Design Overview & Tactical Role
The Mark V was the ultimate culmination of the British heavy rhomboid tank lineage. Its crowning engineering achievement was Major Walter Wilson's brilliant epicyclic transmission system, which enabled a single driver to steer, accelerate, and brake the entire 29-ton vehicle using simple steering levers—eliminating the grueling four-man gear-shifting coordination of earlier marks. It was powered by a purpose-built 150 hp Harry Ricardo engine.
Combat History & Battle Records
Spearheading the decisive Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918 ('The Black Day of the German Army'), Mark V tanks tore open German lines and accelerated the armistice. Surviving Mark V tanks were sent to Russia during the Russian Civil War to support the White Army.
Related Armored Vehicles (WWI & Interwar)
Modern
1998
Modern
2025
Cold War
1946
Cold War
1966