NationMaster - Encyclopedia: A7V

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 dead. They saw action from March to October that year, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in WWI. Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets or shells, protecting the soldiers inside from enemy fire. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard...

The A7V was over seven metres long and three metres wide. The height varied up to three metres. The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ...

The crew normally consisted of up to sixteen soldiers and two officers: commander, driver, mechanic, mechanic/signaller, twelve infantrymen (six machine gunners, six loaders), and 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. MG08 with optical sight. ... A gun is a common name given to a device that fires high-velocity projectiles. ...

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. Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, missiles or shells, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. ...

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). Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...

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.

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. March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The first tank vs. tank fight in history took place on the April 24, 1918 when three 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. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... A Mark I tank (moving left to right). ... Villers-Bretonneux is a commune of the Somme dÃ©partement in France. ... General characteristics Length 20ft/6. ...

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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1248x927, 177 KB)Mephisto - Queensland Museum ( this photograph was taken by Figaro ) This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its creator, Figaro. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1248x927, 177 KB)Mephisto - Queensland Museum ( this photograph was taken by Figaro ) This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its creator, Figaro. ... The A7V Tank, Mephisto, at Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia Mephisto is the name of a German (ie Prussian) tank captured by Australian troops from Germany/Prussia during World War I. One of only 20 built, it is the last surviving example of the first military tank, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen... Queensland Museum - 1879-1899 later, the building housed the State Library Queensland Museum was first founded by the Queensland Government in 1862, and had several temporary homes until the Government built a home for the Museum in William Street, Brisbane. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a population of just under 2. ...

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 Grosskampfwagen or K-Wagen (short for ) was a German super-heavy tank, two examples of which were almost complete by the end of 1918. ...

The extremely limited production of twenty made their contribution very limited, and most tanks (less than 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 Renault FT-17 (Automitrailleuse à chenilles Renault FT modèle 1917) was the French light tank. ...

The captured A7V Mephisto is in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia. The A7V Tank, Mephisto, at Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia Mephisto is the name of a German (ie Prussian) tank captured by Australian troops from Germany/Prussia during World War I. One of only 20 built, it is the last surviving example of the first military tank, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen... Queensland Museum - 1879-1899 later, the building housed the State Library Queensland Museum was first founded by the Queensland Government in 1862, and had several temporary homes until the Government built a home for the Museum in William Street, Brisbane. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a population of just under 2. ...

A replica of the A7V "Wotan" is in the Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster. The Deutsches Panzermuseum is an Armoured fighting vehicle museum in Munster, Germany. ... Munster is a municipality in Soltau-Fallingbostel in Lower Saxony, Germany. ...

A7V Chassis Listing

id="External_links"> Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3504x2336, 3597 KB) Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Replik photo by baku13, 7 Aug 2005 on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3504x2336, 3597 KB) Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Replik photo by baku13, 7 Aug 2005 on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The A7V Tank, Mephisto, at Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia Mephisto is the name of a German (ie Prussian) tank captured by Australian troops from Germany/Prussia during World War I. One of only 20 built, it is the last surviving example of the first military tank, the A7V Sturmpanzerwagen... Villers-Bretonneux is a commune of the Somme dÃ©partement in France. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

External links

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

Contents

Combat History

A7V Chassis Listing

External links

See also

Contents

Combat History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

A7V Chassis Listing

External links

See also

Combat History