Inside Mark I: The First Fighting Tank
The first ever use of the tank in battle happened during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. In this video we look inside a unique survivor - the last British Mark I Heavy Tank in existence and examine the first tank action at Flers, an event that changed the face of warfare.
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To learn more, why not check out these videos?
David Fletchers original Tank Chat ► • Tank Chats #18 Mark I
See inside the worlds first tank ► • See inside Little Will...
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00:00 | Intro
00:39 | The First Tanks
03:23 | The Mark I
08:11 | See Inside
13:10 | Battle of Flers
#tankmuseum #MarkI #TanksAtFlers
We hope you enjoyed this unique episode of Tank Chats Reloaded - let us know what you thought in the comments below!
I'd like to get in that one some day. Be awesome if it gets restored some day. Not likely now but we still got 1 at least. 👍
You should have included how the Sleeve Valve Engine leaked so much exhaust fumes that they sometimes killed the entire crew. The Germans obtained a number of these British Tanks once they figured out how to get into them and installed a blower for ventilation. These free tanks would continue to lumber along until they ran out of fuel or got stuck...
@@davidhollenshead4892 it's hard to understand why this feature wasn't installed by the British, it seems like a no-brainer but things were looked at differently then I suppose.
This was a superb look at the Mk1 and its impact on history. Well done!
source please@@davidhollenshead4892
That German soldier that bayoneted one on the gunners in the foot must have struggled to keep up with the tank due to the weight of his balls
Not sure if he's the bravest or dumbest solder in the war. Both.
The mad lad attacked a tank with a bayonet. And when the bayonet broke, he probably started punching the vehicle.
@@frostedbutts4340 Well it's also kinda smart as well. As has been said in the video, it was an absolute nightmare being inside the tank, and having that entrance as one of the main vent holes where a cold fresh air would be coming inside the tank , your natural instinct would be to stay as close to it as possible. Hence why bayoneting inside this whole seems pretty smart. Perhaps that soldier knew it as well.
Meth is a helluva drug
@@macinfloydvolkmeth wasn’t issued as a combat drug until the ‘40s.
Surely one of the best tank chats/insides, that touches on the absolute hell that the first tankers had to endure...
better than infantrymen out in the open
@@grandoldpartisan8170 I prefer not to make comparisons between the different kinds of hell.
@@grandoldpartisan8170”War is hell for everyone, except those who never see a battlefield. For those it is a game of chess”
@@FunDipFobshe is actually right though...
I still think it's so cool that the only surviving German A7V was captured by Australians and is now displayed in my hometown of Brisbane 🇦🇺
Was that at the old museum?
Good ol`Mephisto !
Me to, last I heard was it was tucked away in some wearhouse for restoration.
I saw it on display at the QLD museum, about a year ago. Might have been moved since then.
Did you know it was a Australian inventor that created the tank concept his name was Lancelot de Mole
A glaring problem with early tanks not mentioned was that they were unsprung. There was no suspension system, and the terrain they crossed was rough and pocked by holes made by artillery. Between the engine fumes, gunpowder fumes and horribly rough ride, it wasn't uncommon for tank occupants to become violently nauseous. Later in the war when they tried using a few rhomboid tanks as infantry carriers, the troops were incapacitated to the point of being unable to fight once they were across to the German lines.
That's interesting - when and where were tanks used as APCs please?
@@Simon_Nonymousnever happened. There were trials, carrying troops in MK V tanks, not in combat, and MK IX tank was developed as a troop carrier, but only 3 had been produced by the end of the war.
I did actually think/know that - but was interested as to Larry's sources in case I'd missed something in 45 years of reading; maybe they might answer, maybe they won't. A bit like the poster who said the Germans found a number of tanks with dead suffocated crew then took them over and decided to put a fan in the roof and made them actually work, as the Briish were so silly not to have done this... I've never read anything that supports this either.
