| Accession Number | E05403 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Glass original whole plate negative |
| Maker |
Unknown Australian Official Photographer |
| Place made | France: Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Villers-Bretonneux Area, Villers-Bretonneux |
| Date made | 1918-1919 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
"The front and side view of a Whippet Tank, photographed at Villers-Bretonneux, in France. Owing ...
Description
"The front and side view of a Whippet Tank, photographed at Villers-Bretonneux, in France. Owing to their mobility and speed these tanks were most used in the latter stages of the war" (Official caption). A disabled British Whippet tank, marked in white paint with ‘B/6’, in a tank park near Villers-Bretonneux. The Whippet tank could reach a speed of 13 kph, cross 2 m wide trenches, wade through 1 m of water and climb slopes up to 40 degrees, however its poor ventilation system created uncomfortably humid conditions for the tank's crew. The machine gun armed tank was first used at the battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918. It was the fastest tank used during the First World War.