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German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank - "Mephisto", Villers-Bretonneux, July 1918 (1:72 Scale)
German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank - "Mephisto", Villers-Bretonneux, July 1918

Wings of the Great War German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank - "Mephisto", Villers-Bretonneux, July 1918
 
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Product Code: WW10204

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Wings of the Great War WW10204 German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank - "Mephisto", Villers-Bretonneux, July 1918 (1:72 Scale) "You will be home before the leaves fall from the trees."
- German Emperor Wilhelm II, addressing German soldiers departing for the front in WWI, August 1914

The Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was an enormous vehicle, hurriedly designed following the appearance of British tanks in 1916. Ground clearance was only 40mm (1.57 inches) and the length of the track on the ground was too short for a vehicle of its size. The result was an unstable vehicle with poor cross-country performance.

Despite its obvious flaws, 100 A7Vs were nevertheless ordered in December 1917. The German war machine was already stretched beyond its capacity at tis point in the war and only about 20 were ever produced. Their shortcomings over rough ground were manifested in March 1918 when they first saw action, and they often lagged behind the infantry they were originally designed to support. Variants included the Uberlandwagen, an open-topped, unarmored supply version, and the A7V/U with 'all-around' tracks. During the inter-war period, they were used by the Polish Army for several years until they were eventually retired prior to World War II.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank that was nicknamed "Mephisto". Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-3/4-inches

Release Date: June 2016

Historical Account: "Mephisto" - Mephisto is a German A7V tank captured by Australian and British troops during World War I. One of only 20 built, it is the last surviving example of the first German tank and at present is displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.

The tank was lost at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux on April 24th, 1918. The battle for the area saw the Australian, British and German forces in a fluid situation, moving around the tank, which had been abandoned after falling into a ditch.

The 26th Battalion of the 7th Brigade, mostly from Queensland, hatched a plan to capture it. In July 1918, under cover of an artillery barrage, the Australian infantry and two British vehicles (either Gun Carriers or Mark IV tanks) moved forward and dragged it back to their lines; the Germans were still in sight of the tank and firing at them. They had to don gas masks after poison gas was deployed.

The soldiers who captured Mephisto later engraved their names into the front armour: "TANK BOYS \ H. WILLIAMS, J. BYFORD, A. MCFARLANE, J. PICKLES, H. DUTTON, T. HUGHES"

The tank was then graffitied by Australian troops, with a painting of the AIF rising sun emblem. Machinations began to take the tank back to Australia, but the British wanted to keep it for the Imperial War Museum. It was quickly put on a ship destined for Sydney with the Australian infantry that captured it. The ship was supposed to deliver it to Sydney, with plans for it to go to the war memorial in Canberra's display, but it was diverted to Brisbane and unloaded there. Two steam traction engines moved it from the ship to the Queensland Museum, dragging it on its tracks.
Features
  • Resin construction
  • Static tracks
  • Accurate markings and insignia
  • Vacuu-formed packaging
  • Comes with display base

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