Anyone know if any British Holts fell into German hands on the WF?
The pic of a Holt "in the streets of Brussels" I had always assumed to be of an A-H model used to tow the heavy artillery. On closer inspection, the escorting soldier seems to be wearing a German uniform with the exception of his headgear, which looks Austrian. The only specific bit of the caption is the last, Flemish, one, which says the tractor is for towing German heavy guns.
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That's very interesting, Ivan. Do your sources say where the photograph was taken? The shop sign in the background (top right) doesn't seem to be Cyrillic.
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Although most vehicles used by the two Austro-Hungarian half battalions of 30.5 cm mortars deployed to the Western Front in August 1914 were wheeled, there seems to have been at least one Holt around.
On a larger version of this photo, the sign in the background appears to read SPLENDID - possibly the name of a hotel. That would seem to make Western Europe more likely than Eastern.
Ivan, is there any chance you could post the magazine article on the forum?
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(no connection to the seller) Unfortunately, the image is too small to recognize any features of your photo. I am no expert on fashion but the men seen on the left in your image have an Eastern European flavour to me.
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I believe the Austrians bought Holts but not the Germans.
Hundleby and Strasheim in their book on the A7V note that Josef Vollmer, chief engineer of VPK, had seen a demonstration of the Holt tractor in 1913. A Caterpillar-Holt tractor was obtained from the Austro-Hungarian Army and trialed in November 1916. The results of this trial lead to the decision to use the Holt system for the A7V.
I am afraid Ivan has mixed different sources or issues of "AAZ" in his conclusion. At least I can not find a clear answer in his favour in "AAZ".
No 45/1914 of AAZ displays the same picture ("Splend" of "Splendid" visible). It is titled "The Germans in Brussel" (in German language) and says the caterpillar tractor was used to draw heavy artillery pieces. In fact the Internet is also showing one hotel (advertising) sign with the Name "Hotel Splendid Brüssel-Nord", however I do not know the age.
Later No 5/1915 of AAZ displays another Holt captured in the "latest fights". Furthermore, the text refers to issue 45 (German Holt) and issue 5 (Russian captured by Austro-Hungarian).
Nevertheless, the question is still open:
Did the Germans use a Russian Holt captured in earlier fights on the Eastern front a short time later in the West or did they use own (German) or borrowed (Austrian) Holts?
So, another questions arises as well: When did the Russians lose the first Holt?
P.S.: The background of Eastern front pictures of WWI in 1914/15 does not require necessarly the existance of cyrillic characters! For example in Galicia you would rather see German, Polish or Jiddisch.
-- Edited by K-Flak on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 02:37:28 PM
-- Edited by K-Flak on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 02:39:06 PM
First Holt-tractors comming to Russia anno 1913 - he winn on zhe IV International automobile exhibition in Petersburg 1913 gold medal of Russian Military ministery.
1914 beginning import Holt-tractors (later also Ruston-Holt, Allis-Chalmers, Clayton and Lombard) for Russian heavy artillery troops (TAON).
At the beginning of the war, the Germans had no Holt tractors in military service. AFAIK, there was only one Holt present in Germany at all - serving the lumber industry in East Prussia.
In Austria-Hungary (especially in the latter country) there were a number of Holts used in agriculture - and called up for military service on mobilisation. These served to tow the heavy guns cross-country.
The Germans captured and used former British Holts on the Western Front and former Russian ones on the Eastern Front, but not in 1914.
I am a bit in favour of the Austrian trace but IMHO a clear answer would demand a list with the fates /whereabouts of all Russian Holts. Lacking German documents for capture of Holts in 1914 can hardly be final proof here. Or can anybody claim to know all German documents related to this matter - even later destroyed ones?
I have acquired a copy of the Daily Mail page in question. It is, incidentally, from November 2nd, 1914, and the back page rather than the front.
There are ten photos in all; two of Germans on the dunes near Ostend, one of British soldiers allegedly shooting a German spy, the well-known one of Germans dragging a 21cm Morser into position, German infantry supposedly marching through Blankenberg, two of the rescue of crew from a ship called the Rohilla. Also an artist's impression of a Zeppelin over St. Paul's Cathedra.l
Now, the caption to the photo of the Holt reads, "A German heavy transport motor passing through a Belgian town. The wheels are constructed to enable it to travel over rough ground with ease."
All the above would suggest that the Holt photo is from the Western Front somewhere. Unfortunately, the last photo is of "Austrian troops being sworn in," which muddies the water a little.
The escorting soldier is, I would say, definitely German, but the hat is troublesome, unless it's a badly fitted Pickelhaube cover or a Dienstmütze.
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