Medium Tank Mk A (Whippet)

History of the Mk A (Whippet) medium tank

Medium Tank Mk A (also known as "Whippet") is an armored vehicle specially designed to take advantage of the front gap created by heavier diamond-shaped main battle tanks such as the Mark I series. The medium tank Mk A later became the most successful British tank of the war and was used as the spearhead of the attack, causing many German casualties. Designer William Tritton, an expert in the development of agricultural machinery, was commissioned to work with Major Walter Gordon Wilson to create a tracked vehicle for transporting large naval guns. While working on the project, they saw a separate but equal military application for the tractor and were credited with inventing the Mk A medium tank.

A prototype (interestingly, with a rotating turret borrowed from the Austin armored car design) was completed in February 1917, and then evaluated. 200 were ordered in March 1917, and the system was delivered in December of the same year.

Later, Triton designed the famous Mark I to Mark V series of heavy tanks for the war.

Medium Tank Mk A fulfilled the need for a fast and inexpensive armored vehicle that could work alongside heavy tanks to close gaps on the front line while raiding deep behind enemy lines. World War I tanks traversing an extensive network of trenches proved to be a pervasive problem, as enemy forces simply widened those gaps as new capable Allied tanks came online.

These obstacles have proven to be an ongoing problem for both tank crews and tank engineers.

The Whippet is armed with 3 to 4 7.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns with over 5,400 rounds of ammunition. The main role of the Whippet was against infantry, so no cannon was fired. The lack of heavy artillery like the British 6-pounder Mark I series makes the Whippet more of an armored personnel carrier (APC) than a true "tank".

In any case, it is classified as a "medium tank". The drive is provided by 2 x 45 hp British standard coach engines for heavy industry, one engine per route. Steered by the designated driver using a car-style steering wheel.

When turning left or right, the throttle of both engines increases or decreases depending on the required turn. Tanks need more power in the opposite lane in the desired direction. In practice, if the driver makes a sharp left or right turn, the engine stalls, forcing the tank to abruptly stop.

As suspected in combat conditions, stationary vehicles become "targets of opportunity".

There is no turret like in traditional tank designs, but a fixed superstructure is attached. The casing is large enough to accommodate a crew of three and up to four machine guns. Additional crews could sometimes be added for additional fire support, requiring the removal of machine guns.

The 7.7mm machine gun was repositioned on one of the four mounts, giving tank commanders some tactical flexibility. The Mk A's 13 km/h (8.3 mph) speed and range (257 km/160 miles) showcases some of the series' greatest assets as it has twice the speed and range of the Mark I series heavy tanks.

As a result, the Whippet became one of the fastest main battle tanks on the battlefield and frightened among the German infantry trying to defend the position.

Early action proved valuable as the Whippet protected the British from the 1918 German Spring offensive. In a later recorded instance of the battle (actually a second tank-to-tank duel), a company of seven Mk A Whippet tanks attacked two 800-man German infantry battalions in the open area near Cachy.

The tanker killed more than 400 German soldiers, eventually destroying the unit. A German A7V tank caused 1 Whippet lost and 1 damaged during the advance, but the German damage was already done.

Whippet then took part in the Amiens Offensive on August 8, 1918, breaking through the German lines and wreaking havoc in the German rear while destroying a large number of artillery pieces. Among the group was a Whippet tank nicknamed "The Music Box," which roamed behind enemy lines for up to nine hours, destroying a battery, an infantry battalion and a transport column, causing hundreds of casualties.

The Germans ended up using the Whippet when they were captured, and the Red Army continued to use this tank throughout the 1930s. Examples have also been seen in Ireland, Canada, Japan and South Africa. A total of 200 were produced, under the Fosters of Lincoln brand label from 1917 to 1918.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

5,400x7.7mm ammo.

Changes