Mark III (tank)
| Mark III | |
|---|---|
British Mark III in a trench (1917) |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 8th |
| length | 8.05 m |
| width | 3.89 m |
| height | 2.64 m |
| Dimensions | 26 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 6-12 mm |
| Main armament | 2 × 57 mm cannon for the "Male" type; Two MGs with type "Female" |
| Secondary armament | 4 x 7.62 mm Lewis MGs |
| agility | |
| drive |
kW (PS) |
| Top speed | 5 km / h |
| Power / weight | PS / t |
| Range | 25 km |
The British Mark III tank was built during World War I and was a further development of the Mark I and Mark II , the latter originally only being used for training purposes. Like the Mark II, the Mark III was not made of hardened armor steel, so it was almost unarmoured: a heavy machine gun could penetrate the armor. In contrast to the Mark II, however, it was never actually used. Instead of the planned additional layer of armor plates, however, certain plates were reinforced to a maximum thickness of 12 mm. At the beginning of 1917, 50 Mark IIIs were produced - 25 'Male' (with cannon and machine-gun armament) and 25 'Female' (only equipped with machine-guns). The later Mark III Females had smaller side oriels. The Mark III was armed with Lewis machine guns. The last two tanks of this type were scrapped during World War II .
literature
- David Fletcher: Landships - British Tanks in the First World War. HMSO 1984, ISBN 0-11-290409-2 .
