Landships II

vollketten · Lieutenant-Colonel

The 'Official' British history of Tanks - amendment

tanks3 · Major

Voltketten

Very interesting reading. Where did you come across this letter? Do you have the original/

Tanks3

Gwyn Evans · Legend

Fascinating stuff. I'd also be interested to know the source.

Wonderful description of Squadron 20 BTW!

Gwyn

vollketten · Lieutenant-Colonel

I don't own the original but the copies are publically available at Kew.

Part of a huge batch of papers mostly rather dull relating to Lord Hankey.

I have the reply letter too.

But still not a copy as far as I know of the 'Official History' referred to.

Gwyn Evans · Legend

I have consulted David Fletcher, who advises that the publication being referred to is probably Volume 12 of the Official History of the Ministry of Munitions.

Could you let me know the piece reference at The National Archives where you found this correspondence? Was it CAB 127/215 or CAB 63 perhaps?

Thanks

Gwyn

vollketten · Lieutenant-Colonel

CAB 63

Gwyn Evans · Legend

Thanks very much. And congratulations for finding it.

Gwyn

James H · Legend

Found some info relating to the Official History of the Ministry of Munitions. Seems D. Fletcher is correct.

From Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918 by Jonathan Boff; Cambridge University Press, 2012.

He quotes History of the Ministry of Munitions, Volume XII; The Supply of Munitions. Part III; Tanks. That sounds like what Ricardo and Hankey were discussing.

On broader matters relating to it:

One chapter in Boff is entitled Materialschlacht - "battle of materiel" - and makes the following assertion:

"Problems in the production of tanks, and of their spare parts, were a factor in the declining importance of armour on the Hundred Days battlefield. The massed tank attacks of August could not be repeated in subsequent months. By October, almost twice as many tanks in France were in workshops awaiting repair as were fit for action. (679 as against 357)"

I must say that goes against the popular impression that the Germans faced an ever-increasing tank force in the last three months of the War. I had sort of assumed that there was no repeat of Amiens or Soissons because it was tactically preferable to mount small-scale attacks all along the line than to concentrate all the armour in one place, and not because they had no tanks.

Mind you, on the first page of the chapter, Mr. Boff states the following:

"In July (1918) the whole German army on the Western Front had only eighty A7V tanks plus 170 captured British machines." He cites as his source the German Official History, which is disturbing.

Now, if this link works, you should be able to read extracts from Vol XII here. (Tell me if it doesn't work) It does deal with the origins of the Tank and so on. It can be bought in paperback or Kindle. Does this work?: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1847348866/ref=rdr_ext_tmb#reader_1847348866

Well done, Vollketten.

vollketten · Lieutenant-Colonel

both those links worked thank you, Will be obtaining a copy shortly