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Remembered Today:

Composite (Hermaphrodite) Tank or ?


dgibson150

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I came across a book called "Infighter" about the 9th Tank Battalion which includes a  third-hand description of the death of 2/Lt Max Hannan in the Battle of Sauvillers/Moreuil on 23 July 1918 as follows:

 

"They were doing a "show" and his 6pdr sponson got a direct hit, killing his two left gunners and knocking the bus pretty sick. He ordered the remaining crew to abandon it and take out their guns and form a strongpoint. There was plenty of dirt being pitched about at the time and the order came thro' to fall back, and as he started his retirement a shell came along and found its billet splitting the difference between the unlucky boy and the rest of his crew. They buried him three days afterwards at the west corner of Bois de Montigny."

 

The two tanks in this action who reported an officer casualty were 9434 and 9339, ie both ostensibly female and which would not have had a 6pdr sponson unless they were composites.

 

According to the  War History, the 9th Battalion first drew composite tanks on 8th August 1918. Is it possible that that the 9th Battalion had engineered composites themselves , or is it just that the reported account of Max's death is slightly mistaken?

 

David

 

 

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I find it very odd that a Battalion should be drawing tanks on 8 August and I'm inclined to think something isn't right here.  However I have looked through a summary of all 9th Battalion tanks in action on 23/7/1918 looking for any with Female numbers that fired 6 pdr ammunition. There are none, except that there are a small number that have no serial numbers recorded.

 

Not much help, but I'd be surprised if no Composites were issued to the Battalion before 8 August. I doubt if fighting Battalions made their own, because their purpose was to increase the number of 6 pdrs in a battalion, not just redistribute those available. In other words, converting Females and Males to Composites made no sense. 

 

Gwyn

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Thanks Gwyn for your input.

 

The war history extract is:

 

"Etrejust and Bois de Bacovel.

After lunch B Company started training with the 2nd Canadian Division. 

The following day, C Company trekked to Etrejust to train with infantry there, and A Company to Bois de Bacovel for a similar purpose.   The next few days were spent in training with the infantry by all companies.

On the 8th August, a party from each Company proceeded to Saleux for the purpose of drawing 11 new tanks from the railhead.  These tanks were distributed as follows:-  3 to A; 5 to B; 3 to C.  A point worth noting here is that this was the first time the Battalion had drawn “composite” tanks.  These tanks were parked up in the Bois de Bacovel."

 

Yet another conundrum, a toss up between the War History being inaccurate or the third hand account being wrong. Of the two tanks with an OIC fatality, 9434 reports "nil" for 6 pdr ammunition used, whilst 9339 reports a blank.

 

David

 

 

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