CharlesBronson
Senior Master Sergeant
Recovery and post battle use by the German army of british heavy tanks (mark V ?) november 1917, subtitles created by me.
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Very interesting footage ... seems there was great interest in pushing over big trees.
what a terrific find.
ive always been led to believe that cambrai was a battle without hope for the british, coming so hot on the heels after the carnage on the Somme. Just not enough men to hold and consolidate any gains they might gain from th tank corps
The problem is, at the time, engines were woefully underpowered, producing far less horsepower than we are accustomed to, 100 years later....I know that it was the first tank operative but I always felt that romboidal design could be improved aniway, the speed for example should be improved at list for 1917, I mean came on, you should put more power in it ,use two aviation engines or something like that.
The problem is, at the time, engines were woefully underpowered, producing far less horsepower than we are accustomed to, 100 years later.
The most powerful engines of that time period were steam engines and would not be practical in an AFV.
For example, the British Mark V had a 150hp engine (110kw) driving 29 tons, the Mark I through Mark IV was 105 hp (same weight). the Mark IV had a top speed of 4mph (6.4kph) and the Mark V was 5mph (8kph).
On the other hand, the German A7 weighed 33 tons and had two engines that had a combined horsepower of 200hp (149kw) with a shattering top speed of 9mph (15kph) on a roadway.
In my opinion the Tank was the key....for failure, you cant espect to break the german artillery lines with only 15mm of poor quality armor and at 6,5 kilometers per hour,the Germans achieved much larger penetration in march 1918 using advanced infantry tactics and almost no tanks.
You make a valid point. One that is supported in WW II, with the faster and more powerful tanks of the Wehrmacht during the Blitzkrieg. In fact, the amount of ground gained in a daily/weekly basis in Poland (and France) at the outset of WW II was very close to the rate of advancement you allude to in your post regarding March 1918 (also 1914).
This is documented in a book "The Blitzkrieg Myth". The book as a whole must be taken with a large grain of salt; however, the timelines of advancement are accurate enough to allow this point of view.