Landships II

ekek · Private

austro-hungarian troops vs. tanks

Centurion · Legend

I've hunted high and I've hunted low but can find no reference. There were KuK troops on the Western Front so in theory it was possible. Interestingly the army did have a mountain gun that was designated as also to be used for anti tank duties so the possibility at least must have been anticipated.

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

The closest thing would perhaps be an AuH army band playing besides a Mk.IV female Beutepanzer of Abt.12.
There were some AuH troops in the St.Mihiel salient when this was reduced by the French and Americans, but I don't recall that tanks were used on that occasion, at least in the sector where the AuH division was employed.
The Austro-Hungarian voiced interest in buying some Beutepanzers from the Germans, but the deal was never done.

Paul · Sergeant

Hallo Ekek,

can't promiss anything, but there is a good side in the web called http://www.stahlgewitter.com/�, but it's all in German language. If you able to understand, you should take a look. For everyday of WW1 you have the "Heeresbericht" (official communiqu�) from the OHL and all allied forces: of course Austro-Hungarian,Turkish etc.
The interior search is not this good, but maybe you can find something 'bout tanks and Austrians. On the 17.Juli 1917 for example is reported about battles in Galicia and the capturing of russian tanks. (http://www.stahlgewitter.com/17_07_07.htm)
But this is in the east, you asked about west.

Then good luck.

Best Regards

Centurion · Legend

Paul - One assumes that these 'tanks' are armoured cars! Otherwise this a major turnup -Russian operational tanks in 1917!

Paul · Sergeant

Hello Centurion,

yes of course! You're rigtht. Sorry for that mistake. Now I know, why your rank is "legend"! wink

Have searched yesterday a long time for some messages about tanks, captured in the west by austrians, but don't found anyone. Maybe there is a austrian side in the web.

Regards

Killerkatanas · Private

I was under the impression that they came across some French FT17's in the Italian front in late 1918.

Ironsides · Legend

Hi All,�I believe�I have seen a picture of a "memorial tank" in italy�and I�think it was a mkV is there any record of these tanks in italy?

cheers

Centurion · Legend

Ironsides wrote:

Hi All,�I believe�I have seen a picture of a "memorial tank" in italy�and I�think it was a mkV is there any record of these tanks in italy?

cheers

None that I can find - if you can remember where you saw the photo it might be a great find

Ironsides · Legend

Hi Centurion, I dont think the picture was contemporary probarbly ww2 on the back was written the name of a town in italy the tank was standing on a low block it was almost certainly a mkV as it had the louvre on the side unfortunatly i dont have a copy of the pic at least I cant find one, if it turns up i'll post... at first i though it was a mistake and that it was a russian mkv but the buildings didnt look like russian much more mediteranean ...�thats all i can say at this point except that that i had the impression that some tanks went to italy with the bef in 1918�with a force of around�10,000? men..........�

Cheers

Lafettenheini · Colonel

Sorry Ironside,

I had a remind by administration this morning to subscribe. I was on the topicside cause
i wondered about this theme like the others . Than i missclickt with my mouse and didnt
know how to correct.

But to throw a idea in the circle- is`nt it possible that Italy and respectively FIAT got
some Mk IV from the battlefields at cambrai to copy technics for a tankproduction by own like germany did?
Then after the war they were even good for monument ?
But these topic reminds me to read more about the war in the south-east.

Don`t kill me for my mind -but for my bad english

Gerd

Centurion · Legend

Some Mk IVs did get passed on (or sold) to other countries for evaluation - Japan certainly had a Mk IV and there is a possibility that the US also had a Mk IV for the same purpose ( but the accounts of trials near Washington are some what ambiguous and this may have been one of the Britannias) so its feasible that the Italians might have also been given one. However Ironside's tank would appear to be a Mk V
The� terrain on the Italian front was judged as unsuitable for tanks which may be one reason why development of the Fiat 2000 was so leisurely. However it would also explain why I can find no record of British tanks being taken to Italy in 1918.
One possible explanation - the French army had Mk V and V*s in the 1920s retiring them about 1930. Some of these were subsequently used as monuments and the Germans certainly shipped some off as trophies in 1940. Its always possible that Italian troops occupying the South of France also shipped home an old mk V

McGuba · Corporal

Hello,

Returning to the original posting, I read in a book in a bookstore some time ago that an Austro-Hungarian�artillery battery sent�to help the Turks�allegedly destroyed a British tank in Palestine in one of those final defensive battles making the only A-H tank kill of the war. As I can recall it was a 15cm M.1914 Howitzer (or a mountain gun?). Unfortunately I did not buy the book,�though it had some great info and sorted those units which were lent to the Turkish.

Anyway, fact is that several A-H artillery batteries and other units were sent to fight with the Turkish in the Middle East, and also that the British used tanks in Palestine. So, nothing against that they might�had been met on the battlefield.

huhncc · Major

Killerkatanas wrote:

I was under the impression that they came across some French FT17's in the Italian front in late 1918.

KIllerkatanas,
Do you have any backup on this? I am very�interested in this possibility.

Chris

James H · Legend

McGuba wrote:

I read in a book in a bookstore some time ago that an Austro-Hungarian�artillery battery sent�to help the Turks�allegedly destroyed a British tank in Palestine in one of those final defensive battles making the only A-H tank kill of the war. As I can recall it was a 15cm M.1914 Howitzer (or a mountain gun?).
Anyway, fact is that several A-H artillery batteries and other units were sent to fight with the Turkish in the Middle East, and also that the British used tanks in Palestine. So, nothing against that they might�had been met on the battlefield.

According to accounts I've read, the A-H artillery was at Beersheba, about 30 miles from Gaza, which would make contact with British Tanks unlikely. It would be great if you could remember the name of that book.