Sturmpanzerwagen A7V

"The only German tank to ever roam the battlefields of France and Belgium during WWI was nicknamed by the British the “moving fortress”. Big, tall and symmetrical, with sloped armor, surprisingly fast, bristling with machine-guns, it was indeed more akin to a moving fortification than a real tank. As it was basically an “armored box” based on the Holt chassis its crossing abilities were far from equal to the contemporary British Mark IV or V. With only 20 built of the 100 initially ordered, it was more a propaganda tool than an effective breakthrough apparatus."

"When the A7V was first introduced in the two first operational units, Assault Tank Units 1 and 2, it had already revealed some flaws, notably the relatively thin underbelly and roof (10 mm/0.39 in), not able to resist fragmentation grenades. The overall use of regular steel and not an armored compound, for production reasons, meant that the effectiveness of the 30-20 mm plating was reduced. Like contemporary tanks, it was vulnerable to artillery fire."

"It was overcrowded. With seventeen men and an officer, the crew comprised a driver, a mechanic, a mechanic/signaler and twelve infantrymen, gun servants and machine-gun servants (six loaders and six gunners). Of course, the restricted interior wasn’t compartmented, the engine was situated right at the center, diffusing its noise and toxic fumes. The Holt track, using vertical springs, was hampered by the overall weight of the tall structure and its very low ground clearance and large overhang at the front meant very poor crossing capabilities on a heavily cratered and muddy terrain. With this limitation in mind, these first two units (ten tanks each) were deployed on relatively flat grounds."

-Tank Encyclopedia

Information:

Weight: 30-33 tons

Crew: At least 18

Speed: 15 km/h (9 mph)

Powerplant: 2 x 6 inline Daimler petrol, 200 bhp (149 kW)

Armor: 30 mm front, 20 mm sides (1.18/0.79 in)

Range: 80/30 km (49.7/18.6 mi)

Production: 20 (100 ordered)

Armament: 1x Nordenfelt 57mm Gun 6x 7.5mm Maxim Machine Guns

Controls:

Pitch - Throttle

Roll - turn

VTOL - Gun horizontal rotation

Trim - Gun Vertical Rotation

Camera 1 - Gunner View (not historically accurate)

Camera 2 - Driver View

Camera 3 - Commander view

Notes:

I am proud to bring this vehicle and pioneer to Simple Planes, Hope you enjoy!
-Stellar