The first pre-production A7V was produced in September 1917, followed by the first production model in October 1917. During final design, the rear-facing cannon was removed and the number of machine-guns was increased to six. A wooden mockup of a final version was completed in May 1917 and demonstrated in Mainz with 10 tons of ballast to simulate the weight of the armor. The first prototype was completed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft at Berlin-Marienfelde and tested on 30 April 1917. After initial plans were shared with the army in December 1916, the design was extended to be a universal chassis that could be used as a base for both a tank and unarmoured Überlandwagen ('over-land vehicle') cargo carriers. The running gear was based on the American Holt tractor, copied from examples loaned by the Austro-Hungarian Army. It was to weigh around 30 tons, be capable of crossing ditches up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide, have armament including a cannon at the front and rear as well as several machine-guns, and reach a top speed of at least 12 kilometres per hour (7.5 mph). The project to design and build the first German tank was placed under the direction of Joseph Vollmer, one of Germany's foremost automobile designers. History Īfter the first British tanks appeared on the Western Front, in September 1916, the German War Ministry formed a committee, under the auspices of its Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, Abteilung 7 Verkehrswesen ('General War Department, Section 7, Transportation'), to investigate tank development. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat.

The number to be armoured was later increased to 20. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as Überlandwagen cargo carriers. The A7V was a heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I.

Ww1 flat tank super short battle tank