Special Sub-Topic: British Mk V tank Click Here To Play: British Mk V tank

What was the major improvement that made the Mk V so revolutionary?

It was the first tank able to be driven by one man. The Wilson epicyclic gearbox removed the need for two gearsmen to drive the tracks, and the Mk V tank could be driven by a single operator. Just to clarify, even though the tracks were designed the way they were, the tank could not be driven upside down.

What armament did the male Mk V carry?

2 x 6 lb cannon + 4 x Hotchkiss machine gun. The male version of the Mk V tank carried two six pound guns (.23 calibre) as its main armament, while the female version carried no cannon, but six machine guns.

How much power did the Ricardo engine in the Mk V put out?

150 bhp. The Ricardo engine put out nearly 150 bhp (British Horsepower) to drive the Mk V tank. This resulted in a very slow, very vulnerable lummox of a tank, which was fine for the time, as a tank had virtually no enemies, other than steep terrain or mines. Incidentally, the man who invented the engine, Sir Harry Ricardo, also developed the octane index for gasoline, still used today.

What was another improvement that gave the Mk V tank an advantage over the enemy?

Skeens ball MG mount. The Skeens ball mount for the Hotchkiss machine guns gave the gunners an increased firing arc from 60 to 90 degrees, and eliminated the potential of bullet splash entering the tank from outside. Previously, gunners fired through open ports in the side of the tank, and bullets from a nearby machine gun, or a well placed sniper's round could eliminate a gunner quite easily.

What did the Mk V weigh in at?

29.5 tons. The Mk V weighed in at arround 29.5 tons, with the weight varying as to male or female versions. As the female versions did not carry cannons, they weighed slightly less.

What was the top speed of a Mk V?

8 mph. Imagine a 150 hp engine driving 30 tons of steel and iron. The top speed (cross-country) of the Mk V was a whopping 8 mph. The mammoth weight of the tank gave it an effective range of approximately 56 km (male) and 36 km (female).

How many Mk V tanks were produced in total?

400. 200 male tanks and 200 female tanks were produced from 1916-1918. For security reasons, no tank was ever completely built by a single company. Several companies manufactured individual parts of the tank, and they were all put together at a classified location.

How many crew members did it take to start the Ricardo engine?

5. Four members of the crew had to crank the engine over manually, while the commander operated a manual magneto switch. Personal accounts indicate that starting the engine in cold weather required priming of each engine cylinder through its priming cock, having first warmed the spark plugs (two each cylinder) on a pile of burning cotton waste. When the engine was really cold, crews are said to have warmed the priming petrol outside the tank by lighting it in a tin. Once the fuel had warmed, a tight fitting lid was placed over the tin to extinguish the flames and the fuel then used to prime the engine.

What was another improvement made to the Mk V tank that improved its dexterity?

Unditching beam. An unditching beam was added to the tanks later in the war. This beam could be chained to the tracks, and pulled down underneath the tank for added traction when the tank became bogged down in mud. The beam worked in much the same principle as modern tire chains.

How did British tank commanders tell the difference between operational Mk V's, and ones that had been captured by the Germans?

Painted markings. Simple red and white stripes were painted on the front of the tanks to differentiate between tanks that had been captured by the Germans. How this worked is unknown to me, as what would stop the Germans from painting their own stripes on the tanks?