, and in a few seconds the whole net was ablaze. Without waiting for orders, Sergeant Latham got out of the tank, climbed on top under heavy enemy fire, and managed to throw the burning mass overboard. Latham then jumped off the tank to the ground and he crawled warily into the darkness with bullets buzzing over his head. After awhile, he came to a length of trench, stopped and listened anxiously. He heard English voices. He called out and waited for a reply. He then clambered quickly over the parapet and into the trench. The English troops in the trench were astonished. They had only just taken over the trench and were not been informed of any friendly forces in the area. Latham told them to fire high, as his crew mates would be coming shortly.
The next day, still keen on getting back to his tank, Webber obtained a new ignition magneto and set out with some of his crew. On their way, they met a battery commander who eagerly questioned them about a derelict. Not knowing about the Lusitania, he had been heavily shelling that area of the front, and having made a direct hit on it, realized too late that it was a tank. He was relieved to hear that the crew was not inside. For their strenuous and gallant efforts, Webber was awarded the Military Cross, and Sergeant Latham the Military Medal.
Mark II tank No.790 was stuck in a captured German gun pit at Arras. Note the long barrel of the 6 pounder gun and the cheese shaped triangular observation cabin on the back. It was penetrated by German armor-piercing machine gun ammo (K bullet), 1 crewman was killed and 3 wounded. British cavalry can be seen massed in the background on the left.
Film: Mark I tank moves over a trench as soldiers sit on it during Battle of Arras
Bullecourt
The first attack on Bullecourt (11 April 1917) was a flanking operation to the Arras Offensive. The 4th Australian Division attacked the village of Bullecourt (southeast of Arras) on the Hindenburg Line which was defended by the German 27th (Württemberg) Division. A company of 12 tanks lead the attacking infantry to crush the barbed wire in front of the defenses. One tank was unserviceable and only 4 of the remaining 11 reached their start line by 0430 hours. During the attack, 6 tanks broke down or were knocked out and some went off course. The tanks which did reach the German lines, arrived piecemeal, diluting their psychological impact. During this attack machine gun fire was used to drown out the sound of the tank engines but it failed. It was clear that the Germans still heard the tanks approaching.
Defensive units:
Grenadier-Regiment König Karl (5. Württembergisches) Nr. 123
Infanterie-Regiment König Wilhelm I (6. Württembergisches) Nr. 124
Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 120
Two Australian brigades got into the German front position but they were cut off and gradually overwhelmed. Only a few Australians managed to break out and return. The Australians suffered 3,289 casualties, including 1,166 prisoners against 749 German casualties. The Australian survivors expressed bitterness and a great distrust of the tanks, despite that they did started a panic among some of the German defenders.
Knocked out Mark II female tank No. 586 of D Battalion, 11 Company, on April 11. Some sources claim this tank had penetrated as far as Reincourt and Hendecourt, it is now known to have been disabled near the German trench lines. It became a German forward command post.
Mark II male tank No. 799, D26, was captured by the German troops at Bullecourt on April 11. It belonged to D Battalion, 12 Company attached to V Corps and was commanded by Lieutenant Davies.
Photo: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1984-059-07A
This is the rear of captured Mark II male tank No. 799.
Operation Hush
Operation Hush was a British plan for amphibious landings on the Belgian coast behind the German lines. The landings were to be combined with an attack from Nieuwpoort and Ypres, left over since the Battle of the Yser in October 1914. The plan was considered in 1915 and in 1916, then shelved due to operations elsewhere.
Ostende (today Ostend) is located northeast of Dunkirk. The "Tirpitz" coastal defence battery had four 11-inch (280mm) guns manned by German Marines.
The landing operation would begin at dawn where an army division in three parties of about 4,500 men each, would disembark on the beaches near Middelkirke (southwest of Ostende), covered by a naval bombardment and a smoke screen generated by eighty small vessels. Trawlers would carry telephone cable ashore and equipment would disembark from landing pontoons.
To land troops swiftly, retaining the benefit of surprise, a flat-bottomed craft which could land on beaches was designed. The pontoons were 550 feet by 32 feet (167.6 m by 9.8 m), specially-built and lashed between pairs of monitors. Men, guns, wagons, ambulances, boxcars, motor cars, handcarts, bicycles, Stokes mortar carts and sidecars, plus two male tanks and one female tank, were to be embarked on each monitor. HMS General Wolfe and the other monitors would push the pontoons up the beach, the tanks would drive off, pulling sledges full of equipment, climb the sea-walls (an incline of about 30°), surmount a large projecting coping-stone at the top and then haul the rest of their load over the wall.
