Landships II

not ww1, (1920's), not a mock-up, not a decoy but a (Reichswehr) trainer...with spoked wheels Chris!

This is a German decoy, left in Lille (Rijssel in Flemish) in 1918. It's not sure the dummy should resemble a Whippet or an LK II, I put my money on the latter.
Those Australians: poor guys, attacking in a wooden contraption, I really feel sorry for these men

regards, Kieffer

-- Edited by kieffer on Thursday 9th of September 2010 11:23:31 AM

Hi again Kieffer, here's a photo of the up market post WW1 BMW based training tank, look at the attention to detail, spare wheel et al.

The Austin 7 was built by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG under license as the Dixi.

The Australian War Memorial has a great many pictures on the theme of dummies/decoys. Most of the WW1 era are described as "Copyright expired - public domain" but nevertheless the Memorial exercises the right to control any commericial use. Also they make a little money by selling best quality prints. So, especially when presenting a sizeable number of them, I think it best to just present links (besides the work of downloading and uploading would be considerable). Sorry but worth the effort to "click" and see. There may be some doubling up - some photos appear in multiple sections within the AWM collection.

From slightly earlier times:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P01220.003
Dummy blockhouse (with dummy sentry), Transvaal during the Boer War.

Wood and canvas construction? Hah! - this one is cardboard according to the AWM. I think it clearly belongs in the section after but ...:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/C04561
Le Catelet, France. September 1918. Dummy tank made of cardboard used as a decoy in the big push by 4th Australian Divisional Ammunition Column.

Those Australian decoy rhomboids mentioned by Rob (and a clearer idea of camouflage patterns used, late war):

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04932
Near Catelet, France. 17 September 1918. Men of the 4th Field Company of Australian Engineers, in the process of constructing a dummy tank, which, drawn by the men, was to be used as a diversion in the attack next morning on Le verguier by the 1st and 4th Divisions.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04933
Catelet, France. An informal group portrait of unidentified members of the 4th Field Company Engineers standing with 'Never Dyer', one of the camouflaged dummy tanks they constructed.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04934
Near Catelet, France. 17 September 1918. Australian soldiers carrying a dummy tank, weighing about a quarter of a ton, which had been completed, with others, by the 4th Field Company of Australian Engineers, at their camp.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04935
Catelet, France. Five unidentified members of the 4th Field Company Engineers building a dummy tank at their camp. The tank is one of several built, each weighing about a quarter of a ton and made of wooden frames covered with painted hessian. The following day the tanks were used during the attack by the 1st and 4th Australian Divisions on the Hindenburg Outpost Line near Le Verguier.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04936
Near Catelet, France. 17 September 1918. A dummy tank completed by the 4th Field Company of Australian Engineers, near Catelet, for use the next day in the attack on Le Verguier by the 1st and 4th Divisions.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/C04505
Dummy tanks, used successfully by the 4th Australian Division in the attack on Le /vergieur in September 1918. These tanks, ten in number, were made by the 4th Field Company, Australian Engineers, entirely of wood and canvas. They were camouflaged, and even given names and regimental colours added. Two eight feet diameter wheels with huge flanges supported the tanks six inches clear of the ground, and crews of six men had no difficulty in pushing the tanks over boggy ground and trenches. Only one tank was disabled and two of the crew slightly wounded by machine gun fire.

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E05255
Seven unidentified Australian soldiers gathered around three German timber dummy tanks salvaged by the Australian War Records Section from Wallonie, Namur and Marcinelle after the war.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H04659
Marne, France. 1918-09-10. A dummy wood tank constructed by the German Army at Pontfaverges.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04444
[url=]http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04446]http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04446[/url]
A German dummy whippet tank, made of timber, found at Charleroi.

Recruiting and fund-raising models:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H16150
Hobart, Tasmania. A recruiting drive on Red Cross Day using a dummy tank.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P05054.004
Salvation Army "Fighting Mac" on tank with the Mayor of Taree, Mr W Wrigley standing on top of the dummy tank.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H02152
BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND. C. 1916. MR FRANK BOWCHER ON TOP OF A DUMMY TANK, DURING A RECRUITING CAMPAIGN, APPEALS FOR VOLUNTEERS.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H02150
Brisbane, Queensland. 1918. 7th Australian Commonwealth War Loan Bonds being sold from a dummy tank outside the Queen Street Post Office.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H16156
Perth, Western Australia. 1918. A dummy tank, imported from Great Britain, being used to encourage citizens to subscribe to the sixth War Loan.

