A7V
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The A7V was a tank introduced by Germany in 1918, near the end of World War I. The name is probably derived from the Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement 7 Abteilung Verkehrswesen ("General War Department 7, Branch Transportation"), although some theorize that Hauptmann Joseph Vollmer gave the V to the name. In German the tank was called Sturmpanzer-Kraftwagen (roughly "assault armoured motor vehicle"). There were 100 ordered for the spring of 1918, but only 20 were delivered. They saw action from March to October that year, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in WWI.
The A7V was over seven metres long and three metres wide. The height varied up to three metres.
The crew normally consisted of up to sixteen soldiers and two officers: commander, driver, mechanic, mechanic/signaller, twelve infantrymen (six machine gunners, six loaders), two artillerymen (main gunner and loader).
The A7V was armed with six 7.9 mm MG08/15 machine guns and a 5.7 cm gun mounted at the front. The female had two more machine guns in place of the main gun. It is not entirely clear how many started this way or were converted. Some sources say only chassis 501 saw combat as a female.
The tank had 20 mm of steel plate at the sides and 30 mm at the front; however the steel was not hardened armor plate, which reduced its effectiveness. It was thick enough to stop machine gun and rifle fire, but not larger calibres. This offered protection comparable to the thinner armor of other tanks of the period, which used hardened steel.
Power came from two Daimler 4-cylinder engines delivering 100 hp (74 kW) each. The top speed was about 15 km/h on roads and 5 km/h across country. The A7V carried 500 litres of fuel (132 imperial gallons).
It was as slow as other tanks of the day, but had very poor off-road capability and was prone to getting stuck. The large overhang at the front and low ground clearance meant trenches or very muddy areas were impassable. However, on open terrain it could be used to some success and offered more firepower than the armoured cars that were available. Power to weight ratio was 6.8 hp/ton (5.1 kW/ton), trench crossing: 7 ft (2.3 m), ground clearance: 7.5 to 15.75 in (200 to 400 mm).
There were about 30 other chassis, mostly built without armour and used as field transporters.
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Combat History
The A7V was first used in combat on March 21 1918. It was deployed north of the St.Quentin Canal. The A7Vs helped stop a minor British breakthrough in the area, but otherwise saw little combat that day.
The first tank vs. tank fight in history took place on the April 24, 1918 when four A7Vs (including chassis number 561, known as "Nixe") taking part in an attack with infantry incidentally met three Mark IVs (two Female machine gun tanks and one Male with 6 pounder guns) near Villers-Bretonneux. During the battle tanks on both sides were damaged. According to the lead tank commander, 2nd Lt F. Mitchell, the machine gun armed Female Mk IVs fell back, unable to damage the A7Vs with their own machine guns. Mitchell then attacked the lead German tank with the 6 pounders of his own tank knocking it out, and killing five of the crew. The rest of the crew of that tank bailed out. He then went on to rout some infantry with case shot. Some Whippet tanks also engaged the infantry. The two remaining A7Vs in turn withdrew. The British tank lost a track towards the end from a mortar shell and was abandoned. The A7V was later recovered by German forces.
Image:Tank-Mephisto-Queensland-Museum.jpg
All the A7Vs available had been put into action that day with limited results; two toppled over into holes, some encountered engine or armament troubles. After a counterattack three ended up in Allied hands. One was unusable and scrapped, one used for shell testing by the French and the third taken by the Australians.
The A7V was not considered a success and other designs were planned by Germany, however the end of the war meant none of the other tanks in development, or planned ones, would be finished (such as the Oberschlesien, K-Wagen, and LK series). The A7Vs were last used in October 1918; a number were scrapped before the war ended in November.
The extremely limited production of twenty made their contribution very limited, and most tanks (less then a hundred) that were fielded by Germany in WWI were captured French or British tanks (Beutepanzer). The French had produced over 3,600 of their FT-17, the most produced tank of WWI, and the British over 2,500 of their Mark I to V.
The captured A7V Mephisto is in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia and a replica of the A7V "Wotan" is in the German tank museum at Munster.
A7V Chassis Listing
- 501 Gretchen: scrapped by the Allies in 1919 (Female).
- 502: Scrapped by Germans in October 1918.
- 503: Scrapped by Germans in October 1918.
- 504 Schnuck: lost at Fremicourt 31 August 1918.
- 505 Baden I: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 506 Mephisto: lost at Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April 1918, recovered by Australians, now in Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia.
- 507 Cyklop: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 525 Siegfried: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 526: Scrapped by Germans in 1 June 1918.
- 527 Lotti: lost at Pompelle Fort 1 June 1918.
- 528 Hagen: lost at Fremicourt 31 August 1918.
- 529 Nixe 2: lost at Remis 31 May 1918, recovered by Americans and scrapped at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Museum in 1942.
- 540 Heiland: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 541: Scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 542 Elfriede: lost at Villers-Bretonneux 24 April 1918
- 543 Hagen, Adalbert,König Wilhelm: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 560 Alter Fritz: lost at Iwuy 11 October 1918.
- 561 Nixe: scrapped by Germans 24 April 1918.
- 562 Herkules: scrapped by Germans after 31 August 1918.
- 563 Wotan: scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
- 564: Scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
External links
- A7V in Polish Forces
- On WWI tanks in general
- Photo and information about the A7V tank "Mephisto" at Queensland Museum
- Memoir of the British/German tank battle
See also
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