The Belgian architect who had designed the sea-wall was a refugee in France and he supplied his drawings. A replica of the sea-wall was built at Merlimont (between Calais and Dieppe), France. In April 1917, a detachment of British tanks rehearsed on it, using "shoes" attached to the tracks and a special detachable steel ramps carried on front of the tank, so it could climb the sea-wall.
Operation Hush was cancelled on 14 October 1917, as the advance at Ypres (south of Ostende) was too far behind schedule.
Mark IV Tank
The Mark IV tank was a more heavily armoured version of the Mark I, and went into production in May 1917. Fundamental mechanical improvements had originally been intended, but had to be postponed. The main change was the introduction of the QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss, a shorter-barrelled version of the earlier gun. Improved 12mm armour made it impervious to German armor-piercing rifle K bullets. Lewis guns replaced the Hotchkiss and Vickers machine guns in both the male and female variants, although the air-cooling system of the Lewis proved problematic and the Hotchkiss was later readopted. It had all its fuel stored in a single external tank, located between the rear track horns, in an attempt to improve crew safety. The smaller sponsons could be swung inwards on hinges to reduce the width of the tank for rail transportation, where previous models had required partial disassembly to fit within the loading gauge. Rails on the roof carried an unditching beam whose purpose was to help extricate the tank from difficult trenches by attaching it to the tracks.
A total of 1220 Mark IVs were built: 420 males, 595 females and 205 tank tenders (supply tanks).
The Mark IV Female had access hatches below the sponsons.
The unditching beam is deployed on this Mark IV Male tank where the beam is chained to both tracks. The rails allows the beam to slide over the top of the tank as it moves.
Film: Tank Mark IV
Film: TRAINING THE TANKS IWM (IWM 452)
The Mark IVs were used successfully at the battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917), where they outpaced the infantry on dry ground, but in the Third Battle of Ypres of July and August 1917 the swampy ground made movement difficult and they were of little use.
Palestine 1917
In December 1916, 8 Mark I tanks, four male and four female, which had been refurbished at a factory were sent to Bovington in Dorset. They were earmarked to go to Egypt to join the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) as E Company with 22 officers and 226 men commanded by Major Norman N. H. Nutt. They sailed from Avonmouth on His Majesty's Australian Transport Euripides (A14) and landed in Egypt. They proceeded to Palestine by rail and arrived in Khan Yunus about 15 miles (24.14 km) southwest of Gaza in time to join the attack on Gaza on April 17th (the second battle of Gaza). Gaza was defended by Turkish Forces of the Ottoman Empire.
All 8 tanks took part in the attack, but sadly too much was expected of them. When the attack commenced, 2 tanks were attached to the 53rd Division and 4 tanks to the 52nd Division. None of the tanks saw any action on the first day, as the Turks fell back to their reserve positions. The 2 remaining tanks allotted to the 54th Division saw action with one soon taking a direct hit which destroyed it, while the other tank cleared a stretch of Turkish trenches. Despite small successes being gained the tanks suffered from direct artillery fire and many were surprised to see that most of the Turks did not flee when they first saw the tanks, instead they stood their ground and used their artillery with devastating results. The leading tank of the advance broke a track and was soon out of action, another slipped into a gully when the sides of the bank unexpectedly collapsed, while 3 other tanks took direct hits.
Mark I Males:
HMLS Ole-Luk-Oie - named after the pseudonym of Colonel Sir Ernest D. Swinton, commander of the Heavy Section Machine Gun Corps from February to November 1916.
HMLS Otazel
HMLS Pincher - named after the destroyer that escorted the men of the detachment to Egypt.
HMLS Sir Archibald - named after General Sir Archibald Murray, GOC Egyptian Expeditionary Force (January 1916 to June 1917).
Mark I Females:
HMLS Kia-Ora - probably owing to the lemon and orange citrus fruits grown in Palestine, was named after the drink "Kia-Ora" which was just launched in Great Britain in 1917.
HMLS Nutty - named after OC Palestine Tank Detachment, Major Nutt.
HMLS Tiger
HMLS War-Baby - War Baby was slang for a new soldier, especially a young officer.
