Composite Tanks

Composite Tanks

Composite (or hermaphrodite) tanks were tanks with one make and one female sponson.

David Fletcher has suggested that composite tanks were created by simply swapping a sponson from a male and female MkV ^(S11.p142). Gwym Evans, in correspondence with the Author has indicated he believes all the Composite tanks fielded in 1918 were females. Male tanks were fitted with female sponsons after the war and several male tanks were thus photographed.

Central Workshops fitted a Mk V with a MkIV sponson on 18^th June 1918 ^(CW), this was presumably a male sponson though this is not specified.

In early July 1918 Central Workshops were ordered to convert all female machines to "hermaphrodites by fitting male Mk IV sponsons WO 95-117-8 p22

10^th and 14^th battalions both drew their MkV tanks in July ^{(W10, W14)} ; 14^th drew 24 male and 12 composite tanks ^(W14) ; 10^th Battalion was also equipped with composite tanks ^{(W10 BHS)}.

The other MkV battalions all drew their MkV in April (2^nd, 8^th Battalions), May (9^th, 13^th Battalions) and June (5^th and 4^th Battalions) and thus would not initially have fielded composite tanks.

Photographic evidence suggests the first composites probably had MKIV male sponsons:

tank J18, IWM Q 9248: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205125425

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/936747163/in/set-72157601074581465/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/937584348/in/set-72157601074581465/ ,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/8465952237/in/set-72157601074581465/ , 9424;

X9.p5, X11.dust jacket,

MkV* tanks were also converted to Composites - on 22^nd August 1918 1^st Battalion Mk V* composite 9806, "Ajax" was filmed in Meaulte http://www3.nfb.ca/ww1/wartime-film.php?id=531528 7:22

^Sources

^{W1 to W16 - War Diaries for relevant tank battalions, Transcript form Bovington tank Museum}

^{H13 - War History for 13th Tank battalion, Transcript from Bovington tank Museum}

^{CW - Central Workshops War Diary PRO WO 95-}

H14 – 14^th Battalion War History in PRO WO 95-103

W14 – 14^th Battalion War Diary in PRO WO 95-103

General Tank Information