[SAMWolf]

Percival Phillips, The Daily Express (26th April 1918)


The Mark IV Tank of Lt. F. Mitchell MC, 1st battalion, Tank Corps engages German A7V tanks at Villers-Bretonneaux, 24th April 1918.

For the first time British and German tanks have met in battle, and the victory is ours. They fought yesterday in the open fields round Villers-Brettonneux, east of Amiens, where the enemy made a determined and, for the moment, a successful attack on that town and high ground round it.

The German tanks led the attack, swinging on the town from the north-east and from the south, and in their wake came infantry with their machine guns and heavy mortars and light artillery.

Although there were four or five tanks. They were bulky, ungainly creatures, quite unlike the British tank in appearance, with a broad, squat turret containing quick-firing guns. Hidden in the thick mist until very close to our trenches, they crawled up in the wake of an intense barrage about six o'clock in the morning.

They concentrated their guns on one British tank, but others came to the rescue, and in the brief duel that followed one enemy tank was put out of action by an opponent of less bulk and lighter armament and the others scuttled away.

The lesson of this first engagement between German and British tanks seems to be that we have nothing to fear from the enemy despite the greater size and armament of his machine. The crews plainly showed their unwillingness to stand when invited to fight out to a finish.

[SAMWolf]

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************Snippy, I bequeath to you the FR TH PL.

148 posted on 08/24/2004 11:39:45 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

Good morning Cannoneer, things dry up out your way yet? :-)

[Iris7]

I have found the A7V interesting since I was in high school.

It is remarkable that the A7V was fielded with unhardened armor. Surely there must have been some heat treatment, even if the armor was found to be surprisingly soft by the Allies.

The German economy was in rough shape in 1916, much worse in 1918. The Germans simply could not build tanks en masse by 1917. The British tank production was a major effort but at least Britain was well fed by American (and Argentine) farmers.

[PhilDragoo]

Rotatable holographic Sturmpanzerwagen A7V

Lawrynowycz above states unequivocally 20 were produced; then proceeds to list 21 (1,2,3, etc.). Here are two photos of the interior of the Polish amphibious version, followed by a single exterior view. Case closed.