Tiger and Ole-Luk-Oie supported the 53rd (Welsh) Division on the coast.
Otazel, Kia-Ora, Pincher and War-Baby were with the 52nd (Lowland) Division in the center.
Nutty and Sir Archibald supported the 163rd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division on the right.
In spite of the fact that the battle was unsuccessful. it did showed the need for the tanks to adapt to their surroundings. Individual tanks were modified by using palm trees to improve protection, and improvised steel shields were welded to the cab to deflect sand away from inside, although it was found that nothing could be done about the sand which got in everywhere. It was also found that the sand was much more abrasive and damaging on the tanks than the mud of France.
The tanks encountered one problem with the tracks. The grease used to lubricate the tracks and the track rollers combined with the sand made a sort of paste which not only clogged them up but acted as a grinding paste which wear away the metal. One suggestion put forward by the commanding officer was that the tanks should run without any grease, allowing the dry sand to provide its own lubrication, but whether it was actually tried or not is not known.
Mark I Female tank HMLS Kia-Ora.
Mark I Male tank HMLS Pincher.
Mark I Male tank HMLS Sir Archibald was knocked out on April 17 just in front of Sheihk Abbas ridge. The first shot hit the left track, the next 3 caused it to catch fire. The girders on top were used for removing the sponsons when required.
Mark I Female tank HMLS Nutty was destroyed at the Tank Redoubt on April 19. The crew were taken prisoner later in the day. The commander, 2nd Lt FrankCarr, died of his injuries in a Turkish hospital that evening.
Mark I Female tank HMLS War-Baby was hit and destroyed on April 19 near Outpost Hill.
The third Battle of Gaza was launched on 1 November 1917. By that time, 3 Mark IV tanks had arrived from Britain to replace the tanks that had been destroyed in the earlier actions. Once again there were 8 tanks, 6 of which went into action while the other 2 were held in reserve. The 6 tanks were given 29 objectives in the battle which were foredoomed to failure, yet the battle itself was a success. While tanks and infantry attacked on the left to grab the Turkish attention, the main force, supported by cavalry, swept around to the right through Beersheba (southeast of Gaza) and outflanked the Turkish defensive positions. After this battle, the fighting in Palestine became more suited to cavalry and armoured cars than the tanks which were too slow. They were never used again and the tank company was disbanded.
The 3 Replacement tanks:
Mark IV Male:
HMLS Sir Reginald - named after Sir Reginald Wingate, Governor General of the Sudan and Sirdar of the Egyptian Army (1899–1916) and British High Commissioner in Egypt (1917–1919).
Mark IV Females:
HMLS Lady Wingate - named after the wife of Sir Reginald Wingate.
HMLS Revenge - the tank commander for this tank was formerly the commander of the destroyed HMLS War-Baby.
Mark I female tank HMLS Tiger in concealment before the third battle of Gaza.
Film: THE NEW CRUSADERS with the British forces on the Palestine Front (Reel 2) IWM 17
Cambrai
The Battle of Cambrai (20 November to 7 December 1917) was a British attack, followed by the biggest German counter-attack against the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) since 1914. Cambrai was an important supply center for the German Siegfriedstellung (Siegfried position, known to the British as the Hindenburg Line). The capture of Cambrai and the Bourlon Ridge to the west would had threaten the rear of the German line to the north. Instead of a small number of tanks attacking piecemeal, a mass of about 430 Mark IV tanks attacked all along the front line using their tracks to crush barbed wire with infantry following behind them.
After a big British success on the first day, mechanical unreliability, German artillery and infantry defenses exposed the frailties of the Mark IV tank. On the second day, only about half of the tanks were operational and British progress was limited. Numerous developments since 1915 matured at Cambrai, such as predicted artillery fire, sound ranging, infantry infiltration tactics, infantry-tank coordination and close air support.
Mark IV Female and Male tanks of C Battalion loaded aboard flat-bed railway cars at Plateau Station in preparation for movement to the forward area prior to the opening of the battle. Each tank is fitted with a fascine, a large bundle of brushwood used to aid the crossing of open trenches.
An aerial view of British tanks in action. Two of the tanks are Mark IVs with an unditching beam across the tracks on the rear.
