Evening star., 1923-06-05
NEW TYPE TANKS
SHOWN AT MEADE
Demonstration Given at
School - 40-Ton "Ele-
plants" Cut Through Tree.

Uncle Sans herd of mechanical
elephants were on display yesterday
at the Army tank school. Camp
Meade Nd in demonstration put
on for the benefit of some seventy
officers and instructors from the staff
school at the Army War College, Half
dozen of the huge numbering
during the war but too late to share
in the fighting. and a whole flock of
the six-ton French type which did get
into action participated in the show.
The demonstration is one of the
series of educational exhibits for the
staff college students. all of whom are
experienced officers whose military
instruction is being rounded out TO
insure an adequate supply of gen.
eral officers and men with general
staff qualifications. The present class
will complete its course in time to
go out to the summer training camps
as instructors in the higher branches
of military work.
Break Many Trees mt Once.
To introduce the students officers to
the possibilities of modern tank war
fare, Col s. D. Rockenback, COM
mandant of the tank corps and school.
sent two of his huge. forty-ton Mark
VIII" monsters skirmishing through
the heavy woods on either side of
narrow roadway.
When the signal to advance was
given the land battleships surged
forward resistlessly, tearing great
swaths as they passed. as though
twin. narrow gauge cyclones had cut
parallel paths of wreckage through
the woodland. Towering trees went
down before them like reeds. the
tanks grinding them them remorselessiy
times each tank was knocking over
half a dozen trees at the same time.
literally roofing them from the earth
and numbering forward over pros
ter. The sheer power of the geared
Liberty engines overcame every OBJ
stacle of ditch or bank or bush or
tree clump, and not an inch to right
or left from the selected course were
the monsters forced to swerve.
Launch Tank Attack.
Later a miniature tank attack was
that is the playground of the school
herd. Three Mark Wits" led the
drive, their six-pounder guns roar
ing and machine guns snarllng as
they crept forward from behind a smoke
barrage hurled from their guns.
breathing smoke and flame as they
shouldered their way over bitches
and sand dunes to disappear over a
ridge beyond in clouds of dust and
spouts of flying debris flung up from
land mines that gave a realistic bat
tie picture.
Behind the big fellows came a far
flung line of the little. six-tonners,
|, splitting with machine gun and one
FOUNDER fire. A dozen or more of
the two-man tanks made up this
second line.
Col. Rockenbach explained to the
visiting officers that what they had
seen thus far were tanks developed
during the war. He recalled that in
the first requisition from Gen. Per-
shing for tank equipment the call
came for the elements which would
| make up land fleet, the fighting
tanks with auxiliary equipment OF
cross country. rough-going machines
! to bring up the artillery and supplies
Since the war. he added. some prog
ress toward hlling that requisition
had been made.
AT a signal, the new types, the fif-
| teen-ton medium tank" Of the future
charged out into the rough field. II
Iairiy raced over bumps and hum
and turning like a motor boat Be-
| hlnd 1t came a seventy-five gun rid
ing similar mechanism and plung-
Ing about the field at high speed re-
gardless Of holes or bitches. 1t
direction. Behind these two came the
cross-country truck for ammunition,
gasoline, OIL and supplies. These
three, Col. Rockenback said, were the
beginning of the American land fleet
that would play a great role in any
future war. None of them was per-
fected as yet. he added. but, within
them were the elements of a new day
q
more Of the burden from the fighting