question 'Chinese' tank.

[Richard Peskett]

Thought this may be of interest as possibly one of the most unusual tanks constructed during WW 1. The Shanghai tramway system at the time was a very British institution and patriotic hence a tramcar was converted into quite a realistic tank for fund raising . The attached excert is from Tramway and Railway World September 1917. I am aware that several tramway systems converted cars for various 'Relief Funds' etc. but were there any other tanks ?

Richard Peskett.

 

[Richard Peskett]

The 'Tram Tank' excert appears in T & R.W. issue for 17th October 1918 not as stated, the main article on the system is issue 13th September 1917.

Richard Peskett.

[senior centurion]

The use of dummy tanks was quite widespread. Most were for fund raising or recruitment. However I can think of only one other based on a tram. This was in Blackpool when a tram car was converted into a 'tank' and was used in 1917/18 to ferry visitors to a sort of trenches theme park.

 

This raises an interesting issue. There are fragmentary reports of a tank being used in Singapore and Hong Kong for fund raising. So far I'd assumed that these related to a real tank (now in the Australian War Memorial Museum) that was sent out to Australia for fund raising - I'd guessed that stop overs had been made by the ship carrying her had been made and the opportunity taken. However given the realism of the Shanghai dummy I wonder if it was shipped to other places for use as a fund raiser

[nz2]

Some where I have seen a photo or two of dummy tanks made of timber planks. Their use was to fool the enemy from air borne observation. That was just back from the front lines and not as a fundraising venture.

Doug

[senior centurion]

I have never come across dummy tanks used in WW1 to confuse aerial recce. This was primarily a WW2 feature. However the Germans used a number of wooden replicas of British tanks for training. Some were mounted on punts so they could float across the view - these were use for training artillery used for anti tank work. The Australians in 1918 used some realistic wood and canvas dummies to fool the Germans that they (the Australians) had more tanks in support that they had and that a tank attack would be coming from a specific (false) direction (thus pinning down enemy forces) The dummy tanks were manouvered by men inside them - a risky business as the dummies attracted fire.

 

The Australians used dummies in Australia for fund raising. I have identified at least five different models. Dummies were also used in the US (including Orange County Cal, San Diego, New York State, New York and Cleveland) all (except possibly the San Diego one) for selling Liberty Bonds. (A real British tank also toured the USA at this time raising a significant amount of money). Canada had a tank based on a truck which was used in 1917 for recruitment and fund raising in Hamilton and Toronto (later sold to the USA) but also was visited by a real tank. New Zealand had at least one fund raising dummy. At least two dummies were used in Britain for fund raising in Wales and Scotland (although the real touring tanks (tank banks) raised millions .

[steveo578]

Certainly there are photos of wood and canvass tank used on the western front esp. the small Renault FT, as it was easily moved around by horse power. I'll see if I can trawl up a photo when I have more time.

 

To give an idea of how crucial aerial observation was in WW1 on 15th September 1916 German air baloon observers noticed activity behind the lines and requested an aircraft to carry out further observation, it reported a number of large armoured cars in the sector. The report was noted but it was decided that by the nature of armoured cars being incapable of offensive action no further action was warrented- because tanks were an unknown quantity the magnitute of the discovery was not appreciated.

 

A German dummy tank probably meant to resemble a Whippet (note the "step" so not a training tank in expectation of a LK2), it was abandooned in Lille in 1918 -therefore not a War Bonds prop, although could be for training Anti-Tank sections it is rather sophisticated.

 

Edited August 31, 2010 by steveo578
problem with word wrap and addition

[nz2]

Near Catelet, France. 17 September 1918. Men of the 4th Field Company of Australian Engineers, in the process of constructing a dummy tank, which, drawn by the men, was to be used as a diversion in the attack next morning on Le verguier by the 1st and 4th Divisions.

Also two versions of German built dummy tanks.

I have found photos of other Aussie built dummy tanks used for War bond issue publicity in Australia.Will post these latter.

Doug