Mark IV Male tank named "HYACINTH" ditched in a German trench while supporting the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (21st Division), one mile (1.6 km) west of Ribecourt on 20 November 1917. It belonged to H Battalion, 24 Company, 10 Section, code H45, and its commander was 2nd Lt Jackson F.H. Some men of the battalion are resting in the trench.
Masnières Bridge
On 20 November 1917, the 20th and 29th Divisions were fighting in Masnières to gain the vital bridge across the St. Quentin Canal. Outflanking a strong point 800 yards (730 m) south of Marcoing, a company of the 11th R.B. (11th Rifle Brigade, 20th Division) forced a bridgehead across the canal and men of the 29th Division began to cross, C company occupied the village of Les Rues Vertes up to the canal after some street fighting. In Les Rues Vertes, facing Masnières across the main bridge, the 11th R.B were held up by enemy fire from the opposite bank. After the arrival of three tanks, the first one broke down and the other two succeeded in silencing the fire with their 6-pounder guns. Mark IV Male tank F22 named "Flying Fox" intended to transport a raiding party of the 11th R.B. across the canal but the bridge could not support the weight of the tank and it collapsed. The loss of the bridge in Masnières stalled the Allied advance towards Cambrai from the south.
A disabled Mark IV Female tank of the 2nd Tank Brigade (6th Division) being used as an observation and signaling post near Ribecourt on 23 November 1917. The meaning of the letters "W C" on separate white squares on the rear is unknown, could be Winston Churchill's initials. Note the open hatch beneath the right side sponson.
Mark IV Female tank No. 2873 named "BLARNEY CASTLE" was knocked out on 23 November 1917. It belonged to B Battalion, 6 Company, code B57, and its commander was 2nd Lt Lazonby J.C. or 2nd Lt Henderson T. It probably supported the 36th Division. The right side sponson is removed or blown off showing the tank's engine.
On 23 November 1917, this Mark IV Female tank of G Battalion, ‘40th Division is passing captured field guns at Graincourt on its way north towards Bourlon Wood. The meaning of the white panel on the side of the tank forward of the sponson is unknown.
The 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division supported by tanks advanced towards Wald von Bourlon (Bourlon Wood). On 22 November 1917, the 62nd Division found themselves unable to enter Bourlon Wood due to stiff German resistance. The exhausted 62nd Division was replaced by the 40th Division in a tricky operation during the night. The 40th Division attack reached the crest of Bourlon ridge but were held there and suffered more than 4000 casualties in three days. On November 27th, the 62nd Division was in Bourlon Wood again for another attempt to complete its capture.
Bourlon Wood was a hunting reserve, comprised of dense undergrowth amongst the trees separated by rides, or tracks, passing through the wood in all directions. The French came there to shoot game birds and near the center of the wood was a hunting lodge, known as the "Shooting Box" to the British Army.
The 187 (2/3rd West Riding) Brigade led on the left at 0620 hours with 16 of the remaining tanks to take Bourlon Village. 2/5th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) and 2/5th York & Lancasters followed 11 tanks of F Battalion, Tank Corps. Four tanks and a KOYLI company covered the left flank. The wood was a difficult place to fight in, with enemy troops and guns concealed in the undergrowth. By this time many of the tanks were almost worn out and their crews weary, so composite companies were formed from tanks that were still operational.
Blown apart right in front of the shooting box on the left is Mark IV Female tank F6 named "FEU D’ARTIFICE" (French for firework) and behind it is Mark IV Male tank named "GRASSHOPPER II".
On November 30 at 0700 hours, almost immediately, the majority of the British divisions were heavily engaged. The German counter attack was unexpectedly swift and spanned 8.1 miles (13 km) coming within a few miles of the village of Metz-en-Couture and its link to Bourlon. The British lost most of the ground which they had fought for.
At Bourlon, the Germans suffered many casualties where British units displayed reckless determination. One group of 8 British machine guns fired over 70,000 rounds against the German advance. The British effort to hold the ridge was effective but allowed the German advance elsewhere greater opportunity. Only counter-attacks by the Guards Division, the arrival of British tanks and night fall allowed the line to be held.
This is the road in front of the "Shooting Box" in Bourlon Wood. The Germans pushed the two destroyed tanks off the road to allow traffic to pass.
The Germans salvaging tank "BLARNEY CASTLE" in the area of Fontaine (today Fontaine-Nortre-Dame) on November 30th. The tank was named after a castle in Ireland.