Dummy artillery:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P05460.002
Turkish dummy gun found at Gallipoli post-war by the garrisoning Australian 7th Light Horse Regiment and the New Zealand Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment during an audit of Turkish inventories (ALH trooper shown).
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H07046
Vimy Ridge, France. c. 1917. Dummy German Army artillery found by Canadian Army soldiers after the capture of the area.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H09148
Fampoux Ridge, France. c. 1917.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E00392
Surmounting the pedestal near the town hall in Bapaume is a stovepipe anti-aircraft 'dummy gun', erected by the Germans.

Dummy warships:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H10403
Imbros Island, Greece. 1915. Two dummy warships sunk to form a breakwater in Kephalos Harbour.
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/C01430
A 'dummy' cruiser, which was designed to deceive the enemy as to the strength of Allied forces, off Lemnos.

Bridges:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04838
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04839
A dummy 'bridge', made of camouflage netting strung across the Somme River.

Horses:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/J06264
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/B02667
DUMMY HORSES MADE BY CORPORAL SMITH, 6TH LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT, IN THE JORDAN VALLEY, ABOUT 1918-09-04.

(Yes, there were dummy cows too but they didn't come in until WW2.)

Decoy troops:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P00859.005
GALLIPOLI, TURKEY, 1915. A DUMMY DRESSED UP IN MILITARY UNIFORM TO DRAW FIRE FROM TURKISH SOLDIERS. THE DECOY WAS SET UP IN THE TRENCHES OF THE 10TH BATTALION, 1ST AIF.

Rifles:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P04264.002
Group portrait of unidentified women of an entertainment troupe, with dummy rifles on their shoulders.

A Prime minister (awfully good idea - like any dummy, they do less harm than the real thing):-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E04919
Rouge Croix, France. Three unidentified Australian soldiers with a dummy of the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes hanging from a window.

And even a tree:-

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E03861
A dummy tree used as an observation post on Hill 63 by Australian troops during the Battle of Messines on 7 June 1917.

I recall there was quite a tale about that last one. A suitable existing tree had to be carefully surveyed and sketched without attracting the attention of enemy lookouts, the copy had to be made behind the lines then moved up and (quietly) substituted for the real one during the course of a single dark night - no doubt "freezing" whenever an illumination flare from the other side went up (and co-ordinating with own side flares).

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Thursday 9th of September 2010 09:03:43 PM

Great local detail to share, thanks. The 'Battlefield Archaeologists' (Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver) might have mentioned that in one of their programmes, but I certainly can't recall it if they did. They were looking at Inchkeith, specifically, in that one I think - so any mention of the other islands would be incidental.

The usual sorts of things that go on are the dummy reactivation of abandoned coast gun emplacements - mixed with the actual reactivation of others. It takes some imagination to primp an island to make it look a bit like a battleship.

Anyone come across any WW1 mock aircraft yet? That was a huge thing in WW2 but I think I have yet to see any WW1 instances. I suppose, given the state of the aeronautical arts, any dummies would be well on the way to being a functional machine so why waste effort and materials on a dummy? Or maybe aviators just didn't shoot at each other "off duty" so there was no point? They always were a strange bunch. Or very sane. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Friday 10th of September 2010 05:57:45 AM

Hughbearson wrote:

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Fascinating... Talking about dummy warships...

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Hi Hugh, there were or was at least one dummy U-boat too, I think a decoy as it was constructed upon a normal vessel. I think most ship-dummies were static.
regards, Kieffer

 

The tree (or some) had an armoured little cabin at the top with a folding chair too.
Some protection and comfort I guess..as almost any possible observation post was shot at I don't think life was easy at the top.
Mock-up and decoy together: it's ww2, but the Wehrmacht used a mild steel prototype of the PzKpfw V Medium as a decoy, or can you call it like that when it's only used to mislead by releasing pictures of it to the press? They took the tank with them to Norway in 1940, photographed the vehicles (presumably 4) on a jetty and let British intelligence believe there were 'heavy' tanks active on Norwegian soil.
The pictures: a 'real' mock-up of the Big Wheel at Lincoln. The Big Wheel concept led a sturdy life I guess. From the Czar tank to the Panjandrum 'self propelling' rocketed wheel in the UK, a very unsuccesfull attempt seen on hilarious film reels.
Second picture: ww1 papier mache heads. I think some artist did some work, the looks on the faces are rather impressive.

regards, Kieffer

off course I did not mean the Panther. You're right about the types name (IV),  the Neubau models taken to Oslo were called V by propaganda issues.

regards, Kieffer


-- Edited by kieffer on Monday 13th of September 2010 03:04:14 PM