Tankopedia
WW1HeavyHeavy TankUnited Kingdom

Mark V

In service 1918 - 1920s

The most refined WW1 rhomboid: one driver, epicyclic gearbox, purpose-built engine.

Built byMetropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Co.

Mark V
British Mark V (male) tank — Department of Tank Design and Experiment collection, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

Where earlier marks needed four men to steer, the Mark V's Wilson epicyclic gearbox let a single driver control the vehicle. A purpose-designed Ricardo engine and better ventilation made it far more usable. The stretched Mark V* added a hull section to cross the wide Hindenburg Line trenches; survivors served with several armies into the 1920s and 1930s.

Variants

One canonical record, 4 recorded variants.

  1. Mark V Male

    1918

    Two 6-pdr guns; Ricardo engine and single-driver epicyclic gearbox.

  2. Mark V Female

    1918

    Machine guns only in the sponsons.

  3. Mark V*

    1918

    Hull lengthened by about 1.8 m to cross Hindenburg Line trenches; could carry infantry.

  4. Mark V**

    1918

    Redesigned with a 225 hp engine; only a handful completed before the armistice.

Notable actions

  • Hamel 1918
  • Amiens 1918
  • Russian Civil War