A Speedier Tank—The Mark A Whippet

A Mark A Whippet at the Bovington Tank Museum

The first British tanks were very slow. Their job was to fight a way through the mud and wire of no man's land, with the infantry following on foot behind. The tanks only needed to go at the walking pace of an infantry man. The Army then decided that a faster tank was required to take advantage of gaps created by the heavy tanks and the infantry. This was the role of the Medium Mark A. It had a top speed of 8 mph, more than twice as fast as a heavy tank like the Mark II, so it was nicknamed the Whippet.

Two hundred Whippets were produced during the war. It was designed in 1917, and first went into battle in March 1918. Each 14-ton tank was driven by two bus engines of 45 hp each, carried a crew of three, and had four Hotchkiss machine guns for armament. Since it was designed to exploit already existing breaks in the enemy line, it was thought not to need a cannon. The machine guns were supplied with 5,000 rounds of ammunition. Like the Mark type tanks, the Whippets lacked suspension systems which severely limited cross-country performance.

Whippets on the Move, Somme Sector, 1918

The first Whippets began to arrive on the front line in Flanders around December 1917. Production had taken a little longer than anticipated, partly due to the novel and complex drive and steering system fitted to the new tank. The Whippet tank first saw action in March 1918 during the first Ludendorff Offensive. Twelve Whippets of Third Battalion, the Tank Corps faced off against large numbers of advancing German infantry in the village of Colincamps, south of Arras. The infantry was routed in the engagement, and a number even surrendered to the tanks. Most impressive of all, the 12 tanks were able to operate for more than 16 hours continuously without a single breakdown.

The German offensive was finally halted and, by August 1918, the Tank Corps was ready to take part in a massive attack on German lines near Amiens. At dawn on 8 August 1918, 324 British heavy tanks supported by 96 Whippets attacked without a preliminary bombardment, achieving complete surprise. The German front line was penetrated, and British tanks began to move forward into territory previously held by the Germans. General von Ludendorff later described 8 August 1918 as the "Black Day of the German Army." After their success in 1918, the Whippet saw post-Armistice action in Russia, initially in support of the White Army, and then with the Red Army during the interwar period.

Sources: Warhistoryonline, The Tank Museum