When Mk IV FOUGHT A7V - The First Tank Battle.

By spring 1918, the British Mark IV tank has been in service for almost a year. It had proved itself during the Battle of Cambrai – the males attacking concrete emplacements, and the females fending off the infantry. But the Mark IV has never been tested against another tank…

The German A7V hasn’t served on the battlefield very long. While it has mobility and stability issues, it does have thicker armour than the British tanks – and is more heavily armed. On paper, this looks like it will be a close call.

Villers-Bretonneux is the first time in history that a tank fought another tank. It’s a day that would change the face of warfare forever.


Thank you so much to our friends at the Queensland Museum! We were delighted to share the screen with Dr Liz Bissell: Senior Curator, Queensland Stories, in the Cultures & Histories team. If you want to find out more about Mephisto, and the other items in their superb collection, be sure to check out their YouTube channel here:    / @queenslandmuseum   or see it in person at the Queensland Museum Kurilpa in Brisbane https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/kurilpa

Why not browse their online shop? You can get a Mephisto fridge magnet of your very own: https://www.shop.qm.qld.gov.au


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00:00 | Introduction
00:50 | The Mark IV
02:57 | The A7V
05:30 | The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
06:44 | Mark IV vs A7V
09:09 | Who won?

This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.


Dawn on 24 April 1918, and a British Mark IV tank commanded by Lt Frank Mitchell has spotted a German A7V looming towards him through the smoke and mist. History is about to be made. Because it’s the first time that a tank has ever engaged another tank in battle. It’s a moment that changed warfare forever…. Who would win the first tank versus tank duel?
With help from our friends at the Queensland Museum in Australia, we'll find out what happened. But first, let’s take a look at the tanks involved – and the events that give the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux such a prominent place in history.


Want to learn more about the first tank v tank encounter at Villers-Bretonneux? Here are some sources you might find interesting:
‘Mark IV vs A7V: Villers-Bretonneux 1918’ Osprey Duel 49. David R. Higgins. 2012
Tank Warfare: The Story of Tanks in the Great War.' Lt Frank Mitchell MC. 1933/1987
E2006.477 'A Battle of Monsters.' Lt Frank Mitchell MC. Unknown

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