Landships II

ZigZag · Lieutenant

Whippet MG's Quantity

Peter Smith · Captain

There wasn't really a lot of space in the Whippet cab to stow a spare gun, and it would have been largely out of the way in its ball mount. But a lot of Whippet photos - including most in Fletcher's Osprey book - show no guns mounted. There are a fair few Whippet photos on line. I suggest "counting heads" where the rear gun mount can be seen.

ZigZag · Lieutenant

Peter thanks.

Gwyn Evans · Legend

John Glanfield says four were carried.

Certainly there are four ball mountings, but there was also provision for an anti-aircraft mounting on Medium A manufactured after 17 April 1918. I can prove both those statements correct - the first from observation and the second from a record at The National Archives.

Where are you having your chat fight? Is it a spectator sport?

ZigZag · Lieutenant

Gwyn,
Thanks for the information but to put dots on the I were there 4 MG's at the same time in the ball mounts?

I am chating on Russian modeling site called Karopka. karopka.ru

Gwyn Evans · Legend

Well, from a purely theoretical point of view I can't see how mounting all four guns at once would be either practical or desirable. It certainly wouldn't be possible to serve all four guns at the same time with three crew, including the driver. Also the stocks would hinder movement inside the turret if the guns were left in place just in case they were needed.

Remember the ball mounts swivel so as to close the opening entirely. There is no need to mount a gun just to seal the opening.

Gwyn

ZigZag · Lieutenant

Gwyn,
Thanks a lot!

Peter Smith · Captain

Any more details on the AA mount? Was it a ball mount in the roof like the early Medium MKII, something in the roof hatch or an external device? I've got a Whippet in build - structurally complete and in primer - but it would be an interesting addition.

I imagine that the rear gun would be unshipped for the AA mount. It was the least useful of the 4 most of the time.

Yes, 4 guns in 4 faces between 2 crew = overwork, particularly for the commander. Especially with the constant short "belt" strip reloading. That equation never gets any easier to solve. One assumes that the practical answer was for the gunner to man the front gun and the commander to man the 2 side guns in between observing and directing.

Unless anyone knows better, I don't believe there was dedicated stowage inside the cab for unmounted guns. Fine for a road march, but a loose gun on the floor in action would only have been a hazard along with the spent brass, strips and empty boxes

Gwyn Evans · Legend

I have never seen the AA mount so I can't answer the question. There were simply holes drilled to allow it to be fitted. There is no evidence it ever was.

Gwyn Evans · Legend

I don't have a stowage diagram for a Medium A, but other British tanks did have stowage for a dismounted gun so I wouldn't rule it out.

Peter Smith · Captain

I had a peek inside the Bovington Whippet yesterday. And I was entirely wrong about stowage for dismounted guns. There are in fact 4 such stowages inside the angled cab plate to the left of the rear door. Couldn't get a photo because of the angle and the reflection from the perspex in the doorway.

There are 4 wooden plinths for the ends of the receiver bodies to sit on - just a wooden block really - and spring clips for each barrel. No visible means of securing the bottoms of the weapons as the plinths appear to have no positive location. Perhaps there was a webbing or leather strap, now missing. I couldn't see any sign of a securing point for such a strap.

For no obvious reason the stowages are staggered vertically, lowest at the rear. The bolt heads I've ringed yellow in this photo show their locations: the left-most lower ones are hidden by the stowage bracket. I must admit that I didn't notice what the 3 adjoining sets of bolt heads ringed blue were for. The fact that they mirror the offsets of the others must mean they are related. I'll have another look when I'm there again in a couple of weeks. DSC_2349.JPG_2.JPG

MooreTanks · Lieutenant-Colonel

First hand Mark I - Mark V tank crew accounts I read often mention the barrel of their machine gun getting damaged from enemy fire: bullets and shrapnel. They just say they had to change it for the spare machine gun. I imagine the Whippet crews would also need a spare.

Peter Smith · Captain

Yes there were leather straps to secure the guns to the steps they sat on at the bottom. There are also other various brackets alongside (matching the blue-ringed bolts) but I have no idea what for. Again, the damn perspex screen across the door of the Bovington tank prevents getting a picture.