The German A7V Tank Adalbert: A Flawed Giant of World War I

A striking photograph shows the German A7V tank Adalbert—one of the few armoured vehicles fielded by Germany in World War I—being transported on a railway flat car with two crew members aboard. 

Originally named Hagen, then König Wilhelm, the tank’s repeated renaming reflected its troubled service history and flawed design. Despite seeing action in several 1918 battles, including Villers‑Bretonneux, the A7V proved slow, unreliable and easily outmatched by the superior British Mark tanks. This image captures a rare glimpse of a machine that symbolised both Germany’s ambitions and the limitations of early armoured warfare.

A7V Adalbert: A Rare Photograph of Germany’s Early Tank Design

This picture of the German A7V Tank, Adalbert with two of its crew being transported upon a railway flat car. It did not see much success. Its original name was changed twice due to its poor design.

The tank saw action in 1918 at Villiers, Bretonneux, Midway between Amiens and St Quentin under its original name, Hagen. In thick fog on the morning of the 24April, the total German tank force of A7Vs, which came to just 12, confronted the British Mark III and IV tanks. The Mark designs were far superior.

The AV7 Tank renamed Adalbert in World War 1
The AV7 Tank renamed Adalbert was not very successful as a fighting machine

German Tanks in WW1

Although the A7Vs destroyed a few machine guns, they were inevitably outmatched. Hagen broke down and was repaired. It was later renamed Konig Wilhelm after the Kaiser, and served at River Matz in June 1918. But further mishaps meant a royal name was not considered suitable. The tank was reverted to the name, Adalbert and went on to serve at St Etienne in July. After the war, Adalbert was taken by French forces.

Konig Wilhelm Tanks: A story of the A7V tank in World War One

With a length of 24 feet with half inch metal plates, the A7Cs weighed over 30 tons. Powered by 2 x H.P. engines, the tank at 5pmh needed a gallon of fuel to travel just 2 miles. It had one main armament at the front and six machine guns on all sides. Eighteen servicemen were needed to operate it.

In 1918, 100 A7Vs had been ordered, but only 20 were completed. As an armoured fighting vehicle, the A7V posed little threat. It was large, clumsy, awkward and slow, managing only to lumber about in the mud. Many toppled sideways into a trench or with their caterpillar tracks revolving on the same spot.

Most A7V tanks became hopelessly bogged down in the battlefields’ liquid mud.

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