Art. 101

STURMPANZERWAGEN A7V

The box-art

The kit

The kit is composed of 416 parts injection moulded, the tracks are in separate links in soft plastic, are included the steel pins for the tracks and springs for the suspensions, also the decals are included In the instructions there are the painting note The kit is in1/35 scale.

The decal

The decals and paint instructions use to make two A7V, Hagen and Wotan.

The story

Hagen after the capture An A7V with 15 of the 18 men of the crew

The possibility to produce an armoured and armed self-propelled combat vehicle in order to both protect and accompany the assault of the infantry units, was first considered in Germany by mid November, 1916. Only after the first appearance of the English made Mark I "Male" and "Female" the German Staff decided to produce and employ similar characteristics vehicles and this is the reason why a Technical Commission (Allgemaines Kriegdepartment, 7 Abt.) was created in order to develop the project of an armoured and armed, self-propelled vehicle (Gelanderpanzerwagen) able to operate on the open fields. The "A7V" is the result of the studies of the above mentioned Technical Commission. The STEFFENS and the NOELLE were request to start the production of this tank and they both were responsible for the partial assemblage of it (that is the chassis and the armoured parts). The DAIMLER provided the power plant ans was responsible of the final test and check-up in its Berlin-Mrienfelde factory. In the factory, the project received the name of "Schwere Kampfwagen A7V" (Bauart Vollmer) but only after the combat vehicle had been delivered to the Unit concerned, it received its correct and final denomination "Sturmpanzerwagen", the meaning of which is " Assault Tank". The A7V termination was only used to identify the Technical Commission that developped the project and decided to start the production (7 Abt.) of that particular tank. From a mechanical point of view all the A7V produced and assembled (a total of 25/30) were subject to the same standardization: - 2 Daimler-Benz Otto engines, 100 Hp each, in the inside central area of the tank; - transmission of both engines coverging to a single Adler gear-box including a differential and a double reduction gear; - suspensions consisting of 30 oscillating rollers supports. But if the basic mechanics were a common charateristic of all the tanks produced, the final preparation of each one of them was quite different indeed. They were, in fact, different each other without any chronological order or any logic system, for the following listed particulars: - a rapid firing 57 mm was a standard equipment of the tanks, made by Sokol factory; but it is reported that at least three tanks made by the Nordenfeld were equipped with the same gun; - gun vertical protection shield: the tanks equipped with the Nordenfeld gun had a larger but shorter shields than those equipped with the Sokol gun; - for making the sides, they adopted two different systems: a single piece steel side or five pieces assembled toghether in order to make the side of the tank; - entrnce doors: reportedly the were of two types since they could be opened both towards the extremities or the center of the tank, indifferently; - mufflers: reportedly at least there tanks were delivered to their Units with no exhaust pipes or mufflers of any kind; - Support rollers; they also were of two different models that could affect more or less the belt running with their action of putting aside muds. By making a comparision between the number of the differences reported above and the number of the tanks made, that is a low one indeed, it is easy to understand how in the factories they could be able to assemble only two or a maximum three tanks exactly the same each other. The very short operative life of the A7V is sufficient however to evidence its excellent performance. It first appeared on the field the 21st March, 1918 during St. Quentin's battle. Since then and till the end of the war (11th November, 1918 referring Western Front) was always present in French territory. The A7V named "Elfriede" was the first to partecipate to a tank battle: against two British tanks Mark IV "Female" tyoe which were destroyed. At its turn the A7V was demaged by a British "Male" tank.

TECHNICAL DATA (Hagen-Wotan)
Weight Lenght Width Height Clear area Front armour Rear armour Side armour Upper armour Casemate Engine Fuel power Speed on road Speed on field Range on road Range on field Trench Gradin Ford Slope Heavy armament Grenade supply Light armament Cartrige supply Crew	30 ton 8,00 m 3,05 m 3,40 m 0,20 m 30 mm 20 mm 16 mm 12 mm 16 mm 2 Daimler Benz Gasoline 100 Hp x 2 10 Km/h 5 Km/h 45 Km 25-35 Km 2,20 m 0,45 m 0,70 m 32% 1 Sokol of mm 57 180 granades 6 machine guns Maxim of 7,92 mm 36:000 cartridges 18 men

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