F Battalion. Spare, Wire Pulling and Supply Tanks at Cambrai

The Tanks at Cambrai. 20^th – 30^th November 1917.

Supply, Spare and Wire Pulling Tanks, F Battalion.

According to the Train timetable in PRO WO 95/104 “F” battalion had 2 Spare, 4 Wire pulling and 6 supply tanks on 20^th November 1917.

Spare tanks

The battlegraph lists two spare tanks:

RES 1 (possibly FW1, the copy is unclear)

FW 3

The following may also have been spares:

F15, “Fifinella”

F17 this tank was knocked out on the 27^th when it seems to be mistakenly referred to as FS2 in the War History narrative. A photograph is the only evidence a tank "F17" was at Cambrai.

F21, “Five Knights”

F43 , 2Lt A Hinxman, with 9 section on 20^th November ^(S37)

F48, 2736, f, “Fiara”, 2Lt EN Edwards with 10 section on 20^th November ^{(S37) (S37)}

F55, 2720, f, “Fly by night” 2Lt W Maughan, with 11 section on 20^th November ^(S37)

F56, 2341, m “Fan Tan” ^(S37) with crew F56 on 27^th November, Fan Tan is not recorded prior to this date. Crew F56 were with tank “Fly paper” on 20^th November according to the War history.

In Armoured fighting vehicles (S67.p51) "Fly Paper" and "Fan Tan" are said to be the same tank.

It seems probable that on 20^th November, F battalion had 6 spare tanks, FW3 was presumably a wire pulling tank on the 20^th November, becoming a spare tank after that date.

Wire pulling tanks

No wire pulling tanks are specifically mentioned in the narrative or on the battlegraph.

FW1 is listed in the narrative participating in the Marcoing action on the 21^st.

FW3 is listed as a spare tank in the battlegraph.

Supply Tanks

The Narrative lists 4 Supply tanks, all were possibly female fighting tanks.

F37 (note same crew number assigned to “Ferocious II”)

F21 (Crew F21 fought in tank “Five Knights” on the 27^th, this tank not listed on the 20^th )

FS1 (FS1 / F53, Lt GM Mellor, according to S37)

FS2, 6014 (FS2 / F59, 2Lt CS Hodges according to S37)

Account of Operations ^(H6)

Spare tanks

No information on RES1, see Wire pullers below for FW3 actions

F15, F48 and F55 are all listed as being in action on the 21^st November but not as attacking on the 20^th; they were presumably spare tanks on the 20^th.

F21 in action on the 27^th

Wire pulling tanks

No information is given on the Wire pulling tanks on the 20th.

FW1 is listed in the narrative participating in the Marcoing action on the 21^st.

FW3 is listed in the narrative participating in the Bourlon action on 26^th / 27^th.

Supply Tanks

FS1, F21 and F37 all reached the RP (La Vacquerie valley) with supplies at 4.30pm on the 20^th.

At 6.30pm FS1, F21 and F37 were all sent to Masnieres with supplies.

F21 arrived with 6pdr and SAA at 4.30am.

FS1 broke down near Quennet farm and may have been left there until it was possibly captured by the Germans when they recaptured the farm on 30th November: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/7706831364/in/set-72157601074582281

F37 was making slow progress so it stopped, dumped its load of 6pdr and SAA and then returned to FS1 and filled up with grease, oil and petrol arriving at Masnieres at 9am on the 21^st.

FS2 was damaged at the RP on the 22^nd but is listed in the narrative participating in the Bourlon action on 26^th / 27^th.

Sources

H6 – 6^th (F) Tank Battalion War History PRO 95/107

W23 – War Diary of 3^rd Tank Brigade, relevant battle graph and narrative PRO WO95/104

S37 - Jean-Luc Gibot and Phillippe Gorczynski (1999) Following the Tanks, Cambrai

S67 - Armoured fighting Vehicles of the World. Volume 1. A.F.V. World War one (1998) Duncan Crow Et al

Cambrai Narratives