@@Simon_Nonymous astonishing the amount of total fantasies that get posted on here, Facebook and Quota. D
@@Simon_Nonymous In 1918, at the Battle of Amiens some Mark Vs were converted (I think the designation was 'Mk V*') with a longer wheelbase, and generals Monash and Rawlinson were keen to use them to deliver fresh troops onto the objective. Indeed there were problems with carbon monoxide as the early Mk Vs had exhaust manifold problems. I believe the longer wheelbase brought on mechanical issues, and in the end they were used to transport supplies which was just as valuable.
Really fascinating. When I saw that engine in the middle of the tank's interior, I winced in pain. I could imagine the tank under enemy fire and therefore completely enclosed, weapons firing and that 1915 engine in the middle of it all with its heat, fumes and noise. It makes me appreciate driving my Toyota Corolla.
Surrounded by five hatches I could actually get through in Corolla wagon in a hurry, quite privileging in comparison.
If you take the inside engine cover off a new Chevy van, it's already quite loud, even with the exhaust connected. My father had got a Ford tractor from the 20s running, it was just deafening, never mind being inside a steel box with it.
Yeah, I've read that the tank crews tended to get very ill due to all of those factors. We have it easy, man.
I owe my life to the effectiveness of modern Armor, which wouldn't have been possible if not for the lessons that were first started with the Mark I. With all her wear and tear, she is a beauty worthy of every ounce of respect earned from a baptism by blood and fire.
Thank you for serving, we all need to thank our vets from the distant past to the recent, and appreciate the life saving developments along the way. What's your opinion on the most evolved gear the regular infantryman has these days, I say that because I'm not referring to aircraft or missiles, of course they would be the whole of our military most evolved, but a ground soldier gear. My choice is the MREs, I think morale is one of the most overlooked thing sometimes
Thanks for this video today. My family is remembering my Granduncle Pvt Ernest William Maud who died on this day 15/09/1916 North-East of Delville Wood. RIP
Brilliant crisp, clear delivery. Great Tank chat.
Exactly what I was thinking. Finally, something that isn't sitting in a circle, crying about Russia
Nice to hear the Kings English spoken so concisely.
I saw what you did there @@jon9021
i played in the Mark 1 in the 1960's in the grounds of Hatfield House. looks much nicer now compared to when i tried to drive it as a six year old lol
I read the piece on you by the New York Times! So proud of your work. You're setting the trend for other institutions with far greater resources than yours. Congratulations!
My great uncle was killed at flers in 1916. I visited his grave in 2001, that was a fascinating account , thankyou.
The vehicle that defined tank-tical warfare
What a Tank-tical joke!
@@mdnim_2564 Why, tank you for noticing.
The mother of all Jokes.
On an unrelated note, the economy is tanking.
The tanks were fitted by a screen to prevent grenades from being thrown onto the tank. This is fascinatingly reminiscent to the "Cope Cages" as used in the Ukraine War by both sides.
I was thinking the same thing
At 7:56 you can see the very first cope cage. Intersting to see it wasn't effective either.
Came here to say the very same. 😂
lol I just posted the same, then read your comment.
@@HotTacticalBoyfriendOfficial I did the same. Watched the video then went back to comment. The comments section updated and saw a couple others noticed the same thing. 😄
Have you seen the video supposedly from a Ruzzi of a cope-cage for aircraft in Ukraina? Rather good to see old technology still in use😝
RuZZians out here like "War. War never changes."
I was born in Hatfield in 1958. In the mid 60's I can recall being taken to Hatfield House for a day out. I vividly remember the tank on display there and being able to climb on it and inside it. It was full of children inside, all having great fun. I recall that someone had forced fizzy drinks cans into what I presume were the shell racks, and there was a strong smell of pee in there. Obviously some naughty child not bothering too much about where and when... It's amazing to me to recall how much freedom we had in those days to climb and play as we wished. By way of contrast, how precious everyone is about artefacts like this nowadays. What a shame that no one will ever see that interior again, except through the medium of video. On one of the occasions in the past when I visited Bovington, I remember asking a member of staff if this was the Hatfield tank, but they weren't sure. I'm glad to have clarified that.
