The Germans were slow to recognise the tank’s potential after early British and French vehicles failed to impress as they lumbered on to the battlefields of 1916 and 1917. But with typical German ingenuity they rapidly put together a design using available materials and components, with all the speed and efficacy that the war strained German industrial base could muster as the British blockage really bit home in late 1917 and early 1918. One small example that I read recently was that Von Richthofen was unable to continue his practice of getting a small silver cup made for each of his victories due to a shortage of silver and remember that he died seven months before the war ended.

The end result was a simple box on top of extended three unit Holt type tractor suspension, in a similar way to the British Little Willie of 1916 and the cumbersome French 75mm armed Char St Chamond and Char Schneider designs (first used in April 1917), which used modified Holt type suspension units. The A7V did not suffer from their many faults (though it had enough of its own!) and being bigger with more power was more practical than the tiny British test vehicle.

The A7V had its engines mounted in the middle (two 100hp Daimler units), with machine gun ports on the sides and rear and with a 57mm gun in the front on the centre line on two types of mount. It was steered from a raised platform in the middle, protected by flat armour plates. Initially some tanks were to be completed as "females" with only machine gun armament, with others as "males", based on the British policy. This was found to be untenable and eventually all examples baring chassis number 501 had a 57mm gun, but this was later updated with a 57mm gun as well. The policy was sensible as the British found when an A7V was engaged British MK IV’s at Villers-Bretoneaux, the females were helpless to reply, until a male was able to rescue them. The gun mounts were made in two forms, the Sockelafette (sometimes written as socle) or pedestal mount originally developed for the A7V-U (chassis number 524, of which more later) and the Bocklafette or buck mount, fitted to the four early examples converted from female tanks. In all cases the gun was a British, made Maxim-Nordenfelt 57mm Quick Firing gun. These weapons, were captured examples, obtained in quantity from the Belgian fortifications and from the Russians. It's rather embarrassing, for a British made weapon to be used with such effect against its makers, but it was one of a number of examples. One stands out that, that was a type of fuse, produced under licence in the UK, from a German manufacturer. Licence fees were paid throughout the war, thus many shells fired at German soldiers, had a German fuse and a German firm was getting some money for each one! The structural difference engendered by the two different types, roughly splits the A7V production run into two, with another division caused by examples having either single or five part side and two part end plates, of a number of forms in the case of the end plates. To complicate matters further the surviving buck tanks, were updated with the sockel mount. Minor differences, are in the exhaust arrangement (with or without external pipes), mudguard shape and the details of the MG ports and vision slots.

Other chassis were built as carriers with wooden load carrying areas. They were called Gelandewagen (or Uberlandwagen, or A7V Schlepper) and were apparently quite successful, some thirty being made. Based on published sources, the chassis numbers were, 503, 504, 508 to 515 and 516 to 523, with others in the range 530 to 599.

The A7V looked ungainly, but in fact it was faster and easier to operate than the British tanks (the French vehicles can be dismissed as aberrations on the way to the true tank, baring the trend setting FT 17). It was not until the British introduced the Mk V in 1918 that the rhomboid tanks were anything like as easy to handle as the A7V. None baring the light Whippet or Medium A were as fast as the A7V on level ground or roads, until after the end of the war. This was helped by the A7V’s sprung Holt type suspension (supplied from the Austrian division of Holt).

The A7V's main failing was its poor cross-country performance, due to the inherent limitations of the Holt suspension units, with limited ground clearance and its great top heavy bulk. The British tanks were slow and no more reliable, but due to their shape optimised for cross-country work over the atrocious conditions of the western front. When conditions allowed the A7V could perform very well, but all too often the ground was incapable of allowing the A7V to make use of its superior speed.

The main problem in the end was that Germany did not have the industrial and material resources after three years of war to make more than twenty examples, plus some un-armoured supply vehicles. It was an uphill struggle for the tank lobby to get materials and manpower for even this limited number of vehicles.

