Has anybody ever located any archive material related to any of Lt.Col. Johnson's experiments pre-dating the Medium Mark D? I'm interested in information about the he leaf-sprung, 30 mph Whippet or the Mk. V tank running "Snake Track". I've seen the following photos in a couple of places but never found any detailed descriptions of the modifications done to the tanks, I've tried searching the online catalogue of the National Archives at Kew and found no hits.
Attached is the photograph of one of seven box fronts that contained the WWI tank and SPG prints that I discussed in a couple of my recent posts under a different topic. Note the large amount of Lt. Col. Philip Johnson material. The US had great interest in his work and applied it to its interwar medium tanks. The boxes are in in the military history collection at the US National Archives at College Park Maryland. The important piece of information are the box numbers 385-391. Since record groups can contain a large number of boxes.
A word of warning. They do re-box, to consolidate collections, so the box numbers can change. But they are supposed to have a record tying the old box number to the new one.
This was such a great find, since the T. T. & T. History Files are supposed to include documents on almost all WWI and early post war military tanks, tractors and trucks. I didn't find documents on all those listed in the index to the file. But they could be in other related boxes. I'm still planning on returning to go through this record group, when I return to the NA and hopefully will have time set aside to do it justice.
Here is a list, in the order of discovery, of the British prints (simple general dimension drawings to detailed 3 view cross sections) that I found: Mark VIII Tank (Anglo-American), Lt. Col. Philip Johnson's Medium D (prototype, cannon, MG armed with different driver's positions), PJ's D. M. Female, PJ's Rope Spring Suspension, PJ's 8-20-20 Machine or Tropical Tank, Gun Carrier Salvage Machine, Medium Mark B, Medium Mark C, Mark VII, Mark I, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark V X, Mark V XX, Supply Tank, Medium Mark A and Tank Mechanical Maintenance Mark V manual.
Attached is the photograph of one of seven box fronts that contained the WWI tank and SPG prints that I discussed in a couple of my recent posts under a different topic. Note the large amount of Lt. Col. Philip Johnson material. The US had great interest in his work and applied it to its interwar medium tanks. The boxes are in in the military history collection at the US National Archives at College Park Maryland. The important piece of information are the box numbers 385-391. Since record groups can contain a large number of boxes.
A word of warning. They do re-box, to consolidate collections, so the box numbers can change. But they are supposed to have a record tying the old box number to the new one.
This was such a great find, since the T. T. & T. History Files are supposed to include documents on almost all WWI and early post war military tanks, tractors and trucks. I didn't find documents on all those listed in the index to the file. But they could be in other related boxes. I'm still planning on returning to go through this record group, when I return to the NA and hopefully will have time set aside to do it justice.
Here is a list, in the order of discovery, of the British prints (simple general dimension drawings to detailed 3 view cross sections) that I found: Mark VIII Tank (Anglo-American), Lt. Col. Philip Johnson's Medium D (prototype, cannon, MG armed with different driver's positions), PJ's D. M. Female, PJ's Rope Spring Suspension, PJ's 8-20-20 Machine or Tropical Tank, Gun Carrier Salvage Machine, Medium Mark B, Medium Mark C, Mark VII, Mark I, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark V X, Mark V XX, Supply Tank, Medium Mark A and Tank Mechanical Maintenance Mark V manual.
Listing those boxes has already been a huge boost to my efforts to research WW1 and early postwar tanks... I've already contacted a friend who has scanned some documents for me in the past to see about getting copies made, and I'm still planning an archive trip myself next year to hunt for more information... I know there are various blueprints and drawings scattered in the T, T & T Decimal Files... but it is like searching for a needle a haystack.
I was hoping somebody had located information in an English archive to compliment any items located at NARA. I have not gotten the chance to inquire to Bovington about the Medium Mark D yet as I try to not to overload my contact with more than one tank at a time.
You didn't happen to see any armoured car plans in those files did you? I'm always looking for plans of the Roll Royce Armoured Car. Apparently no British plans survive from the WWI period. The earliest 3-view I've seen was about 1924 and the earliest dimensioned plans were for a 1930s RAF version.
I found no R-R Armoured Car drawings in the US National Archives files. It is extremely unlikely that they would be there. The US was not interested in buying or building this armoured car. The RAF drawings are for rebuilding R-R 1914 Pattern armoured bodies onto new or newer Silver Ghost chassis. Unfortunately, there are no armoured plate drawings, since these were not built new but reused.
