Tank MK 1 Heavy Tank

The Tank Mk 1 was the production and service model of the prototype vehicle known as "Mother" which was outcome of a series of developments based on the use of a Holt Tractor Chassis.

The majority of the design was down to Lieutenant W.G.Wilson and it was he who conceived the idea of using the large and high track outline.

Mother was demonstrated in Jan/Feb 1916 and soon after the first production order was placed. The first production vehicles were issued to the Heavy section, Machine Gun Corps in mid 1916

The vehicle was powered by a Daimler 105hp petrol engine carried in an armoured box slung between the two massive lozenge shaped continous tracks.

The main armament were two 6-pdr (57mm) guns placed on a sponson on each side. The sponsons each had a single lewis or Hotchkiss machine gun and a third such gun was fitted for extra defence.

The vehicle was protected by armour plate from 6-12 mm thickness riveted to steel joists, but in action this proved unsatisfactory as bullets got through armour seams and caused casualties.

Almost as soon as the first tanks appeared in France in mid 1916 they were in action, the first tank Mk 1 went into battle on 15th September 1916 at Flers-Courcelette, but there were too few that actually got into action too make a significant impact, due to many of the 50 that were supposed to attack getting bogged down in mud or breaking down.

The Mark 1 was produced in two versions, the Tank Mk 1 (Male) described above and intended for the primary offensive mission and the Tank Mk 1 (female) with larger sponsons and an armament of four vickers and two lewis machine guns intended for the anti-infantry support of the Mk1 (Male).

Other Variant were the MK1 Tank Tender with steel boxes in place of the sponsons and the MK1 wireless Tank without sponsons but with a tall aerial mast.

The Tank Mk 1 made history by being the first tank into combat, but made little impact in action. But it did impress the British military enough that in June 1917 the Tank Corps was formed.

Specification:-
Tank Mk 1 (Male)
Crew:8
Weight:28 tons
Powerplant: one x 105hp Daimler petrol Engine
Dimensions: Length with tail 9.91m, Length of hull 8.05m, width over sponsons 4.19m, height 2.45 m
Performance: Max speed 3.7mph, range 24 miles

Austin-Putilov Armoured Cars

In 1914 the Russian army was so short of equipment that it had to turn to the UK to supply armoured cars. One of the various types provided was an Austin design, a fairly large vehicle with twin turrets and solid tyred wheels. Two types of hull were supplied, one of which had the armour over the driver's position arranged in such a way that it restricted the traverse of both the gun turrets, each of which mounted a single Maxim machine gun.

This early arrangement was soon altered in favour of a lower cab, but on this model the weight was increased by 1.16 tonnes. This weight increase was due to thicker chrome steel armour of a maximum of 8mm and a revision of the driving arrangements. The original British design could be steered from the front only, but the Russians wanted steering from the rear and this added weight. The Russians also demanded many other changes due to the harsh fighting conditions many of the British Vehicles broke down.

Orders were placed for 200 Austin armoured cars, but not many were delivered, due to Austin being already stretched to capacity supplying vehicles to the British army. So instead bare chassis were supplied direct to the Putilov works, where the russians added whatever requirements they thought necessary including strengthening and modifications to the hull. A later innovation was the introduction of tracks in place of rear wheels, which converted the vehicle into a half track. Eventually Putilov ceased production of the armoured cars at its St Petersburg plant and concentrated on the half track version. There was even a plan to produce halftracks in place of any more armoured cars but the revolution of 1917 occurred before this could be carried out.

From 1914-1917 the Russians used many types of armoured car, ranging from direct imports to local improvisations, but the most important type was the Austin-Putilov both in terms of numbers used and mechanically the best the Russians had to hand. The design proved to be more suited to the rough conditions under which the Russians had to fight.

During 1917 many became involved in the internal fighting that accompanied the events leading to the October revolution.

After 1918 some of the cars were used by Poland and a few ended up in Japan.

Specification:-
Crew:5
Weight:5.3 tonnes
Powerplant: 50 HP Austin Petrol Engine
Dimensions: Length 4.88m, width 1.95m, height 2.4m
Performance: Max speed 31mph, range 125 miles

Minerva Armoured Car

Minerva Armoured Car

Almost as soon as the Germans invaded Belgium in August 1914, the Belgians soon took to using the mobility of the motor car as a counter against superior German numbers.

By the end of August 1914 two Minerva touring cars were provided with improvised armour at the Cockerill works at Hoboken. These early cars were commercial models with sheets of 4mm armour plating around the engine and sides, and with the top left open for for a Hotchkiss machine gun mount.

Further examples with a more formal armoured hull but retaining the same basic layout. With this small force the Belgians demonstration the first capabilities of "motorised Cavalry" which included long range reconnaissance missions, intelligence gathering on enemy movements, fire and other support to infantry attacks and when possible long disruption missions behind enemy lines.

This period of mobility did not last long and by October 1914 the line of trenches had reached the Yser region, and there the Belgian Army remained until 1918, for which the area was too wet and boggy for armoured cars.

However, this brief period of activity demonstrated enormous potential for future conflicts and the Belgian example was copied by the British Royal Naval Air Squadrons.

The use of armoured car units was limited on the western front, howeverm a special Belgian armoured car unit was formed for service in Russia against the Germans until shipped home in 1918.

Once back in Belgium the units re-equipped, and in 1919 there appeared yet another version of the basic minerva armoured car, this time with an armoured turret. The old 1914 Minervas were retained in service, however, usually for use by the Gendarmerie, some were still in use as late as 1933.