On the Takom Mark IV's you get four pe-parts which have to be attached to the inner-backsides of the tank. There is nothing attached further down the build to these pe-parts. This week I asked a question about the way the wooden beam was attached to the rails and Mad Zeppelin attached a picture where you can also see the "brackets". The question came up again and keeps me busy .....
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Can anyone tell where these brackets were for. On the picture attached I have encicled them with red and black. As they are aligned above each other it looks like something could be attached to the tank. But what was it that was placed in these brackets?
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Best regards,
Willem
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-- Edited by Willem Visser on Saturday 23rd of April 2016 06:33:49 PM
Remnants of a camouflage(?) system using wooden planks. All Mk.IV tanks were produced with appliances for it, but the system was never introduced. We had a discussion about this some time ago, but I don't remember the title.
The brackets you have marked were the rear supports of this system. The middle supports were modified as supports for the unditching beam rails. The front supports (on the cab) were removed in field service because they had to make room for the rails. (Training tanks in Britain, however, retained these front brackets.)
The rear brackets were just left in place, as they obstructed nothing, but they had no function.
No, it wasn't standard, although I can name four Beute tanks that used the rear brackets to support the rail of the unditching beam. Two of them, however, used only the upper brackets. And two have the elaborate system shown in the picture you posted. Unfortunately, one can't classify these tanks into one group - like early or late, attachment seems to have been left to chance.
weren't the front brackets used for trench crossing fascines? I think I saw this depicted in an Osprey book once.
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"General, you have nobly protected your forts. Keep your sword...to have crossed swords with you has been an honor, sir." General der Infantrie, Otto von Emmich
Willem, there's another detail which appears to be a German addition as I've only seen it on Beutepanzers and that is the cross rod between the unditching rails at the back of the storage box.
Hello Tony, If I understand your question correct we have discussed these rods before here: http://landships.activeboard.com/t62090725/questions-on-two-parts-of-the-mark-iv/ I have posted pictures of British Mark IV's with these rods in place.
Definitely a British fitting. Unditching rails were modified slightly after 22 August 1917 (F Battalion first, later widely adopted) and this piece inserted to brace the rails.
