Photos of tanks from the Great War

[Freiwillige]

I'd like to post here several photos of WW1 tanks from my collection.

1. British Mk-IV "male" tank that changed hands at least twice. Is it possible to know anything about exactly this tank as far as her nickname ("Heinz") and number ("57") are clearly visible?

[Freiwillige]

Close-up. 

[Thomas W]

"Heinz" was Tank 207 of Sturm-Panzerkraftwagen Abteilung 14, commanded by Leutnant Heinrich Köhler. On June 1, 1918, it was hit and disabled by French shells when inside German lines, near Fort de la Pompelle. The crew continued the firefight with the 57mm gun and machine gun on the side that faced the French lines, while important equipment was unloaded on the other side. The tank was then hit by two more shells and caught fire, forcing the Germans to abandon it.

From The German A7V Tank: and the Captured British Mark IV Tanks of World War I, by Maxwell Hundleby and Rainer Strashein (Hayes Publishing, 1990).

Edited November 5, 2010 by Thomas W

[Freiwillige]

Thanks a lot for such a fast reply! I have a favour to ask you - what that number (57) stands for then? You said that "Heinz" number was 207 but we don't see it, only 57...

[Freiwillige]

2. Mk I "male" British tank with dismantled guns hit by the Germans.

[Freiwillige]

3. French tank "Schneider CA1".

[Thomas W]

Thanks a lot for such a fast reply! I have a favour to ask you - what that number (57) stands for then? You said that "Heinz" number was 207 but we don't see it, only 57...

It's an American joke. That number was written in chalk by an American soldier.

It refers to a famous steak sauce produced by the F & J Heinz company, which was also famous for tomato ketchup and the advertising slogan "57 varieties." The Heinz company began using that slogan in 1896; the steak sauce called "Heinz 57" became incredibly popular in America in 1913. Every American soldier would immediately think of Heinz 57 steak sauce when he saw the name "Heinz." Therefore, a passing American soldier must have added the number.

Edited November 6, 2010 by Thomas W

[Thomas W]

I have a photo of "Heinz" and its crew before it was destroyed. I don't want to post the whole photo, because I'm using it in my upcoming book German Assault Troops of World War I: Organization, Tactics, Weapons, Equipment, Orders of Battle, and Uniforms, which will be published by Schiffer. It'll have about 400 photos and will cover all the German assault formations, including trench raiders, regimental shock troops, company shock troops, assault battalions, attack divisions, assault artillery, tanks, flamethrower units, mortar units, machine-gun units... EVERYTHING!

Here is "Heinz" with the name written in a slightly different style.

Edited November 6, 2010 by Thomas W

[Freiwillige]

Many thanks for the clarification, Thomas!  :beer:

[Freiwillige]

4. French tank Renault FT-17. There's a strange dedication on the back (in English) made by mistake I suppose: "An American one-man tank".

[Thomas W]

4. French tank Renault FT-17. There's a strange dedication on the back (in English) made by mistake I suppose: "An American one-man tank".

Those kinds of mistakes are very common in commercial postcards. One of the most famous is this one, which show French troops operating flamethrowers, but the caption says, "Giving the Germans gas. French officers, American infantry. France."

[The Prussian]

Nice pictures. Here I have a list of german A7V´s and captured allied tanks. The list of the captured tanks is NOT complete. If anyone can complete it, you´re welcome!

Sturm-Panzerkraftwagen-Abteilung 1 (8.1.18 - Hptm. Greiff)

501, Gretchen (später Abt.3, dann wieder Abt.1, Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

502/503 (später Abt.3, im Okt. 1918 aufgegeben und verschrottet)

505, Baden I (später Abt.3, Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

506, Mephisto (später Abt.3, austr. Beute, heute Queensland)

507, Cyklop (später Abt.3, Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

526 (ausgeschlachtet)

527, Lotti, bei Reims verloren, 1922 verschrottet)

541 (Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

560, Alter Fritz (11.10.18 gesprengt)

562, Herkules (später Abt.2, engl. Beute, verschrottet)

Sturm-Panzerkraftwagen-Abteilung 2 (8.1.18 - Hptm. Steinhardt)

504/544, Schnuck (engl. Beute, 1919 verschrottet)