There used to be anti-aircraft guns you could set in and spin around and they still worked in the 80s all around the strategic areas of east coast US. Then they started cleaning them up, and scrapping them, welding a few, or put in museums.
I actually have a sheared off rivet presumably from a tank that maybe took part in this action. Found it 1988 looking for battle field debris around Flers when i was a kid.
Enjoying these more factual videos, without the sensationalism of the "top 10" or "worst 10" ones. Great pivot in content!
I like both. It's interesting hearing the reason for the top and bottom 10s.
Tops + Bottoms are interesting with a presenter that actually knows what they're talking about.
Probably one of the best, if not the best, Tank Chat so far. Always wanted to see inside the Mark I
Thank you so much for the clear and concise educational video.
Been in a replica slow as a walking man,swooning on petrol fumes and farting on cordite.. that was just on the road.. those crewmen were unbelievably tough🫡
Dear Chris, an excellent presentation, thank you for your ceaseless efforts and the continuing quality of the material. I think you can present the MK1 on behalf of the Museum without qualifications for the rather rough interior state, the camera work made everything very visible and (we imagine) we can see broadly what the crew might have seen, and description fills in any gaps. Thank you.
I used to play in and on that tank as a child in the sixties as per the second photograph at Hatfield Park. Wasn't particularly hygenic! Think I recognise my sisters mother-in-law in the other picture too as they worked for the Salisbury's and lived in one of the gate lodges. Think the tank was moved just before "Cromwell" was filmed at the House and grounds? If it had been a Mel Gibson film he would have probably kept it in?
Probably would have had one in Braveheart or The Patriot. Flying Scottish colours or US respectively. 😅 Old Mel never let a little thing like history get in the way of his movies.
A tank chat and a history leason in one? Deal!
Since the grenade screens didn't really work, can we say that the first tanks in the first battle has the first cope cage?
Thank you so much for this very interesting tank chat. I have been interested in tanks for many years but learnt so much from this video.
I must recommend "A New Excalibur" by A.J. Smithers, first published in 1986, which is a fabulous work on the development of the first tanks, absolutely full of information about the challenges and difficulties faced in designing and building what was a brand new concept, without anything to use as guidance. An original hard cover copy is fearsomely expensive these days, but I believe that a soft cover reprint may be available at a reasonable cost.
Andrew Hills Pioneers of Armor series is probably as good or better because it covers all of the very convoluted developments by focusing on the engineers.
Andrew Hills Pioneers of Armor series is probably as good or better because it covers all of the very convoluted developments by focusing on the engineers.
Andrew Hills Pioneers of Armor series is probably as good or better because it covers all of the very convoluted developments by focusing on the engineers.
@@captiannemo1587 No need to repeat yourself, lol 😉 And A New Excalibur goes into a lot of depth about the engineering because nothing like it had been done before. No-one had tried to build such a heavy vehicle, let alone one intended to fight. Everything was a new problem to be overcome. I.E. Previous tracked vehicles had all been agricultural, only intended to cross level ground, so their engines were "splash" lubricated & unsuitable for something that would have to cross rough ground. Totally new tracks had to be developed, too, because nothing existed that would support the weight of a tank and/or not come off while doing so.
The Devil's Chariots by John Glanville is pretty good, and is available as an e-book or paperback if cost is an issue. It's also more recently published if that makes any difference?
The 'secret' cover name for the tank was 'water tanks for Mesopatamia'. Britain was fighting in Mesopatamia against the Turks, an area that is notoriously arid.
These videos have to be the highlight of every week. Simply fantastic.
Back in 1977 I was stationed at APG and they had a early mark model tank in the collection don't remember what model but I remember getting drunk with a friend of mine and we went to the outdoor museum area and infiltrated into that old tank. I can still remember thinking that I'd much rather take my chances on foot than ride that giant slow target across no man land. The steel on the side wouldn't stop a .50 and I don't think it would stop a modern 7,62.