Photo: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1981-134-31A
Film: British Mark IV heavy tanks knocked-out by German artillery in Cambrai
German troops at Fontaine are transporting knocked out Mark IV tanks back to Germany for repair. The tanks are jacked up above the railroad track then a flat car is rolled underneath it and the tank was lowered onto the car.
Mark IV Female Tank F.13 named "FALCON II" of 16 Coy F Battalion captured by the Germans near Bourlon Village/Wood on 27 November 1917.
This is my close up of Mark IV Female Tank F.13. The writing appears to be German. Note the Three of Spades playing card.
In January 1918, Mark IV Female Tank F.13 starred in the German propaganda film "Die Englischen Tanks bei Cambrai". Here it is pushing about to push a tree over.
Another photo of Mark IV Female Tank F.13 after pushing the tree over.
Film: German motor troops drive a captured British Mark IV heavy tank after first battle of Cambrai
In Masnières, the Germans built a wooden bridge across the canal over Mark IV Male tank F22 to allow troops and supplies to reach the front. Note code "F22" on the front of the tank.
Somewhere near Bourlon, German soldiers dug out a knocked out Mark IV Male tank for recovery.
Photo: Bundesarchiv_Bild_104-0941A
A captured Mark IV Female tank I36 being transported on a German railway flat car. The tank was recovered by the German 2nd Anti-Aircraft Company (Kompanie-Flak 2) between Anneux and Graincourt-les-Havrincourt on 12 December 1917.
A Mark IV tank with Tadpole Tail extension. The white line on the hull side shows the original track length.
Mark V Tank
The Mark V was first intended to be a completely new design of tank, of which a wooden mock-up had been built. However, when the new engine and transmission originally destined for the Mark IV became available in December 1917, the first, more advanced Mark V design was abandoned for fear of disrupting the production flow. The designation "Mark V" was switched to an improved version of the Mark IV, not equipped with the new systems. The original design of the Mark IV was to be a large improvement on the Mark III but had been scaled back to be a mild improvement because of technical delays. The Mark V thus turned out very similar to the original design of the Mark IV which was a greatly modified Mark III. The Mark V was the first heavy tank that could be driven by one man.
Mark V Male tank 3/4 front view.
Mark V Tank Variants
Mark V "hermaphrodite" (composite) Tank
Modified "female" tanks which include a "male" artillery sponson. These mix type tanks were conceived in response to the growing number of captured German Mark I and IV tanks.
Mark V* Tank
A lengthened (six feet) Mark V during the fall of 1917, to deal with the Hindenburg line with its very wide trenches (3.47 m/11.39 ft). They were fitted with guidance rails for the unditching beam, two extra machine guns in a rear cupola, two side doors with extra machine gun mounts and a total weight of 33 tons. The extra space was thought to be best used for troop transport, but the internal conditions were still unbearable. Some arrived in time for the last offensives of 1918.
This photo is captioned as the Production line of British Mark VI tanks. The Mark VI tank was canceled in December 1917. These are Mark V* tanks.
Mark V** Tank
Built to improve the main limitation of the Mark V*, a lack of agility. The turning circle was enormous and the added weight and length caused enormous tensions on the steering system. It had new widened tracks (67.3 cm/26.5 in) with a stronger curve on the lower run reducing contact (but increase ground pressure), a bored out engine, pushed to 225 bhp, relocated further back in a lower position, and a better compartment layout. Out of an initial order of 700, only 25 were delivered by January 1919.
German 1918 Spring Offensive
The German spring offensive, also known as Kaiserschlacht ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front, beginning on 21 March 1918. Following American entry into the war in April 1917, the Germans decided that their only remaining chance for victory was to defeat the Allies before the US could ship their troops across the Atlantic and become fully deployed. The German Army had gained a temporary advantage in numbers as nearly 50 divisions were transferred from the Eastern Front following Russia’s surrender in December 1917.
The German army recovered about 50 abandoned British Mark IV tanks from the around Cambrai and were able to restore about 30 of them to running order. One was taken to Berlin and was demonstrated to the Kaiser, while the others went to a captured engineering plant near Charleroi, Belgium for refurbishment. The machine guns were retained but re-chambered to fire German ammunition, while the 6-pounders were replaced by captured Belgian 57mm Nordenfelt guns. The captured tanks were painted with prominent Iron Cross emblems and a bold disruptive camouflage pattern, although some appear to have retained the original khaki color scheme. Although some of these tanks were used in the German Spring Offensive, they tended to be deployed in small numbers for mopping up operations, while officers reported that they were unable to keep up with the fast moving infantry.