In the end the Germans made massive use of the tens of British tanks (mainly MK IV’s) that they captured after Cambrai. These tanks were salvaged, repaired and normally rearmed with German weapons (Sockel 57mm and MG 08’s, with some German Mauser anti tank rifles, supplanting the MG’s) where practical and then used until they ran out of spares. It seems that little attempt was made to recover knocked out or broken down examples during the big German attacks, they were almost used on a disposable basis. The successes of 1918 were based on excellent training in small unit infiltration tactics of highly motivated and exceedingly gallant men, of which Rommel in Italy was a pioneer, rather than the technological system, used by the British in the final battles that broke the German army in October 1918. About two Whippets were captured and one saw service post war during the various civil wars that ravaged German in 1919 to 1920. At least one hundred tanks were in service at one time or another

In 1918 the Germans tested a vehicle combining the best of the A7V and the British designs. This produced the A7V-U, a forty tonne, 7.5mph rhomboid tank, shaped like the MK IV, but wider and higher. It used the Holt type sprung units again, so was an advance on the British tanks. It also had two 57mm guns in side sponsons as the British tank had and four MG’s. In the end it was unreliable, too big and did not look very likely to be successful. By the time it was ready the war had little time to run and the prototype was the only vehicle built, so the project was stopped before the war finished. It is believed that this vehicle (chassis number 524) may have been the basis for the post war tank Heidi, used in the civil unrest of the immediate post war period. Alternatively it may have been a conversion of one of the supply carriers, with odds and ends of A7V armour. It was very different, with two MG turrets on the front corners and a central driving position. It is not considered to be a true A7V, but if one stretches a point, we can consider twenty one, rather than twenty to be the production total. The supply carrier conversion is the idea favoured by the experts i.e. Hundleby and Strasheim.

The A7V’s use was rather limited, due to the low numbers produced and the limited number of opportunities available, where it was suitable to use. As it had poor mobility over very broken ground, which of course ruled out a large portion of the Western Front, it could only be used under certain conditions, with any likelihood of success. This was not always possible, so problems did arise. Tactically it was not used to its best advantage, with small numbers being used at any one time. Given that the total production run was lower than the limited first assault by the British Mk l’s on the Somme in 1916, the A7V was never going to be used in a mass assault of the kind required by the tank theorists. It also had to used with the captured British tanks, which due to their different operational characteristics, was a big problem. While on firm ground the A7V sped away from the slower Mk IV’s, on the worst terrain, the A7V could not cope with trenches and the shell churned mud, that the Mk IV’s ploughed through, abet rather slowly.

The most famous action was Villers-Bretonneaux. Where the first tank to tank engagement occured. This has been covered in detail in many books, so I shall not retell the story, but I wish to focus on one aspect of the engagement that I believe is telling about the A7V.

During a wider attack an A7Vcame across some British MK IV female tanks, armed of course only with machine guns and a single MK IV male. The 57mm armed A7V was able to attack the female tanks with impunity as only the very best of aimed shots or a luck strike would go through an opening in the A7V’s hull. Which was better protected than the British tanks, whose armour was not quite good enough against armour piercing rounds and the many gaps let in rounds and bullet splash. Though of course the A7V would have been a very big target to hit.

This Briish male tank and its gallant crew (commanded by Lt Mitchell) turned the tables on the Germans, equipped as the MK IV was with double the Germans firepower. The accurate firing of this tank badly damaged the German A7V, so badly that it had to withdraw from the action. This tank named "Nixe" was actually written off and replaced by "Nixe II". But not before "Nixe" had caused great execution among the females and accompanying troops. The whole battle field was veiled in drifting mist, that had yet to disperse, helping to create the myth of the tank as a primordial monster from a bygone epoch. A better analogy might be the lumbering wooden walls of the first rate vessels of the Nelsonian navy.

The situation was confused by the fact that one A7V was left on the battlefield. This was a tank named "Elfride". While its compatriot was hit at least three times by 57mm fire, but still managed to limp away, "Elfride" was captured by the French British in a counter attack, after it drove over a bunker (or a sand pit – sources differ) some time earlier in the battle, that could not support its weight and high ground pressure. The A7V toppled over onto its side. The crew got out, but in the spirit of the time, fought alongside their infantry comrades until all bar two were killed. One can only agree with Hundleby and Strasheim in their assessment that these brave men’s lives were wasted trying to use such a vehicle (born of desperation) in such unsuitable circumstances.