By then some of the metal had rusted off to make it thinner I'm sure, like any steel plates, from ships to tractors laying in farmer fields, eventually the earth reclaims it
Great presentation, and the stories at end really brought the tank to life. Thank you
"If you want to know more about little willie, click the link below" On any other video from any other channel that'd be a red flag...
😂👏👍
Wonderful content as always - intelligent, measured and historically well researched. These videos are to the military and tanks what Drachinifel is to warships and naval history.
Thanks for sharing some of the history that goes along with the tank.
Very enjoyable as always! Simply good content, narrators ane writing.
Fantastic film. Congratulations to all involved.
Excellent and very well presented. Superb museum and content. You have shaken up and refreshed so much in your field. Well done and congratuaation to all at, and connected to, The Tank Museum.
Very good nice and crisp commentary, I'm impressed.
Very informative, well presented and very interesting video - i like this Gentleman's talk about these tanks and i learned some info i didn't know - Thank u Sir
Great video, thanks Chris and team.
Everyone at the Tank Museum are doing Gods work here. Well done & thank you!!!
These videos are so good. Thank you.
I find it hilarious that LazerPig is listed as one of the executive producers for this, and he's got some pretty solid content of his own out there. Great video, love what the Tank Museum is doing for proactive education.
If only he was as elegant, accurate, professional and precise - however horses for courses, he's supporting something that unites us. The Tank Museum does this better than anybody - The Chieftain being the other go to.
@@Claymore5Have you seen the ausarmour channel?
Lol. Lazerpig is the shillest shills of them all.
Just found your channel: thanks so much. Looking forward to the other videos
Great video as usual 👍🏻
Love the Tank Museum- Defo a must place to visit 👌
Excellent video, thank you.
Great episode 🤙🏼
Thank you Chris et al. Excellent video. I have ordered a copy of The Tanks at Flers. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
Very interesting video truly depicting what hell the crew was driving through when going to the battlefields the first time. Of course it was slowly improving on each subsequent variants. In truth truth I find those crews real heroes...👍👍👍
I also find them all heroes, I think allot of young men were filled with a fake sense of security before going into battle for the first time , I’m sure when they made it back, if they did at all, but if they did make it back any sense of security was shattered and it takes a brave man to drive a vehicle that’s slow as a sloth when you know what your driving into
@@Spiritofaconure you are unfortunately correct also because the Germans after being shocked seeing those lumberin sloths they became adept shooting with cannons and started using reversed bullets and later the Tankgewehr M1918
@@paoloviti6156 and also the Molotov cocktails, could you imagine hearing bullets hitting your tank in a way that sounds like water during crazy storms, the noise, the heat inside of that tank, it was not a good place to be and we’re probably told they would be safer as usual and nothing changes in that aspect, and while all this is going on you start taking bits of red hot shrapnel, stuff that can melt into your skin, humans tend to forget how frail we really are lol 😂 but yes they loved to use there large artillery to hit them, considering they moved at 6mph it wouldn’t take much bracketing to get a direct hit on the tank, and even if the shrapnel didn’t get you the pressure difference from the mortars drowned people in there own blood, meanwhile not being able to see because the eyes are bleeding or popped out, that’s why people hold there mouths open during an air strike because it helps just the slightest bit, but war is horrific filled with abhorrent monsters, there is no mercy anymore and it’s sort the f crazy to think of ww1 and ww2 gentlemanly compared to vietnam or Iraq
@@paoloviti6156 by the way thank you for your input I love speaking about these things because to me it symbolizes the remembrance of the sacrifices these boys made, and today I met a veteran from Korea went up shook his hand and was checking out in line and just put it to the side and talked to the man who is turning 94 on Sunday , I love these men and always stop what I’m doing to speak to them and they really appreciate young men who know about the battles these men may have taken part of, I started crying when he walked away because I cherish things like that
What a fantastic video, I learned a lot! It feels so mysterious and unreal to see the inside of a vehicle that has over one hundred years of history.