A captured Mark IV Female tank with German Iron Cross markings crossing a trench. Note a biplane flying over the battlefield on the left.
A British Mark IV Female tank set on fire by a German flamethrower team from a trench in April 1918.
During the Third Battle of the Aisne (27 May to 6 June 1918), a squadron of captured British Mark IV tanks in German colors are ready for action near Rheims, June 1918.
In the aftermath of the Spring offensive, about 300 abandoned British tanks were behind the German lines, of which 170 were reported to be repairable.
Workers of the Chinese Labour Corps hoisting parts from a salvaged tank by crane at the Central Stores, Tank Corps at Teneur, spring 1918. Teneur is located 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Arras, at the junction of the D97 and D94 roads, along the banks of the Ternoise River.
Film: OUR WONDERFUL TANKS IWM (IWM 357)
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended WWI. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens, the Allies pushed the Imperial German Army back, undoing its gains from the earlier German spring offensive.
Battle of Amiens (8–12 August 1918) Map
A British Mark V Male tank (B56, 9003) of the 2nd Battalion, Tank Corps crossing the ditch along the side of a road at Lamotte-en-Santerre on 8 August 1918. It has vertical white-red-white recognition stripes on the front sides. The stripes were added in the spring of 1918 when the Germans began employing captured British tanks marked with iron crosses in combat.
A Corporal of the Tank Corps standing beside his straw camouflaged Mark V Male tank "J18" of the 10th Battalion in a cornfield near Albert (north of Demancourt) on 9 August 1918. The battalion was attached to the III Corps during the Battle of Amiens.
A carrier pigeon being released from a sponson port hole of a Mark V tank near Albert on August 9th. The tank belonged to the 10th Tank Battalion.
Pigeons were transported in mobile poultry houses behind the lines. They were mounted on trucks or converted double decker buses. Bright identification signs were painted on the roofs to make it easier for the pigeons to find their quartering place, even if it changed its position.
The Germans quickly realized what an important function the pigeons performed. They also began to use pigeons and, naturally, developed methods of counteraction. There is documentary evidence that the Germans trained hawks to attack English pigeons in the sky.
During the Battle of Amiens, Mark V Female tanks of the 4th Battalion, Tank Corps, in Méaulte (northeast of Dernancourt) soon after its capture by the 5th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (12th Division) on 22 August 1918. The long tank with the open side door is a Mark V* Female tank.
By June 1917, the German Army faced the British Mark IV tank, and found that the standard armor-piercing 7.92mm K bullet was no longer effective. This prompted the development of a heavy caliber and high-velocity rifle as an anti-tank weapon. The German gun designers were inspired by weapons used to hunt African big game, like the elephant gun. The Mauser Company produced the 13mm T-Gewehr and began mass production at Oberndorf am Neckar in May 1918. The first of these off the production lines were issued to specially raised anti-tank detachments. At a range of 110 yards (100 meters), it could penetrate 1 inch (26mm) of armor.
A captured German Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr anti-tank rifle compared with a British Lee Enfield .303 rifle at Neulette (northwest of Arras) on 30 August 1918.
A German workshop which was used to repair a large number of captured British tanks in September 1918. The location was probably at Raismes, France, near the Belgium border west of Mons.
A captured Mark IV Female tank named "Lotte" used by the Germans at Verdun, 1918.
IWM captioned this photo as a British Mark IV Tank captured and used by the Germans and recaptured by the The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment), in the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, 29 September 1918. That mean the location would been somewhere along the canal between St. Quentin and Vendhuille. The unit would been either the 5th, 6th or 8th battalion Sherwood Foresters, 139th Brigade of the 46th (North Midland) Division. Note the thin white line crosses painted on the tank.
I wanted to see the writing on the side of the tank so in MicroSoft Paint I stretched the writing in the above photo using the select area function and this is what I found. In the middle of the cross is a number 9 with letters "TH" to the right. So it was recaptured by the 9th Sherwood Foresters. Also it appears that the cross was painted over the writing indicating the British might had applied the crosses to the tank.
