Landships II

James H · Legend

New photo of Little Willie?

CharlieC · Legend

There's a poor reproduction of this image in the Little Willie article on Landships II.

I'll update the image with this much better quality one.

Regards,

Charlie

MooreTanks · Lieutenant-Colonel

IWM Q 14542 with American Bullock tracks

Peter Smith · Captain

That is the original Lincoln No1 Machine with the Bullock Creeping Grip tracks. I've only ever seen drawings of it. Little Willie was later rebuilt from this vehicle with the newly-designed Tritton track system.

The Bullock tracks hung down when crossing voids like craters and didn't always re-engage properly, causing jamming, shedding and breaking. Also, they were far too short to cross trenches, something the French failed to appreciate with the CA and St Chamond (yes I know, Holt tracks on those). Steering was difficult with them flat to the ground too. Agricultural tractors spent most of their time going in straight lines, whereas tanks needed to manoeuvre. Tritton came up with the curved bottom track run to solve this, applied to Little Willie and subsequent models.

James H · Legend

Thank you, citizens, for putting me straight on several counts. I neglected to look on Landships II, for which I ask forgiveness. I seem to be turning into Homer Simpson; if I come across something new, I have to forget something in order to make room for it. This could happen to you, one day.

I take consolation from the fact that we now have a better picture on Landships II.

airdave · Major

This photo interests me because you can plainly see the temporary "turret" under that tarpaulin,

but there also appears to be something up front, ahead of the turret...like a barrel?

Up to now there was no evidence of a gun or weapon ever actually being installed in the turret.

I wonder what is there?

-- Edited by airdave on Sunday 11th of March 2018 01:43:57 AM

Roger Todd · Legend

I'm not sure I've ever seen a photo pf Little Willie's dummy turret with the 'gun barrel', but certainly Dick Harley (in his drawings for Tankette) depicted it as a metal pipe bolted to the front. There is no reason for supposing otherwise as there is absolutely no evidence a real gun was ever mounted. It was, after all, a dummy turret. Below are those drawings plus a poor quality photo of Willie in the Foster's workshop in which the dummy turret is uncovered.

Roger Todd · Legend

All in all, this is the best discussion I've seen of the 'turret'...

http://www.landships.activeboard.com/t56615653/layout-of-little-willie/