IIRC we had a thread on this quite recently, but I can't find it.
Anyway, Murray Sueter's book, in which he claims credit for most things connected with the inventon of the Tank, contains a passage from an American soldier at St Mihiel describing an encounter with an enemy tank. There's a lot of it to type on a phone, so I'll do it properly later. The passage is reprinted from The Morning Post of Sept 19th, 1918, and describes an enemy tank apparently trying to lead US tanks into some kind of tank trap. Details to follow.
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This is what Sueter reprints from The Morning Post:
". . . a couple of Tanks flattened out the opposition . . . our fleet of iron buses spread out just like battleships . . .
What appeared to be a strongpoint beyond Fritz's line began to move, and then I tumbled that it was a German Tank. One of ours nearest to it turned his nose around and made for it as fast as he could lick. He lurched into and out of holes like a ship in heavy seas. Afterwards when I went over the ground I could see the trap into which the Hun was trying to lead our "bird." This was a wide trench, knocked about so that it looked quite like the rest of the ground. But it would have bogged our man hopelessly. . . . the Hun had overstepped himself. Before he could get away our man had got abreast of him and fired all his guns. Then he seemed to go all out for him, and when the collision came he reared up nearly over the Fritz, which was a lower machine. But he slipped back flat, while poor Jerry completely capsized. He must have got near the edge of a crater in trying to dodge, and the impact pushed him right in. I saw what remained of the crew. They were nearly drowned, and I bet they never want to "loop the loop" in a Tank again."
Some food for thought in that. Anyone now what it's about?
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
There was one German tank, Wagen 1 of Abt.12, a Mk.IV male, with Gruppe St.Mihiel at that time. However, it was kept in the rear area for tank familiarisation training - and was recalled to Briey when the Franco-American attack commenced. Abt.12 recorded no tank loss for the time they were with Army Group Gallwitz, but that is not necessarily conclusive.
