Heavy Tank Mark VIII^1-12

The Mark VIII, also known as the Liberty, International, or Anglo-American tank, was a continuance of the British rhomboid landship line of tanks. The plans were for the Mark VIII to be assembled in France using American automotive components and British armament and armor. The end of the World War I spelled the end of the manufacturing consortium, but the US pressed on to construct 100 vehicles with its own engine and armament. The tank had a nonrotating main turret on the hull with mounts for three machine guns, and atop this turret was the commander's lookout turret. The 6 pounder weapons had a caliber of 57mm, and the sponsons in which they were mounted were hinged so that the rear could be pivoted into the hull to reduce shipping width. The 6 pounders were then drawn in so that the 81" (270cm) loading gauge could be obtained. Likewise, the lookout turret was lowered flush with the main turret roof when shipping the tank. The tracks were chain-driven in that a bicycle-like chain from the transmission spun a roller sprocket, and this roller sprocket drove the track drive sprocket, which was at the time referred to as a road track driving wheel. The tank's tracks were made of armor plate which was 8mm (0.3") thick. The vehicle's ground pressure dropped to 13.85psi (.9723kg/cm²) at 1" (2.5cm) of penetration and continued down to 4.26psi (.299kg/cm²) at 15" (38cm) penetration. The two types of road track rollers were mounted alternately; the spring plates were spacers to hold the rollers in the proper position on their axle shafts. The US had removed the Mark VIII from service by 1932, but some of the tanks were offered to Canada for use as training vehicles after the start of World War II.

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References

1. Preliminary Handbook of the Mark VIII Tank. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 6 Mar 1925.
2. Hunnicutt, R.P. Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Navato, CA: Presidio Press, 1988.
3. Broman, Glen. "The Mark VIII 'Liberty' Tank." The Armor Journal 3 (summer 2015): 36-46.
4. Tank Data, vol. 1. Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD: US Army Ordnance School, Jul 1958.
5. Handbook for the Q. F. Hotchkiss 2.244-inch, 6-pdr., 6-cwt, Mark II Gun with Tank Mounting. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Aug 1919.
6. Sola, Samuel, Vincent Bobkowski, and Kara Crocker. Weapon Mounts for Secondary Armament. Santa Monica, CA: G. O. Noville & Associates, Inc., April 1957.
7. Miller, David. The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Co., 2000.
8. Crismon, Fred W. U.S. Military Tracked Vehicles. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1992.
9. AGF Board No. 2. Development of Armored Vehicles, volume 1: Tanks. 1947.
10. Wilson, Dale E. "World War I: The Birth of American Armor." Camp Colt to Desert Storm: The History of U.S. Armored Forces. Eds. George F. Hofmann, Donn A. Starry. USA: University Press of Kentucky, 1999.
11. Kirk, William. "Heavy Tanks." TANKS! 18 Nov 2000. 5 Dec 2000 <http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/UnitedStates/heavytanks/​HeavyTanks.html>. TANKS!
12. Neal, Robert J. A Technical and Operational History of the Liberty Engine: Tanks, Ships, and Aircraft 1917-1960. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2009.

Last updated 6 Dec 2023.
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