Mark VIII Liberty
In service 1919 - 1932
Also known asLiberty tank, Anglo-American tank
The "International" - the largest rhomboid tank ever built, finished too late for the war it was designed to win.
Built byAnglo-American joint programme; Rock Island Arsenal
Development history
Designed in 1918 as a joint Anglo-American heavy for the 1919 campaign, the Mark VIII separated crew and engine compartments with a bulkhead for the first time and used the Liberty aero engine for real power. The Armistice killed mass production; American assembly at Rock Island finished around a hundred hulls in 1919-20. They served as the US Army's only heavy tanks through the 1920s, were used for trials and training at Aberdeen and Fort Meade, and a batch was handed to Canada in 1940 for training duties.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
British-built Mark VIII
1918-19Small British series, Ricardo engine on some hulls
US Rock Island Mark VIII
1919-20Liberty V12, around 100 built, served through the 1920s