"Elfride" was captured and understandably it was believed that this A7V was the one engaged by Lt Micthell. But as was proved when the vehicle was righted it had sustained no hits and was able to be driven away under its own power. The myth took over and its is only due to the wonderful work of Mr Hundleby and Herr Strasheim that the true facts came out in the late 1980’s.

The point of this story is this; "Nixe" was engaged, hit perhaps three times, but was still mobile. This proves that that the A7V was a tough vehicle that could take some punishment. If you consider that in WW2, many Shermans brewed up after only one hit, it does make you realise how good a tank the A7V was in terms of its protection and firepower. But the story of "Elfride" shows the other side of the coin; it shows how poor the vehicles mobility was on the battlefield, where the ground was in anyway churned up and riddled with field defences. The A7V was top heavy and too badly designed for the majority of the terrain it would face. It had many features that were superior to the British Mk l-IV’s, but as these tanks sacrificed those better features for the sake of cross country mobility, they were the better tank for the conditions of the time. The later MK V, improving in all areas on the A7V. This was not the only time an A7V was lost to the terrain and not to British or French action. "Mephisto" fell into some sort of crater or hole and suffered mechanical failure in the same battle and was blown up by the British, before the Germans could recover the ground and then in turn recover the tank. That too was captured in a later Australian counter attack, hence her survival to this day. Later chassis number 527 became bogged down and again could not be recovered, before the area was occupied by the French. Hundleby and Strasheim record that there it lay until it was scrapped in 1922.

Villers must be recorded as a victory for the A7V, but with ten percent of the production run lost in one small battle, it was clear that the tank arm would not win the war for the Germans. British loses could easily be made up and the superior Mk V was coming on line in the summer.

The A7V was used in limited engagements to the end of the war against both the British and the French. Its heyday was during the so-called Ludendorff offensives of the first half of 1918. It has to be said that the infiltration tactics of the infantry storm troopers had far more to do with the limited German gains, which although spectacular by what had happened in 1915-1917 were limited in their impact on the strategic situation of Germany’s desperate plight than by the penny packets of A7V’s and the larger numbers of hard to maintain captured MK IV’s.

The A7V was used by three units or Abtilung’s (Battalions) numbered, one , two and three. At the end of the war the survivors were amalgamated into one unit. The numbers were fluid, but the A7V seems never to have been used in quantities of more than fourteen in once place, normally it was, three or four examples. They were moved around to take part if various offensives and defensive actions, but as so much of the front was unsuited to the vehicles deployment, it could only be used in some locations. When it was used in the wrong place, disaster normally befell them. Hundleby and Strasheim have by far the best analysis of the vehicles use.

This 1/72^nd scale model is simple and rather basic at £4.99, but from what I can see reasonably accurate and it certainly looks like an A7V. It represents one of the four converted female tanks known as "bucks", with single part side plates, when policy changed and they were fitted with the 57mm gun, like the pure built males. The only one that was not was, "Mephisto" (chassis number 506) that was captured before it could be converted and is the only fortunate survivor of the production run. The rest of the production can be made using the alternative 57mm gun mount, and other detail differences noted above, such as the armours construction. The multi part side plate tanks will take a bit more work to make.

The subject is very long and complicated and the references should be consulted if you wish to get into the minutia of the A7V, such as the number of rivets in a particular location. The following table is my attempt to simplify matters, by highlighting the major differences between the vehicles. Basically each one was virtually unique in some way compared its fellows.

The table is largely based on the years of work done by Max Hundleby and Rainer Strasheim, but with some of my own interpretations from published photos and sets of originals that I obtained from The Tank Museum and the Imperial War Museum. I looked at all the references I could get and examined each photo to see how they matched the descriptions given in Hundleby and Strasheim. As I found with the Firefly, we have probably not heard the last word on the A7V. Notably as some examples were poorly photographed, or not photographed at all. Chassis numbers are rarely seen as well. I also doubt that anyone who crewed, maintained or fought the A7V is alive in 2002. Baring Mephisto, there can be only a few who saw the survivors post war. Thus it is likely that we will never know the full truth of this remarkable vehicles story. For the best, you MUST get Hundelby and Strasheim's book.

