Landships II

In an earlier thread I baldly stated that the US army went into battle  with Mk V* heavies and only used Mk Vs for training etc. I was wrong . Yes the Mk V* was used exclusivly in the majority of heavy tank actions but in the very last battle some Mk Vs were used. I shall have a quick penitent scourge.

Ah thats better - now my theory to explain this is that after carrying out practices on the reproduction Hindenberg line (built in 1917 for Cambrai rehearsals and kept up to date) the American senior officers had decided that the superior trench crossing capability of the Mk V* meant that this should be used rather than the Mk V, but towards the end of 1918 the following came into play:
1. The Hindenberg line was now passed and the superior power weight ratio  and manouverability of the MK V (its all relative) made it a better tank for the prevailing conditions
2. The Americans were running out of Mk V*s  through sheer wear and tear and battle field losses (in the previous battle the Americans had lost more Mk V*s through mechanical break down and 'friendly' (British) minefields than they did through German actions.

This made using the Mk Vs both a necessary and a viable option.

Any views?