[David]

The A7V Überlandwagen supply carrier was built on the chassis of the famous German A7V Sturmpanzerwagen, the first and only German tank to see operational service in the First World War. In the A7V, twin Daimler 100-h.p. engines were mounted side by side in the centre with a control position, arranged for drive in either direction, placed on a platform above the engines. The suspension was derived from the Holt tractor suspension, the American tractor which had also provided the early inspiration for British and French tanks. The A7V Sturmpanzerwagen had a box-like enveloping superstructure but when it was first conceived the design com­mittee also made allowance for the chassis to be fitted with an alternative load carrier body. A total of 30 A7V Überlandwagen (“Over-land vehicle” as the supply carrier version was called) was projected but not all were completed before the war ended. In the Ûberlandwagen a canopy was provided over the central control position and wood dropsides and ends were fitted fore and aft of the engine compartment. In some vehicles rails were added to support a tarpaulin cover over the load spaces. The vehicle had a top speed of 13 km/h and was crewed by a driver and one assistant. The seats in the control position swivelled and the controls were duplicated for driving in either direction without the need for turning. Tow hooks were fitted at both ends of the chassis. By the end of September 1917, a tracked transport column (Armee­Kraftwagen-Kolonne-Raupe Nr 1111) had been formed experimentally using Überlandwagen vehicles. The column was equipped with eight vehicles, chassis numbers 508 to 515, and was sent to Northern France in November 1917. First reports indicated that the carriages worked well. The vehicle was used up until the end of the war, mainly for transport of general stores and ammunition up to front line positions.