world war one Archives - Page 2 of 7

Mark V Tank

The British Mark V tank was an upgraded version of the Mark IV tank. It was first deployed in 1918, used in action during the closing months of World War I, and in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War on the White Russian side, and by the Red Army, after they were captured.

Although similar in appearance to earlier models the Mark V was a much better tank, more powerful and easier to drive. It was equipped with the new Ricardo six-cylinder engine and Wilson’s epicyclic steering system which meant that one man could handle all the controls, compared with four in the Mark IV.

Among the new features was a rear cab for the commander, complete with signalling apparatus and a rear machine-gun position. Our exhibit also carries an unditching beam, which was first introduced in the Mark IV. This would be used if the tank got stuck in mud – chained to the tracks it was drawn under the tank and gave it something solid to grip.

This Mark V Tank was in display at the Tank Museum in Bovington.

The Mark V is shown in the Markings of 8th (H) Battalion (No. H41), Tank Corps at the time of the Battle of Amiens (8 August 1918). Commanded by a young officer named Whittenbury this actual tank took part in the battle and its young commander was awarded the Military Cross.

The last confirmed use of the Mk V in battle was by units of the Red Army during the defence of Tallinn against German forces in August 1941

In 1945, Allied troops came across two badly damaged Mk V tanks in Berlin. Photographic evidence indicates that these were survivors of the Russian Civil War and had previously been displayed as a monument in Smolensk, Russia, before being brought to Berlin after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Accounts of their active involvement in the Battle of Berlin have not been verified.

Source for Berlin Photographs.

Mark IV Tank with Fascine

At the Bovington Tank Museum you can get close up and personal with the first tanks that were built and used in combat, such as the Mark IV Tank.

First World War tanks, namely the British Mark IV, started the practice of carrying fascines on the roof, to be deployed to fill trenches that would otherwise be an obstacle to the tank.

The Mark IV was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main improvements were in armour, the re-siting of the fuel tank and ease of transport. A total of 1,220 Mk IV were built: 420 “Males”, 595 “Females” and 205 Tank Tenders (unarmed vehicles used to carry supplies), which made it the most numerous British tank of the war.

The “Male” tanks were armed with three machine guns and two 6-pdrs. Whilst the “Female” tanks had Five .303 Lewis machine guns.

The Mark IV was first used in mid 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. It remained in British service until the end of the war, and a small number served briefly with other combatants afterwards.

I have been working on a metal 15mm Mark IV Tank for use with the Home Guard.

Though I do really like the Flames of War Great War models, which have a lot more detail.

I also have a gallery of Mark IV tanks from a wonderful 28mm demonstration game at GamesDay 2007.

Trench attack

As part of their World War One exhibition at the Tank Museum they have a Mark I tank attacking a trench.

It’s complete with mud and all. I can’t begin to imagine the shock of being at the receiving end of such an attack.

You get to really understand how massive and threatening these machines of war were.

World War One German Heavy Machine Gun Nest

This was one of the many displays at the Tank Museum in Bovington, which I saw when I visited the wargaming show there in 2016.

With the gas masks and all, it was rather creepy and threatening.

1912 Italian – Fiat 15 ter 1.5 ton Light Truck

Italian WW1 4×2 1.5-ton light truck at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

Used in large numbers by the British Army during the First World War.

FWD Model ‘B’ 4×4 truck

Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, and on a recent visit I was able to take a range of photographs of the aircraft and tanks on display.

In the Land Warfare Exhibit is a variety of vehicles and weapons from the Great War, including this FWD Model ‘B’ 4×4 truck.

FWD was an American truck company. The FWD Model B was an American built four-wheel drive truck produced by the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company that saw widespread service with American and British forces during the First World War.

Artillery at Duxford

There are quite a few artillery pieces on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in their Land Warfare exhibit.

This is a German 7.7cm Field Gun from World War One.

The gun on the right is a British 18 pounder quick firing field gun. The one on the left an American M1917 75mm field gun, based on the British 18 pounder.

This is a German 21cm Heavy Howitzer or Mortar.

The 21 cm Mörser 10 (21 cm Mrs 10) was a heavy howitzer used by Germany in World War I (although classified as a mortar (Mörser) by the German military).

As well as the guns there was also a trench train. Well a British MM15 War Department Light Railways Motor Rail 40hp ‘Simplex’ Petrol Tractor to be precise.

For use on the two foot War Department Light Railway.

The War Department Light Railways were a system of narrow gauge trench railways run by the British War Department in World War I. Light railways made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in the First World War, and were used for the supply of ammunition and stores, the transport of troops and the evacuation of the wounded.

Great War APC

The Mark IX tank was a British armoured fighting vehicle from the First World War. It was the world’s first specialised armoured personnel carrier (APC).

During the first actions with tanks, it became clear that infantry often could not keep up with the tanks, It wasn’t that the soldiers were too slow, the early tanks themselves could only move at a walking pace, but because soldiers on foot remained vulnerable to enemy machine gun fire. In many actions, positions gained at great cost were immediately lost for lack of infantry to consolidate.

At the end of the Great War only three had been finished, out of a total ultimate production run of thirty-four, following an order for two hundred.

These metal monsters designed in an era when they didn’t really know what they were doing and there was a lot of trial and error. The Mark IX reminds us that the APC is as old as the tank.

Steaming in the desert

At the wargaming show at the Tank Museum I managed to get a pictures of the games on show, but to be honest was distracted by the tanks. One game which did catch my eye was this desert game in 20mm with a train.

This was a very nice looking game.

Didn’t really get the details on the sides in the game (and I think it was a World War One game).

54mm World War One Tanks

The clunking behemoths of steel slowly trundled through the mud and despair of no-man’s land followed by apprehensive and scared men who had seen years of fighting and death.

These models were part of a 54mm World War One demonstration game at Warfare 2015 in Reading. Visually impressive, the table also had an extensive trench system terrain.