Note H&S = Hundleby and Strasheim.

Note that the second unit has appliqué armour applied to the sides and rear of the commanders command position. Hundleby and Strasheim have postulated with good evidence that this was made from surplus mud flap plates. Examples include "Wotan". Note that the subject kit does not include this feature (as per chassis number 506), nor does the Tauro kit, that claims to represent "Wotan" and "Hagen"

Emhar's kit is very simple in its design and almost ideal for war gamers that might want to make a unit of say four tanks (and all for under twenty pounds Stirling at time of writing). The hull is built up from six main plates, plus a five-part command cupola on top of the roof. No interior is given, so a simple coat of matt black inside will do. Opening up hatches and doors would be a major project in itself and not for the faint hearted.

The MG’s and main gun mounts can be made so that the guns can be fitted after construction and painting, but you would loose the moving parts if that's your thing. The underside of the hull is simply detailed, but little can be seen once completed, unless you do "Elfride", number 524, that was captured after falling over onto its side at Villers-Bretoneaux.

The suspension and tracks are single piece mouldings, that while simplified are perfectly acceptable. But one small error; only the drive sprockets should have teeth, but the idlers in the kit have them as well. These can easily be shaved off.

By my estimation the easiest tank to make is "Mephisto" (506). To make this all you have to do is leave off the exhaust pipes and other minor details. As this vehicle is still extant in Australia plenty of information is around on it including a whole book by the museum itself (see references). One suspects that Emhar based their model on this wonderful relic.

I would say that you should be careful with the construction as the plates are not that easy to get level and gap free, due to the rivets filling and sanding is also a problem and I managed to loose some from my model. So just take your time and take extra care.

My model was a gift without instructions or decals, so I don’t know what options are given. Based on other kits by this firm, several will be provided and they will be perfectly satisfactory. I had to make my own and used my usual standby of light grey RAF serials from Ventura, suitably modified with hand painting, Airfix Seahawk German crosses and a hand painted devil emblem with a British tank in its arm. Note this tank changed schemes so you need to make it and others at a specific point in time. Mephisto at this point was red brown and green (based on the colour drawing in the Hundleby book, but the green might have been lighter and more of a field grey) and I used some of Revells excellent enamel paints. Other schemes of overall field grey and others in clay yellow, green and brown are also evidenced and as most A7V's were rebuilt and repainted over time there is a lot of variation and complexity. The references cover these in detail.

Alternatives models exist from Milicast as resin castings. WW1-1 represents the single side plate version and WW1-3 the five-plate version. Both kits include decals (unusual for a resin kit of this type) and cost £15.95 at the time of writing. I also once saw a German made resin kit that looked amazing, but I don’t have any more details. In 1/35^th there is the classic Tauro kit, which is accurate, if lightly detailed in some places and fiddly to put together. It represents a generic A7V, but is easiest to make as "Wotan" or "Hagen" by my estimation. This kit can still be found and expect to pay around £25.00. There may be other models that I am unaware of. I would welcome correspondence via the web Sherman Firefly site if anyone knows different.

I mounted the model on an old CD ROM with a filler trench and some Aeroclub (infantry Lewis) and Airfix accessories including a dead WW1 British infantry man. This approximates the painting of the tank attacking British positions (of the South Yorkshire’s at Monument Wood, Villers Bretonaux) on the Queensland Museum book cover, painted by Sally Elmer. After this it suffered mechanical problems and fell into a crater and could not be recovered. This is another example of the A7V’s unsuitability for the Western Front, considering that Villers was about as suitable as it got for the A7V. Abandoned by its crew, advancing Australians captured the tank and it eventually found its way to the Queensland Museum after many trials and occasions where it was almost scrapped. Restored today as far as it can be. It is the sole survivor of the breed, though I believe that some replicas have been built and at least one is in Germany. Unfortunately Bovington was to have had one, but the money could not be found, so if you want to see the real thing you will have to go rather a long way if you leave in the UK. A Sockel gun mount from another A7V was in the hands of the IWM, but I do not know of its current location.

(C) Mark Hayward, September 2002