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When thinking of the largest tanks ever built it's no surprise that most people instantly think of
vehicles from the second world war. With massive designs being built both prior to the conflict
such as the Char 2C and T-35 to ones produced during the war like the TOG 2 and legendary Maus.
However this causes many to overlook the earlier designs originating from the first World War. In
fact several of the designs from that period are so enormous that they would dwarf all the tanks
I just mentioned. Arguably the largest of these is a machine known as the K-Wagen which was the first
super heavy tank in history, unsurprisingly built by the Germans. We covered that tank in a recent
video so be sure to check that out after this one if you are interested in that story. For today's
video we’ll be looking at another which was being worked on across the Atlantic which would not only
be one of the largest tanks ever built but also the first heavy tank ever in the US military.
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The subject of today’s video is a tank of many names, known as the Liberty Tank,
the International tank, or the Anglo-American Tank; the name most people today associate
with it is the much less glamorous designation of heavy tank Mk VIII.
Likely I’ve already started at least a few people on a tirade in the comments who are too impatient
to watch past the opening before writing an essay about how this design is not just American built.
Settle down we’ve just started the video, at least give me a few minutes to get into the story.
The Mark VIII was indeed not solely an American design which should be fairly obvious from its
shape. Although there are clear differences in the tank the traditional British rhomboid
shape is still quite evident in the design. The idea of a joint program with the Americans came
almost immediately after them officially joining the conflict in April 1917. Likely biting their
tongues the British did not go running to the US right away however and the US navy would be
the ones to first request tanks. Initially the design was to be based on the Mk VI currently in
development for use by the US Marine Corps. This tank was planned as the next tank for the British
who secretly hoped for assistance from American industry in production of these machines. Despite
the design being sound the US believed they could work to design one even better and more fitting of
their industrial capacities. With that we finally reach the birth of the Mark VIII from a man by the
name of Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Gerald Stern. At the time all this was happening the Mark VIII
was technically a completely fake tank made up by Stern. As the US wanted to work on the design
themselves this seemed to do the trick and lured in the Navy who planned to send over their own
engineers for the project. This came to a halt when the American Department of War instead gave
the Army this task. American Major H. W. Alden was then sent overseas to work with the British in
London on the design on the third of October 1917. The created plans called for a tank which was 10.4
meters or 34 feet 2 inches long with a 200 liter fuel tank to allow 60-80 kilometers of range.
Several short months later the Minister of Munitions, Winston Churchill, signed off on
the Design on December 4th 1917. Now with an approved design an optimistic goal of 1500
tanks by the end of 1918 was set. This would be done through International effort with the UK,
US, and France all contributing to the production. The US would provide the engines and powertrains
for the tanks with the British producing the armor plating, weaponry, and structural parts.
These would then be joined in a brand new French factory. However these dreams of an International
tank would be short lived as the war was ended before full production could begin.
This was caused by a number of factors such as the fact that the factory in France was not even
completed by June of 1918. This factory was eventually finished in November but the war
was over by that point and the project was shelved for France. Across the Atlantic the liberty engine
planned for the tanks had its pistons recast causing it to not be ready until October along
with the other US produced components. This would not end the project though with one mild steel
hull having arrived in the US in July of 1918. As I mentioned just a moment ago however many
of the parts needed for its completion were not available. These parts ended up being partially
engineered and produced by the Locomobile Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut under the direction of
Colonel James Dudley Skinner. Putting his Engineering degree to work his team and the
manufacturing company completed the tank on the 28th of September. Upon completion the first test
of the tank would also take place in Bridgeport on the 31st of October with the tank reportedly being
able to cross a 14 foot trench and knock down trees with a diameter of two feet. The tank would
continue testing into 1919 eventually resulting in an order for 100 of the tanks for the US.
These were constructed at Rock Island Arsenal using the 100 component sets produced by Britain.
These 100 tanks began production on the first of July 1919 with the first tank being completed on
January 5th 1920 and the last on being finished on June 5th. In total these tanks were built at
a cost of 35,000 dollars per tank which when you adjust for inflation comes to $559,573.12
per tank. As for the British they would also build some Mark 8s of their own with the first prototype
being delivered the day of the armistice. In total they would complete 32 of these tanks with the
only major difference from the American machines being the engine which was changed from a liberty
engine to 2 V6 Ricardo engines from Rolls-Royce which were arranged to form a single V12. These
tanks would also retain the Hotchkiss machine guns with the US made ones switching the M1917
Browning's. Speaking of the armament, let's take a break from the overall development story and look
at what exactly these tanks were equipped with. The Mark VIII was to be fitted with a sponson
on either side each containing a 6 pounder cannon and a machine gun mounted on the door
behind it. When preparing the tanks for transport it was made possible to pull the sponsons inwards
using built in rollers to decrease the width of the tank. Complementing the sponson mounted
weaponry was a further 8 machine guns spread around the hull for a total of 10 Hotchkiss
machine guns. Only the first US prototype would actually be completed in this configuration
as the later tanks would only receive 7 later reduced to 5 when the two on the side doors were
removed to lower the required crew. The British built tanks would maintain the full armament.
The cannons would be fed using the 208 rounds with a mixture of solid shot and canister
carried within the tank. For the machine guns a small arsenal of 15,000 rounds would be carried.