The 9th Sherwood Foresters or the 9th (Service) Battalion, 33rd Brigade of the 11th (Northern) Division fought in the Battle of the Canal Nu Nord (27 September to 1 October 1918) in the northern outskirts of Cambrai. The tank was probably recaptured somewhere near or in the village of Oisy-le-Verger or Épinoy. These two villages are north of Bourlon. After the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, the Germans did recovered many abandoned British tanks around Bourlon and south of Cambrai.
Men of the 20th Battalion, Manchester Regiment (25th Division) resting by a Mark V* Female tank (serial number 9891) disabled by side-slipping down a railway embankment near Prémont (east of Amiens) on 8 October 1918. The post on top of the tank has signaling paddles. Note the white-red-white aerial recognition stripes painted on top of the tank.
Tank Serial Numbers
Like all military and civilian vehicles since WWI, British tanks were given unique registration, or serial, numbers. This table lists the number ranges assigned to British WWI heavy tanks although not all these vehicles were actually built.
| Variant | Gender | Serial Number Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mark I | Female | 501 - 575 |
| Male | 701 - 775 | |
| Mark II | Female | 576 - 600 |
| Male | 776 - 800 | |
| Mark III | Female | 601 - 625 |
| Male | 801 - 825 | |
| Mark IV | Female | 2501 - 2900, 4501 - 4700, 6001 - 6200 |
| Male | 2001 - 2100, 2301 - 2400, 4001 - 4100, 8001 - 8200 | |
| Mark V | Female | 9251 - 9450 |
| Male | 9001 - 9200 | |
| Mark V* | Female | 9751 - 9950 |
| Male | 9501 - 9700, 10001 - 10300 | |
| Mark V** | Female | 10701 - 10850 |
| Male | 10501 - 10650, 10901 - 11500 |
Today
In 1916, Bovington became the training camp for the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps which relocated from Norfolk. The Heavy Branch was responsible for the operation of the tanks in the British Army. In 1917, the Heavy Branch split from the Machine Gun Corps to become the Tank Corps, with the Depot and Central Schools being based at Bovington. After the WWI ended, Little Willie was preserved for posterity. In 1937, the Central Schools became the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School, with driving and maintenance training at Bovington and gunnery at Lulworth. In 1940, Little Willie was saved from being scrapped. In 1947, the School became known as the Royal Armoured Corps Centre, today named The Armour Centre.
Today Little Willie is displayed at The Tank Museum at Bovington. It is essentially an empty hull, without an engine, but still with some internal fittings. The rear steering wheels are not fitted and there is damage to the hull plating around the right hand vision slit, possibly caused by an attempt at some point to tow the vehicle by passing a cable through the slit. This would have torn the tank's comparatively thin steel plating.
Video: Tank Chats | Little Willie
Video: Tank Chats #18 Mark I
The Tank Corps memorial at Pozières on the Somme, not far from the area where the tanks first went into action on 15 September 1916.
Address: Route de Bapaume, D929, 80300 Pozières, France
Note the model tanks that are part of the memorial.
Video: The 'War Horse' Tank | The Tank Museum
Video: First World War Tank Mark IV - Tankfest 2016
Video: WW1 Reenactment Sunday - Tank Fest 2024
Model Kits
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Takom 2008 Mark IV "Male" WWI Heavy Battle Tank - 2014
Takom 2009 Mark IV "Female" WWI Heavy Battle Tank - 2014
Takom 2015 WWI Heavy Tank MARK.IV Tadpole - 2014
Takom 2031 WWI Heavy Battle Tank Mk.I Male with Sponson Crane & Trailer - 2015
Takom 2033 WWI Heavy Battle Tank Mk.I Female with Anti-grenade screen - 2015
Takom 2034 WWI Heavy Battle Tank Mk V [3 in 1] Male, Hermaphrodite, Female - 2015
Takom 2076 WWI Heavy Battle Tank Mk.IV Male/Female 2 In 1 - 2016
Tamiya 30057 WWI British Tank Mk. IV Male (w/single motor) - 2014
Tamiya 30057(export) WWI British Tank Mk.IV Male (w/single motor) export version exclusive - 2014
Tamiya 48214 WWI British tank Mark Mk.IV Male Radio Control with control unit - 2018
Meng Model TS-020S German Stormtroopers VS British Mk.V Male Heavy Tank - 2017
Erschienen auf Mike's Research
