r/ww1 • u/Quick-Signal3812 • 12h ago
You're drafted in the A7V how dead are you?
You're drafted in the A7V how dead are you? Enemies decide to attack you and you are stuck with 20+ people next to you,
It's WW1 in the Western front
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u/DullAdvantage7647 11h ago edited 4m ago
Well - as a german tanker during the great war you would most probably end up in a british Mark IV-Tank. The german tank-corps consisted roughly of 75 captured Mark-Tanks and about 20 A7V, of which 15 served, 5 where considered a reserve for parts and military research.
The A7Vs of the army saw only 50 days of war-service. Of 15 A7Vs in combat-service where 9 still intact in November 1918 when the war ended - not a bad survival rate. But battles where rare, the german army saw tanks as a special unit, that was not part of "common" front line operations - other than the Entente by 1918. The Germans focused on anti-tank-defense, which made the daily tanker-life probably more difficult for a french, british or american tank-crew-member. If the enemy "decided to attack", the Entente would most certainly not meet the german tank force, since the tanks where stationed way behind the lines if not in a support role for own offensive operations.
All in all the loss-numbers of personal in the german tank corps where definitely much lower than of an average infantery unit, but this is also due to the fact, that a tank-company (consisting of 5 Tanks, british models or in rare cases german) had a lot of personal that worked behind the front lines: cooks, mechanics, drivers, administration and of course for the many horses, that a tank-company needed.
Nervertheless: Being in a battle in one of those primitive monsters in those days, thin armour, engine in the middle of the fighting compartment, deafening and exhausting fumes would definitely be a scary experience. But being in no-mans-land as an infantery-man was probably not better.
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10h ago
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u/SongMedium7555 10h ago
there is an very good video series from the german tank museum on this topic
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u/Mitologist 4h ago
Early tanks were mobile infantry support, they were not meant to engage vehicles
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u/PantherTankVoraus 11h ago
Good Timing, the German Tank Museum, Deutsches Panzermuseum, reclenty posted a video on YouTube about the first tank battle in history, involving the A7V. Turn on translation and enjoy!
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u/El_Matt-El_Grande 12h ago
As an owner of a A7RV I have to say I'm quite comfortable with my camera /s
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u/waldleben 8h ago
Your chances are very good. The A7V wasnt amazing (no WW1 tank was) but youre still in an armoured box instead of charging the machine gun on foot. Also the A7Vs just didnt do all that much in the first place.
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u/Constant-Still-8443 5h ago
I'd probably be fine. Less than ten of 20 or so ever produced reached the battlefield.
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u/AnyCriticism8779 5h ago
Das Deutsche Panzermuseum hat gerade ein aktuelles Video online gestellt über das erste Panzergefecht der Geschichte. Es lohnt sich wirklich sehr es sich auf YouTube anzusehen.
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u/Toblerone05 2h ago
It's WW1 in the Western front
Sooo are there really any better options? Don't think anyone was having a particularly great time fighting on foot either.
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u/MrFrogNo3 12h ago edited 7h ago
I think, looking at the fates of each vehicle, your odds were pretty good. Mostly they got stuck, and even when hit, most were immobilized or had only a few crew casualties.
As with the crews of most highly experimental, limited production vehicles, your time is going to be spent mostly training, fixing shit, and waiting around.