Wings of the Great War WW10212 German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support Tank - "Alter Fritz", Abteilung 1, 1918 (1:72 Scale)
"You will be home before the leaves fall from the trees."
- German Emperor Wilhelm II, addressing German soldiers departing for the front in WWI, August 1914
The Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was an enormous vehicle, hurriedly designed following the appearance of British tanks in 1916. Ground clearance was only 40mm (1.57 inches) and the length of the track on the ground was too short for a vehicle of its size. The result was an unstable vehicle with poor cross-country performance.
Despite its obvious flaws, 100 A7Vs were nevertheless ordered in December 1917. The German war machine was already stretched beyond its capacity at tis point in the war and only about 20 were ever produced. Their shortcomings over rough ground were manifested in March 1918 when they first saw action, and they often lagged behind the infantry they were originally designed to support. Variants included the
Uberlandwagen, an open-topped, unarmored supply version, and the A7V/U with 'all-around' tracks. During the inter-war period, they were used by the Polish Army for several years until they were eventually retired prior to World War II.
Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V infantry support tank nicknamed "Alter Fritz" ("Old Fritz") and attached to Abteilung 1 in 1918.
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Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-3/4-inches
Release Date: March 2022
Historical Account: "Alter Fritz" - The Old Fritz (German: Der alte Fritz) is a 1928 German silent historical drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Otto Gebuhr, Julia Serda and Bertold Reissig. Part of the cycle of Prussian Films, it was released in two parts. Gebuhr played the role of Frederick the Great on many occasions during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.