Landships II

There are some pictures that show 529 "Nixe II" at Aberdeen Proving Ground in the 1940ies. - But I can't remember having seen any that were clearly dated to the 1920ies or 30ies.
However, 1918 would be too early, 529 was near Reims until 1919 - when the Americans finally took possession of it.

-- Edited by mad zeppelin at 10:53, 2008-06-20

James H wrote:

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...The site also says that the gun from Schnuck is still at Duxford.

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There is a thread somewhere on this forum with photos of Schnuck's gun.

Search as I can but I can find no record of a Britannia visiting Cleveland other than possibly the War Exposition (which usually had a demo by one) which did not  reach Cleveland until just after Nov 11 1918. As the diary entry for the tank is stated by a local history posting as being before the armistice this would rule this out. However I have found an account of an encounter by American infantry dating from some time before mid July when they reporrted knocking out two German tanks with their 38mm 'Infantry Gun' (which they regarded and used specifically as an anti tank gun). The type of tank is not described (merely grey and sluglike) but I am assuming that they are likely to be Beutepanzers. It would therefore be plausible for a Beutepanzer to arrive in the US before an A7V but I have seen no record of such and I wondered if anyone else had.

Further to this I posted some time ago a reference to a 'Captured German Tank' being purchased post war by Hickman County Tennessee and used for road building. It occurs to me that this might be a Beutepanzer being used in much the same way as the Soviets used Mk Vs  as shown in Tim's posting

-- Edited by Centurion at 11:43, 2008-06-21

-- Edited by Centurion at 11:43, 2008-06-21

look at this photo 

Then you must be a magician, I can see absolutely nothing at all...

Doesn't work for me. I get a 17 digit number and a nice white box with a red x in it.

-- Edited by mad zeppelin at 18:04, 2008-06-22

Guido, what is the source of your photo; web link or from your hard drive?

It`s a download from the web, but the site no longer exists. I can`t put the picture to the forum

I may have resolved this question. Checking descriptions  of a liberty bond march in New York in Sept 1918 it appears that a dummy German tank was included (complete with a doughboy sitting on top whanging a Stahlhelmeted head with a big hammer every time it popped out of the top - sounds like Popeye and Bluto). This might be what was seen in Cleveland (which was also visited by a dummy British tank)

Guido wrote:

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If you can describe how to load the picture from my harddrive, i´ll try

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Here's how to do it:
1) Write your post as normal
2) Click in the small square next to "Attach File(s)" below
3) You can attach up to 10 images at a time by clicking "Browse" and then searching your hard drive for the image
4) Click the "Upload file(s)" button
5) After the files have uploaded, click "Submit post"

Pictures attached to show how it's done.

-- Edited by Mark Hansen at 14:46, 2008-07-30

-- Edited by Mark Hansen at 14:47, 2008-07-30

I think, the following tanks are only replicas

No, 561 Nixe was destroyed 1918. I think its 529 Nixe II.
I found the photos on the web, like the following ones. Do you know which tanks are shown? 

-- Edited by Guido at 21:02, 2008-08-27

James H wrote:

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That must be Nixe at Aberdeen with the Schneider alongside. It would be a good colour guide if it hadn't been photographed in what looks like Agfacolor.

Brilliant find, Guido. Where are the pics of Wotan from? The gun certainly looks like a mock-up, but, judging from the rust, it's not plywood.

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It's certainly 529 Nixe II at Aberdeen, Maryland.
I've included three photo's below. the first one is the same as above with the Char Schneider to the left, the second one a view from the rear. Both of these were taken 1940/42.
The third one shows 529 Nixe II en-route to Aberdeen I presume, the photo is undated.

Images CO, various sources and the book vom Urpanzer...

Regards Eddie

Picture 1 is an Abt.1 tank, but the image is too small to determine which one.
Picture 2 is 563 "Wotan" of Abt.3.

Lafettenheini wrote:

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Hello alltogether,

as everytime at any "place" here on board : nice discussion gentlemen. The question which came up to me : Is there any original A 7V showed in a warhistorical museeum in Europe ?
Or have i to hop upon the atlantic to Aberdeen Maryland ?

Gerd

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Hi Gerd,
Sadly "NIXE II" is in Tank heaven, it was scrapped after the new Co at Aberdeen did a clean up.

Today the only original A7V, 506 "Mephisto" can be seen in the museum at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
A full scale replica of A7V 563 "WOTAN", which was modelled after the original Mephisto can be seen at the Panzermuseum in Münster, Germany.
Apart from those only bits and pieces have survived.

Regards Eddie



-- Edited by taz at 23:15, 2008-09-02

Hello Eddie !

Thanks for reminding me to visit the "Senne at Paderborn " . Munsterlager and Munster with

it's tank museeum are nearby. I hope your mistake with "Münster " doesn't come

from the nightmare the commander of the "chieftain " had twenty years ago nearby

Münster when got off road a "little bit" ? I had to wait and follow what happend some

hours in my car until the road was given free again.

Best regards to an (old ?? ) member of the honorable ROYAL ARMY TANK Corp

Gerd

Guido wrote:

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Hi Eddi,
the museum is in Munster, Lüneburger Heide, not in Münster!

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Opps Guido,

Sorry, used the Ü instead of the U.

"Deutsche sprache, schwere sprache"

Gerd,

After 529 "NIXE II" was tested, it lay there, rusting away, until in 1942 it was decided to hand it over to a local scrap merchant. That's were the trail ends, no parts of 529 are in the Armor Museum in Ft.Knox, Ky, even though they have Mk 1 amongst others.
In the Patton Museum there is an archive from Col. Robert J. Icks on 529 with photos and documents.

Gerd, the RTC was a little before my time too  It was the RTR in my days.

Here is another "story" of a Chieftain for you. A VW Beetle crashed into the back of one near Hohne, if my memory serves me right. The crew never noticed and dragged it 30kms with them before the "slightly" damaged car fell free.
Maybe take that one with a pinch of salt i'm not sure how much truth there is in that old story.

Regards Eddie

Wouldn't mind seeing the finished diorama.
Just to add, it was night time and the tank only had its convoy light on. It must have been on the tank roads around Bergen-Hohne and sadly i think both the occupants of the car were killed in the accident.

Regards Eddie.

Lafettenheini wrote:

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Hallo Edddie,

oh my God ! That's a sad story-not a good basic for a diorama indeed.
It explains why the beetle was so well"connected" to the chieftain.
and now i can remind me about an accident description in our press years ago.
"Two passengers of a civil limousine where killed in a strange way by crashing in to the
back of a tank by the British Army.... There was the speech from a pulling with,but i
remember that they didn't tell something about the enormous range of 30 kilometers.
You must know here in Germany articles about any military activities are not wished in
press . Exept our older inhabitants don't want to hear something about war and military
affairs.

Best regards and special thanks at this place for your kind informations !

Gerd

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Sad indeed Gerd,
I remember not so long ago, the Leo 2 accident,the tank slipped off the ferry into the Elbe in Stendal. The driver drowned and was found days later (RIP). Panzerbataillon 203, where the tank came from, are stationed in Augustdorf, which is just down the road from me.
I think every road crash or drug taking VIP gets more coverage than that incident.
30 kms seems a bit far fetched to me, maybe 3 changed to 30 over the years, this incident was probably in the 70's.

Regards Eddie