Moving to the armor of this machine it was fairly well protected for its day with armor ranging from
16mms on the front and sides, 12mm on the rear, and 6mms on the roof and belly. This may not be as
thick as its German counterpart the K-Wagen which boasted 30mms but it also weighed considerably
less at around 38 tons compared to upwards of 120. With this weight the Mark VIII was still capable
of a respectable speed for its day with the tanks handbook rating it at 5.2 miles per hour. For its
true top speed I found conflicting information with one source putting it as high at just over
8 miles per hour whereas most others put it at around 6. Either way this was still around the
speed of its peers meaning it wouldn’t be holding up the advance, but before you consider daily
driving one of these I should warn you. With the tank getting about a quarter mile to the gallon
the frequent trips to the gas pump would probably be more painful than the slow speed during your
daily commute. Enough number crunching though how would these tanks have been used in combat?
The tactics of the tanks in combat would be explained in a document called “Plan 1919”.
This would see the Mark VIIIs advance into the enemy lines in the hundreds to break a hole in the
defenses. Following behind them would be medium tanks which would push through and disrupt the
enemies rear positions. This would be supported by not just supply carrying tanks but potentially
even aircraft to keep the tanks loaded with fuel and ammo allowing the push to go far further
into the enemy lines. This plan was proven to be decades ahead of its time when the Germans would
make use of a similar strategy during the early second world war in the form of the Blitzkrieg.
Obviously the Mark VIIIs would never actually be used in this strategy but it helps to justify what
the design of the vehicles was focused around. Frankly the rest of the Mark 8s life was
unremarkable with them never seeing combat. In fact the only battle damage one received
was caused by minor engine fires as well as a loading accident. When the tank was being loaded
for transport a part of the rail car failed causing it to roll off and land upside down.
No-one was injured from this accident including the tank which was pulled back over by another
tank. It was then driven back to the factory and the dents were easily repaired. The Mark
VIIIs were also used for a few different tests of modifications to the tanks. This included testing
an experimental engine air cooling system, the removal of the raised cupola on a British example,
and the testing of a stroboscope cupola like that of the Char 2C. This device would replace
the commander's original cupola with a rotating device with vertical slots in it. This would in
theory provide a 360 degree view with the slots fusing into an unbroken image if the
rotations per minute were correct. According to the French who initially tested the concept this
provided both a good view for the commander and protection from small caliber rounds.
The US tests on the other hand found the opposite to be the case and the concept was abandoned.
For a great example of this system in action you can see it on the Char 2C in Battlefield
1. The only other variation of the Mark VIII of note is the proposed Mark VIII* which would have
been a lengthened version of the standard tank. Had this tank been built it would have been the
longest tank ever produced at a total length of 13.4 meters or 44 feet surpassing the K-Wagen
by 1 foot and only increased the weight to 47 tons. As this extra length would cause issues
with turning for the tank it was to be given more curved track links to decrease the amount of track
that contacted the ground. In theory this would have allowed the tank to cross trenches up to
18 feet or 5 and a half meters wide. As the war had ended though this idea was never pursued.
As for the Mark VIII that were produced the British tanks were taken by rail to the village of
Wool and then were driven to Bovington. There they were essentially forgotten amongst the returning
veteran tanks and were slowly scrapped aside from one which was part of the initial group of tanks
which would grow into the Tank Museum. As for the American tanks, they would see a bit more usage.
The 100 which were built primarily equipped the 67th Infantry regiment who used them for training.
However, with the emergence of tanks like the M2 Medium the Mark VIIIs were finally withdrawn
from service in 1932 being parked at Aberdeen. There they sat for the better part of a decade
exposed to the elements. However, according to numerous sources including the book Firepower
by R. P Hunnicutt around the start of WW2 some of these tanks would find their way into
the hands of the Canadians who would use them for training along with US built Renault FTs.
One source claims this to be a myth however with only the Renault FTs going to Canada.
Unfortunately that article failed to list its sources so I was unable to determine if that
was true. It’s possible this myth just has to do with the claim that the tanks were sold at scrap
price to them whereas the other sources don’t make any mention of a transaction. If this is true
though it could mean that the M6 heavy tank, which was the next American heavy tank to be designed
and built, could have been undergoing testing while Mark VIIIs were still also being operated
by Canada. Regardless, these tanks would also find their way to the scrapyard aside from 2 examples.
One now lives at the Fort Meade Museum in Maryland with the second being held in the U.S. Army Armor
and Cavalry Collection until recently when it was moved back to its birthplace at the Rock
Island Arsenal. Due to the poor condition it is in due to being left outdoors for so long the
tank is planned to be structurally reinforced and repainted and eventually put on public display.
In the end the Mark VIII did very little to further tank technology with it being designed
purely for the battlefield of the first world war. Although it did technically see some limited
production before the war's end it was yet another case of a tank being too late for the battlefield
leading it to obscurity in the interwar period. This is not really the fault of the design itself
though as the interwar period was largely filled with vehicles which shared those traits.
From tanks like the Char 2C to the T-35 it's unfair to criticize the Mark VIII as being
outdated when it was actually fairly advanced for its day. Obviously smaller tanks like the Renault
would end up having far more impact on future tanks than the landships of the great war. Still
this tank is an extremely important piece of tank history with it being basically the first tank the
US helped to design and gave a glimpse into what the emerging power would become capable of as its
industry advanced. I’m glad to have had the chance to share the story of what is in my opinion a tank
which has been largely ignored by historians. If you enjoyed this video and learned something
please let me know in the comments and by dropping a like on the video. I love reading comments from
people who have increased their tank knowledge from my videos and I try to read all of them.
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