Hello Ned! There were more female tanks at the start but they were soon converted to male.... so I have read in a book. I have the Tankograd book Sturmpanzer A7V and found it very helpful in understanding the different types and manufacturers. There is explained how the Germans planned more female tanks than male tanks (1 male to 4 female) but soon found out that they needed more firepower and so converted the female tanks to male tanks. Only number 501 (Gretchen) was to see combat as a female tank. One of those things you can read in the book is that due to distortion of the armourplates that came from Krupp that there were A7V's with the sides in five plates in stead of one big side-armourplate for the Röchling tanks.
So if you can get one of the books ...... buy it Tankograd world war one, Sturmpanzer A7V No. 1001.
Best regards, Willem
-- Edited by Willem Visser on Sunday 25th of June 2017 08:49:59 PM
"Gretchen" was a female tank during first two actions (St. Quentin 21st March 1918, Villers-Bretonneux 24th April 1918), later it was converted to male.
In the book „KOMITEE NACHBAU STURMPANZERWAGEN A7V: Sturmpanzerwagen A7V – Vom Urpanzer zum Leopard 2. 1. Auflage Herford und Bonn : Verlag E. S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH, 1990“ Page: 66, there is even a photo of the A7V Gretchen with a flamethrower instead of MG!
I know this is an old thread but I have seen a better picture and it shows the rounded escape hatch that was located at the rear so that is the rear that we see of Gretchen.
No way to tell if there is a gun or MG's in the front.
Why? Because if you look at the door, then you can see what is front and what is rear. As far as I know, all doors show the outer side to the front and the inner side to the rear when it they are open.
Never thought about the placements of the door hinges so I had a look at pictures and as far as i can tell they are always at the front. Now I have the doors on my Gretchen pointing the wrong way. Well. I just have to remove the sides and swap them
No, the doors are not allways to the front! On the left side (in direction to the front) you find the door near the front; on the right side you find the door near the rear.
But you always can see the doors Opening to the front direction.
Both, 501 and 506, were handed in to BAKP 20 for overhaul at the same time. 506 received a neat new coat of regular BAKP 20 camouflage (green, red brown, clay yellow), while 501 did not. What you see is the camouflage - or rather its remnants - applied by Abt.1 for the action on March 21st, 1918. So, one may wonder what hues one is looking at. - As 501 was due to receive a gun it seems reasonable that it wasn't newly painted before said gun had been installed. The action of April 24th occurred during this period of waiting, it seems.