525, Siegfried (Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

528, Hagen (engl. Beute, 1919 verschrottet)

529, Nixe II (amerik. Beute, 1942 verschrottet)

542, Elfriede (franz. Beute, 1919 verschrottet)

543, Hagen, Adalbert, König Wilhelm (später Abt.3, Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

561, Nixe (ausgeschlachtet)

563, Wodan (Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

Sturm-Panzerkraftwagen-Abteilung 3 (26.2.18 - Hptm. Uihlein)

540, Heiland (später Abt.1, Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

564 (Nov.18 bei der Truppe)

Abteilung 4 (Reserve)

Beuteabt.11 (8.3.18 - Hptm. Koch)

Mk IV (Käthe)

Mk IV (Lissy) 105 - kann auch bei 12 gewesen sein

Mk IV (Hedda)

Mk IV (Sonja)

Beuteabt.12 (13.3.18 - Hptm. v. Frankenberg)

Mk IV (Peter)

Mk IV (Paul) - Ex-britisch H25 Harlequin

MK IV (Hanni) 153

Mk IV (Ännchen) 107

Beuteabt.13 (16.4.18 - Oltn. Wilhelm)

Mk IV (Bob) 210

Mk IV (Max) 201

Mk IV (Kathi) 104

Mk IV (Marianne) 112

Mk IV (Schnucki, später umbenant in Kerlchen) 103 Ex-britisch Ace of Spades

Mk IV (Moritz) 206

Mk IV (Bertha) 114

Mk IV (Wolf) 209

Beuteabt.14 (7.5.18 - Hptm. Negerborn)

Mk IV (Liesel)

Mk IV (Trude)

Mk IV (Lotte) 110 Ex-britisch F30 Flaming fire

Mk IV (Heinz) 207

Mk IV (Fritz)

Mk IV (Dora) 101

Beuteabt.15 (26.8.18 )

Beuteabt.16 (Oktober 18 )

Beutepanzer Mk IV mit engl. Bezeichnung

C14 (Culloden II)

F13 (Falcon II)

F41 (Fray Bentos) __________________

[Kev in Deva]

4. French tank Renault FT-17. There's a strange dedication on the back (in English) made by mistake I suppose: "An American one-man tank".

While the tank is of French design and manufacture it is shown here in use with Americans,

possibly crewed by Americans,I believe they also had the same tank model in the US, so altogether not a wrongly worded comment.

Kevin in Deva. :beer:

[Paul R]

Here is what I have. They come from my great grandfather's bring backs.

[Paul R]

NExt

[Paul R]

Another

[Paul R]

Some more.

[Paul R]

Closeup of that.

[Paul R]

Last one.

[Freiwillige]

While the tank is of French design and manufacture it is shown here in use with Americans,

possibly crewed by Americans,I believe they also had the same tank model in the US, so altogether not a wrongly worded comment.

Kevin in Deva. 

Kevin, thanks for your comment! Unfortunately I don't have any information regarding similar tank model produced by Americans. The ones that I know look different. Maybe someone could help with that?

[Freiwillige]

Nice pictures. Here I have a list of german A7V´s and captured allied tanks. The list of the captured tanks is NOT complete. If anyone can complete it, you´re welcome!

Thank you, Andreas!  

[Thomas W]

Kevin, thanks for your comment! Unfortunately I don't have any information regarding similar tank model produced by Americans. The ones that I know look different. Maybe someone could help with that?

The M1917 Six-ton Tank was the American version of the FT-17. Only 64 Six-ton Tanks had been built by the Armistice, and it didn't see action. It differed from the Renault in that the exhaust pipe was on the opposite side. (This photo is actually an FT-17.)

http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m1917.html

Edited December 11, 2010 by Thomas W

[Freiwillige]

Thanks for the info, Thomas!

[Freiwillige]

 

Nice pictures. Here I have a list of german A7V´s and captured allied tanks. The list of the captured tanks is NOT complete. If anyone can complete it, you´re welcome!

Here are two photos from the latest addition to my collection.

Dedication on the back: "German artillery and tanks at Place de Concorde, Paris, France. taken July 8th, 1919".

[Freiwillige]

Second photo. Close-up of captured German A7V.