Even before the completion of the first assault tank car A7V requested the chief of motoring at the Ministry of War on March 31, 1917 means for the development of a large car K model to provide. On June 28, 1917, the project was approved and ordered 10 vehicles.
The requirements and dimensions of the chariot should clearly surpass those of the A7V. So it should be able to overcome trenches of 4 meters, have an armor of 3cm in the sides and front, as well as an armament of 4 x 7.7cm semi-automatic cannons and 4 machine guns.
The drive was to be done by 2 motors with 200PS each, the total weight was in the first planning about 100 tons. Due to the size and the high weight, the vehicle should be divided into several modules, which could each be transported separately and assembled just before the front line.
Sketch of a large combat vehicle K-model
Already at the beginning of the development came criticism of the project, which saw no use for such a vehicle and would prefer the raw materials in existing projects. In the first commission discussions, however, such criticism was immediately set aside by the highest army command.
The planned construction period of 1 year was pressed under pressure of the army command on 8 months. However, time and again there were delays due to technical problems and increasing supply difficulties.
The production also had to be outsourced to specialized companies. The chassis had to be made by a bridge company, the gearbox had to be completely redeveloped at a machine tool builder as well as the clutches. Furthermore, the chains had to be specially removed from the mining and adapted to the vehicle. The total weight increased in the course of time and again until it finally reached 150 tons. In order to be able to drive with this weight at all, the drive also had to be adapted accordingly and the power of the two engines each upgraded to 650hp, which was to be provided by two Daimler 6-cylinder marine engines. Only a shortening of the length of the vehicle could accomplish a saving of weight to 120 tons.
Side view large combat vehicle K-model
Rear view large combat vehicle K-model
Large combat car K-Modell
Due to the first frontline experience of the A7V strike car and the insight that fast and mobile armored vehicles were much better suited, the generals of the top military command came to the conclusion in late 1917 that the K-model would only be suitable for positional warfare, but not for fast offensives. Nevertheless, the project was continued until the end of the war. Until the surrender, 1 vehicle was almost ready for use, 1 other completely except for the engines and a shell for the 3rd vehicle was already made. By conditions of the victorious powers Germany had to scrap these vehicles after the war.
Technical specifications:
| Designation: | Large combat car K-Modell |
| Country: | German Empire |
| Length: | 13 meters |
| Width: | 6,1 meters |
| Height: | 3 meters |
| Mass: | 120 tons |
| Armor: | 3cm |
| Drive: | 2 x V6 Daimler-Benz 955 kW (1300 hp) |
| Maximum speed: | 8km/h |
| Main armament: | 4 semi-automatic 7.7cm cannons |
| Other weapons: | 7 machine guns 08 |
| Crew: | 27 1 commander, 1 artillery officer, 2 drivers, 2 machinists, 12 gunners, 8 machine gunners, 1 signalist |
You can find the right literature here:
Armored Vehicles of the German Army 1905-1945 (Spielberger German Armor and Military Vehicle)
Armored Vehicles of the German Army 1905-1945 (Spielberger German Armor and Military Vehicle) Hardcover – July 29, 2008
This classic, definitive series continues with this volume on German armored vehicles from 1905-1945. Spielberger, a leading expert in the field of German military vehicles, presents the wide variety of four-, six-, and eight-wheeled types and their wide range of uses in this richly illustrated technical documentation. Types include the WWII era Sd.Kfz.231, Sd.Kfz.222, Sd.Kfz.232, and many others from a wide variety of manufacturers.
German Panzers 1914–18 (New Vanguard)
German Panzers 1914–18 (New Vanguard) Paperback – October 31, 2006
Panzer warfare is synonymous with the Wehrmacht of World War II. This book examines the story of the Panzer's more mysterious ancestors, the little-known panzers of the Great War. Germany was very slow to develop armored vehicles compared to Britain and France. Early attempts such as the Marienwagen of 1915 were technical failures, discouraging further design efforts until the utility of the tank was proven by the British and French in 1916-17. Efforts to catch-up proved difficult, and only a couple dozen German A7V tanks were completed in time to take part in the final campaigns of 1918. As a result, the majority of German panzer units actually used captured British tanks, the Beutepanzer. This book will trace the development of German panzers of the Great War, including the A7V and its intended but unfinished stablemates. Also included will be an overview of the use of panzers by the German Army in World War I including both A7V and Beutepanzer units.
The German A7V Tank and the Captured British Mark IV Tanks of World War I (A Foulis military book)
The German A7V Tank and the Captured British Mark IV Tanks of World War I (A Foulis military book) Hardcover – December 1, 1990
, 240 pages illustrated with over 25 black ans white photographs and line drawings, SIGNED by both Maxwell Hundleby and Rainer Strasheim on a label stuck down to the front pastedown
German Tanks in World War I: The A7V and Early Tank Development (Schiffer military history)
German Tanks in World War I: The A7V and Early Tank Development (Schiffer military history) Paperback – July 1, 1990
This book covers the earliest forms of German armored fighting vehicles used primarily in WWI.
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