we all know that in the begining of German tank building it was planed to build male and female tank like the British. So they planed and built armor for both. Maybe I got the information wrong, but as far as I know all these female A7Vs were converted to males and never saw action.
During a research for a picture I found, I read action reports of A7V crew members. The source is "Sturmpanzerwagen A7V - from the first tank to the Leopard 2". I read the report of Sergeant Schuchard (pages 458/459) who was the driver of 2nd Lieutenant Skopnik tank (526). He discribes how they painted the grey bodies with camo colours and big numbers (526, 527, 525 and 501) on the side and a big skull on the front. Then he discribes the tank itself (like armor thikness, 6 machine guns and a gun).
But it seems he discribes NOT ALL A7Vs - only HIS tank. He wrote: "... As driver of tank 526, which was the only one with a gun, I took 280 pcs. artillery ammunition aboard. ...". Later he writes: "... As the only one I reached 527 at Pontschu-Ferm by following his tracks. He (527) tried to get British out of mine entries by machine gun fire. But without success. 8 enries in the rock were security enough for the British soldiers. Only the gun of the tank could help get the entries closed. And already the first bullets out of our gun flew beside the cupola 0f 527 into the entries. Death will be ours the crew of 527 thought, because they thought it must be an enemy battery in their back. Of course, big delight was on the crews face, whne they realised that it was the gun of 526 instead. ....".
Did I get something wrong or were 3 female A7Vs in action on 21st march 1918? Please take my appologies if this was already discussed somewhere here.
Does anyone have further informations?
Cheers
Chris
-- Edited by elbavaro on Saturday 2nd of July 2011 08:07:30 PM
You are quite right - the original intention was to have half of the A7V force as "females" with machine guns only. 501 went into action in March 1918 with machine guns only but was converted in May/June 1918 to a gun tank.
Hundleby & Strasheim's book "The German A7V Tank" says that 501 was the only female delivered. The rest of the A7V tanks were delivered as gun tanks. Strashiem's recent book "Sturmpanzer A7V" confirms this view.
The A7Vs deployed at St Quentin on 21 March 1918 were 501, 505, 506, 507 and one other unidentified tank - these tanks were from Abteilung 1.
The action in which 526, 527, 541, 560 and 562 participated in was on 7 April 1918 at St Gobain. 526 was commanded by Oberleutnant Skopnik as you noted. 501 was returned to BAKP 20 (repair depot) on 31 March 1918.
