A7V

Sturmpanzerwagen A7V
Sole surviving A7V (Mephisto) on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra
TypeHeavy tank
Place of originGerman Empire
Service history
In service21 March 1918 – 16 October 1918
Used byGerman Empire
WarsWorld War I
German Revolution
Production history
DesignerJoseph Vollmer
Designed1916
ManufacturerDaimler Motoren Gesellschaft
No. built20
Specifications
Mass31.5 t (31.0 long tons; 34.7 short tons) battle weight
Length7.34 m (24 ft 1 in)
Width3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Height3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
CrewA minimum of 18, sometimes up to 25.

Armor5 to 30 mm (0.20 to 1.18 in)[1]
Main
armament
5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt
(initially with 180 rounds; later 300)
Secondary
armament
6 × 7.9 mm machine guns
36,000 rounds
Engine2 × Daimler-Benz 4-cylinder
200 hp (149 kW) total
Power/weight6.5 hp/tonne
TransmissionAdler gearboxes and differentials
SuspensionHolt track, vertical springs
Operational
range
30–80 km (19–50 mi)
Maximum speed 15 km/h (9.3 mph) on roads
6.4 km/h (4.0 mph) cross-country

The Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was a heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as Überlandwagen cargo carriers.[2] The number to be armoured was later increased to 20. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat, as well as being the first operational German Tank.[3] It was developed as a response to British tanks. Although the A7V is generally considered to be better designed compared to its counterparts, it struggled to procure high production numbers due to its relative complexity and high cost.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Hull front: 30 mm (1.2 in), hull rear & sides: 15 mm (0.59 in), hull top:6 mm (0.24 in) Funk (2003), p. 135, command cupola: 20 mm (0.79 in) front, 15 mm (0.59 in) rear & sides and 5 mm (0.20 in) on top Funk (2003), p. 135
  2. ^ Zaloga (2006), pp. 7–10.
  3. ^ Tucker (2004), pp. 24–25.
  4. ^ "The A7V Sturm Panzerkraftwagen". www.keymilitary.com. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  5. ^ Nye, Logan (29 April 2020). "Autopsy of a German tank killed in World War I combat". We Are The Mighty. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ Larson, Caleb (5 September 2021). "Meet the German Empire's WWI Herculean Heavy tank". The National Interest. Retrieved 14 December 2023.