Mark V tank

The British Mark V tank was an upgraded version of the Mark IV tank, improved chiefly by a new steering system, transmission and a 150 bhp engine, though insufficient ventilation led to carbon monoxide poisoning among crews. The first, more advanced Mark V design was abandoned when the new engine and transmission planned for the Mark IV became available in December 1917, to avoid disrupting production. Production started at Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon at the end of 1917, and the first tanks arrived in France in May 1918. Four hundred were built, in Male form armed with 6-pounder guns and machine guns and in Female form with machine guns only. There were two further variants, the lengthened Mark V* and a few Mark V** with a more powerful engine and wider tracks, and a planned Mark V*** was never built.