Brilliant video thank you
This is such a fresh new way of presenting tank chats, very informative , thank you 👍
Truely fascinating thank you
What a brilliant display in the museum! Awesome video too... as always
I heard a story about this tank, unsure of the mk model, or exactly the battle (Somme maybe?), but it was during WWI and they said that it was such a large target that ALL the German machine gunners trained on the tank and at the end of the battle there wasn't a spek of paint left on any of the outside of the vehicle and that the scarred and shiny clean metal from all the machine gun impacts made it gleam like it was made of mirrors in the sunlight. Another statement from this battle was that the machine gun fire was so heavy that the gunners were being injured by bullets when they would open the breech of the 6 pounders to reload a new shell, German bullets were ricocheting down the muzzles of the guns and bouncing around inside the tank when the breech was opened... I can't imagine that amount of fire that heavy that bullets were so thick that it was like fighting in a torrential hailstorm...
Very engaging. Thank you
Goddamn cope-cage at the birth of tank warfare?? What goes around, comes around! 😮
The British realised over a 100 years before it was pointless
educational and enjoyable thanks
Once in a while subtitles can come up with a gem. In this video they refer to the subject as a "mach 1 tank". Now that would have been something to behold!
Fascinating!!
You would think they could have covered the darn motor. The conditions are bad but better than running at mgs.
Very interesting. It must have been absolute Hell being a driver and or crew inside these machines. Thank you for your upload!
Great Video!
Great tank chat as usual. My 12 year olds favourite holiday destination at least 4 times a year
awesome video
Enjoying the revisited series
My Grandad was at the battle of Flers Courcelette , he was in the infantry and was injured, thats how we found out, as all his other records like many soldiers were destroyed in world war 2.
My grand uncle was also in the battle and injured on that day in support of the first tank battle Flers Courcelette. He was in the 21st CEF. Survived the war by never again served in the front line.
@@tc2851 My Grandad was injured again, (don't know where ) and was kicked out of the army because of it, he immediately joined the newly formed RAF and was in training as an observer when the war ended. At some point he also gained a military medal and was demoted from corporal to lance corporal. The story goes he pulled his officer out of a shell hole and back into his trench while under fire, the problem was he had been ordered not to. He was furious and chucked the medal away as being demoted meant less money he could send home to his mum !!
Did the crewman survive the bayonet attack?
Just seen you on the BBC lunchtime news!
For a general maligned as basically very dense, Haig grasped very quickly tanks meant and could do for the BEF. It took awhile to figure out the best tactics for using them (something true of all new weapons).
Well said. WWI veterans had the greatest respect for Haig, it was in the 1920’s when things changed.
@@jon9021 When frauds Liddell-Hart lied about real problems attackers faced in WWI is when his reputation went in the toilet.
Still hung on to his cavalry that he thought would save the day
Doubt that
I respectfully disagree. With the truly massive effort to rehabilitate Haig's reputation, his genuine desire for many tanks is always emphasised. That's as far as it goes. And, truly, Haig wanted thousands more of everything (without ever having the remotest grasp of- nor curiosity about- what the economy could produce). Haig wanted more tanks but integrating them and using them to best effect... not a priority. He was fine with his loyal proteges misusing them in battle after battle. It's that 'figuring out' bit that had to be done almost despite him. It is that 'grasping what they could do' that was so slow, and again done by men who received no encouragement from Haig. In 1918, with no men available to expand the Tank Corps, it was proposed to reduce the cavalry and Haig was strongly opposed. The words of the junior GHQ tank expert, JFC Fuller, that reveal the truth... and who better could know? It's worth noting that another Haig protege, Butler, spent months trying to politically take control of the Tank Corps. Butler was eventually pushed out of GHQ in 1918 during a purge of Haig's supporters, few of whom were competent. Butler took a field command and was twice required to step aside from 'strain'. It was his poorly-prepared front that collapsed in the face of the German Spring Offensive. At the the Battle of Amiens, his III Corps almost failed and had to be 'rescued' by Australians and Canadians. Gough, Haig's favourite commander and one promoted extremely rapidly by Haig, was also a notable misuser of tanks. Haig's failures were not the famous accusations of indifference to casualties nor complete ignorance of front line conditions (though there is some truth to these). His failure was creating a culture of complacency and cronyism in the high command, incuriosity, his distain for the tactical problems that reared their heads again and again, prefering to focus on lofty strategic dreams that were never going to come about, and his political battles with his enemies within the army and within politics. In 1918 Haig took on a much more symbolic, almost ceremonial style of command. Most of his cronies were sacked or sidelined, and a new breed of officers led the British Army to its final victories.
