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Post Info TOPIC: Mk I Tank Sept. 15, 1916
Ned


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Mk I Tank Sept. 15, 1916
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From what I understand, this is the first picture of the Mk I tank in a battlefield setting. Interesting camouflage pattern. From IWM collection.



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Lieutenant-Colonel

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Would you say this is the first prototype attempt at anti-grenade protection? is the tank number known? C Company?



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Craig Moore


Tank Hunter. Looking for the survivors.

www.tanks-encyclopedia.com

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Major

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Sadly the number is not known; it may have seen action on 15 September but there is no no firm evidence of this.
I think we can be fairly certain that it deployed to France



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Stephen Pope

http://www.firsttankcrews.com/
Ned


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According to Fletcher on Tank Chats MK I tank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Jq5lagUOw

The anti-grenade chicken wire that is on the roof of the tank is only for tanks from C Company.

He states D company didn't have them.  I assume he also means for all other companies as well.

 



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Ned


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Craig, I just looked through a MK-I book, and according to Fletcher's book. "British Mk I Tank 1916" it has this picture in it, and the caption says.

 "This well-Known photograph is now believed to have been taken at Thetford. it shows a Female tank finished in Solomon's exotic camouflage.

The Net on top may be an early experimental wireless aerial and the NCO is wearing a leather tank helmet."



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Major

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The anti-grenade chicken wire roofs were only fitted to No 2,3 and 4 Sections of C Company as they did not arrive in France until 10 September.  They were fitted on 12 Sep; the same day that No 1 Sect  started to deploy;. The remaining 55 sets were due to be sent out with A Company's tanks but these did not arrive in France for them to be fitted to D Coy before 15 Sep 16 .  No tanks were fitted with them subsequently as they were found to be non effective

No 4 sect tanks.jpg

 

The remainder for 



-- Edited by firsttankcrews on Wednesday 28th of June 2017 11:50:52 PM

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Stephen Pope

http://www.firsttankcrews.com/


Field Marshal

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Trevor Pidgeon suggested that the photo may have been taken before the tanks left England, but to my eye the background of the photo appears more typical of the Somme country in late summer, than of the more wooded terrain of Norfolk in early summer. A photo of the Elveden training area can be seen below. I would guess that the wire roof is not intended for wireless transmission, as both sponsons on this tank had machine guns installed. Photos of a later MkI wireless tank show the equipment occupying most of the space in one of the sponsons.

The style of camouflage on this tank is consistent with that seen on other tanks from C Company. I think that a portion of an "8" can be seen on the front horn - if so, then this tank is likely C8 (C18 can be ruled out since a photo of that vehicle shows it's number more clearly). Tank C8 would have been 507, 513 or 554.



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Ned


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You have a good point there !  my faith in Fletcher has been shaken LOL!!



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