"Heavy Tank from Pennsylvania" Topic

"The American army had the largest fleet of heavy tanks in the world at the start of the 1930s. Unfortunately, these were obsolete Mark VIII tanks, also known as "Liberty". They were built to British specifications using experience learned from the First World War, but these tanks came too late to fight. No heavy tanks were built in the US after the war was over. Work on this topic only resumed after the start of WWII. The result was the Heavy Tank M6, the first truly domestic heavy tank design.

The lack of a heavy tank in the American army had a simple cause. The army had no need of such a vehicle. This can be clearly seen by tracing the evolution of American tanks in the interbellum period. The country's large territory necessitated the creation of quick fighting machines that could cover large ground quickly. A heavy tank is ill-suited for such a task. The main task of heavy tanks is to break through prepared and well defended fortifications, which were entirely absent from the North American theater of war. It's not surprising that no work was done on heavy tanks until the late 1930s, barring individual proposals, which were rejected in early stages…"
Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

Wow, that is a lot of tank. Would have been interesting to see that drive across a bridge, down a village street or through a muddy field.

It's interesting to see the very wide tracks. The article says that it had a low ground pressure.

The real problem with a heavy tank is/was getting it from the US to Europe.

Yes, and Leslie McNair was obsessed with shipping!

My ancestors 'got off the boat' at the Eddystone quarantine station, some of them spent WWII at the Baldwin Works and the Chester Tank Depot (in peacetime the Ford assembly plant). Remembering their stories. RIP, Dad.