Tank Mark VIII (International Tank / Liberty)

The Mark VIII "International Tank" (also "Liberty" when powered by the Liberty engine) would become the first tank in history to be produced via an international collaborative effort - this made possible through an agreement between the United States and Great Britain. While the Mark VIII would prove promising, delays in its development ultimately led to the ambitious wartime production orders for several thousand examples to be cancelled at the end of the conflict. As such, the Mark VIII was limit in production to just 125 examples with most of these falling into use with the United States Army. The British Army remained the only other operator of note.

The United States of America declared war on Germany on April 6th, 1917. In June of 1917, the US government held talks with the British government about procuring the latest available British tanks for service in the United States Marine Corps (by way of the United States Navy). The focus initially settled on the Mk VI tank then in development. At the same time, Britain was in need of manufacturing assistance and were secretly looking to America to help fulfill the demand now that they had officially entered the conflict. Though the Mk VI might have been a serviceable system in its own right, the Americans believed that they could apply their expertise in the designing of an improved and more powerful form to fall in line with American industrial capabilities of the time.

Before the US Navy could move to send its people to Britain to begin work on the new tank (to be known as the "International" tank, noting the multi-nation involvement), the American Department of War relocated the need for a new tank to the US Army. American Major H. W. Alden joined his British counterparts in London on October 3rd, 1917, and the new tank design was penciled out. Winston Churchill, then the Minister of Munitions, signed off on the design after a December 4th, 1917 meeting. The lofty production total consisting of 1,500 examples was to be met by the end of 1918. The US would be responsible for the major internal components including the transmission, engine and rear sprockets whilst the British would contribute (but not limited to) armor plating, structural supports, weapons as well as applicable ammunition. France would become the third major player in the agreement and take on orders of the tank as well as eventually provide French-based factories for localized production. In the end, the Allies would have in their stable a standardized tank system that could promote commonality in parts across the different armies and support through like-minded manufacturing practices should the war continue into 1919. So as to not endanger the future of the Mk VIII effort, all British work on the aforementioned Mk VI tank was stopped in December of 1917.

In some ways, the new Mark VIII bridged the design gap between those early lozenge-shaped tanks of the war and those shapes to come during the inter-war years. It sported a compartmentalized interior that separated the crew from the engine. The large powerplant (either a V-12 Liberty or V-12 Ricardo gasoline engine of 300 horsepower) was fitted to the rear of the hull and cut off from the crew by a bulkhead. The bulkhead served to deflate the deadly fumes and high-decibel noise coming from the engine. The engine was tied to an epicyclic gearbox allowing for two forward and two reverse speeds. The external side profile of the tank showcased a tear-drop appearance as well as long-running tracks extending past the length of the hull on either side and at either hull end. The track design served well in allowing the Mark VIII to traverse the network of trenches littering the World War 1 battlefields. The suspension system was unsprung. The hull was adorned with a slab-sided superstructure that allowed the tank commander a view of the action through four vision ports fitted to a cupola. The commander stood over a platform housing the supply of 57mm projectiles. The crew was led by the tank commander with the driver situated in the forward hull and an onboard mechanic seated near the engine to the rear. A gunner and a loader manned each cannon position while machine-gunners handled the available defensive machine guns to prevent infantry attacks against the tank. A special deflection plate was affixed to the rear upper hull to assist the rear gunners in engaging enemy infantry to the vehicle's "six" - a defensive weak spot in the design. Armor protection was 16mm at its thickest. Range was limited to 50 miles with a top speed of 6.5 miles per hour.

Armament centered on the two British 6-pounder (57mm) OQF guns mounted in the side sponsons (sponsons being structural outcroppings common to many early tanks, this before the turret became standardized throughout tank designs). These were given limited traverse and could attack enemy targets both forward and to the sides of the tank. The sponsons were also made to retract so as to decrease the width of the tank if need be. Self-defense was a bevy of British- or American-made .30 caliber machine guns as needed.

Despite the expected 1,500-strong order required by years' end, production never fully got underway. Factories built on French soil never got up to speed and other pursued avenues - both in the US and in Britain - never materialized to the point that a single tank could be outputted. The first American prototype was not even completed until September 28th, 1918. By the time the weapons were added, the war had concluded and the quantitative wartime orders were scrapped. The British prototype was made ready on the armistice, this being November 11th, 1918.

Despite their own 1,500-strong order, only five British Mk VIIIs were delivered for army service and these were relegated to training service only. Construction was completed on some 24 more examples (made possible by way of available spare parts) all remaining British Mk VIIIs were ultimately scrapped.

The Americans fared a tad better with their Mk VIII production. At least 100 systems were produced between 1919 and 1920, ultimately supplying the 67th Infantry (Tank) Regiment. These tanks survived up to about 1932 to which they then ended up in Army storage facilities. At the outbreak of World War 2, the Canadians were in dire need of tanks for training and purchased the remaining Mk VIIIs on the cheap. Such ended the legacy of the Mark VIII "International Tank".

The US 301st Tank Battalion (Heavy) - later becoming the 17th Tank Battalion (Heavy) - made use of the tank. From 1921 to 1922, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower - of World War 2 fame - was put in charge of the unit as commander.

Only a few Mk VIIIs exist today as exhibit pieces on both the United States and Britain, one on display at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland.

The Mark VIII* (Star) was a proposed lengthened version of the Mark VIII, intended to provide better trench crossing support. The project came to naught never went past the design stage.

The "Beast" appearing in the motion picture "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was actually based on the design of the Mark VIII with the most notable exception to the tank in the movie being the addition of a traversable turret in place of the superstructure.

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Last Updated: 11/4/2009