Thanks!
Incredible.
*Great presentation by a very gifted, knowledgeable and enjoyable host, the only annoying thing being the incorrect pronunciation of "Flers", which should be pronounced just like "flair" and not like the French word "fleur" (flower) as we're hearing here. As the name gets repeated again and again, it would've been great to check its pronunciation beforehand...*
I remember seeing this tank in Hatfield during the mid 50s.
I can't begin to imagine what seeing one of those metal monsters advanging through the smoke & flames for the first time must have felt like, or for that matter being inside the tank having every German with a gun taking pot shots at you till the infantry caught up, great video.
I always saw video from the DPM Munster. It is interesting to see the other side.
Nice, GOOD Historical Analysis.
I’ll never complain about a tough day at work again after seeing what these soldiers faced.
so look forwards to new Tank museum vids...
Tanks for the memory. Of faults that you forgave Of rainbows on a wave And stockings in the basin When a fellow needs a shave Tank you so much.
Great seeing a tank similar to this in action on Indiana Jones 3! Awesome film.
16:11 'Dinnae Ken' is Scots for 'Didn't Understand/Didn't Hear' XD
Tanks alot 😮
My grandfather was a chauffeur and motor mechanic prior to WW1 and later worked to repair broken down WW1 tanks, sometimes at night where they lay - in no-mans land. My mother told me his officer gained a medal for the work of his unit and said to my grandfather words to the effect - "...this should be yours George but of course the Captain doesn't like the Welsh..."
Brilliant
Combined arms warfare would allow the tank to come into it's own.
My Great Grandfather was in the Tank Regiment during World War 1. I know from my recently passed away Father that my Great Grandfather never talked about his experiences of the War. He ended up being a Policeman and then teaching Cricket at one of the Cambridge University’s and actually being one of the first people to actually teach cricket to the Female Students. I actually have a picture of his Military History which depicts his history in the Tank Regiment. Unfortunately I don’t have that much information on him or his Military History.
Did the Mark 1 have a kettle? When was the BV introduced?
I learn something everyday
I would love to have the book. Sadly, the shipping to the US is outrageous. I hope a less expensive shipping option will become available.
07:57 So the first tank to be fitted with a cope-cage, was the first tank! 🤣
The Mk I is one of, if not, the coolest tank in my opinion
congrats with the spot on BBC news!
A great very interesting TankChat.What was the NBC like inside those coffins?
Pure fantasy!
thank you.@@thoughtengine
Thanks
Will you guys ever do a video on the South African Olifant series of tanks?
Nice step back into World War 1 history.
I was inside it during my visit to Bovington :)
On trying to communicate between the commander/driver/gearsmen, are there any accounts of ersatz modifications by specific crews? My first thought is to try and run some string along the roof to a handkerchief at each gearsman, yanking on the string to raise the flag to signal a turn. Probably wouldn’t last too long in combat as I could see that getting cut by spalling, but the crews who ran these could come up with something better as they knew these vehicles.
A speaking tube like on a boat would seem appropriate
The gearsman's only job is to take orders from the driver and commander, so hand signals were the way. Of course, it was far from ideal and the only really massive advantage of the Mark V in 1918 was that it could be driven by one man.