Home » Reference » Humanities » History » During WW1, Australian Soldiers at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux managed to steal a German tank as a trophy and transport it to Australia. Today it stands as the only surviving A7V Sturmpanzerwagen.

During WW1, Australian Soldiers at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux managed to steal a German tank as a trophy and transport it to Australia. Today it stands as the only surviving A7V Sturmpanzerwagen.

Mephisto (tank)

Mephisto after recovery from the battlefield.

Jun 14, 1919, Mephisto Tank unloads off the SS Armagh at Brisbane

Mephisto Tank lands at Brisbane

“Mephisto” on display in the Australian War Memorial, July 2015.

Mephisto is a World War I German tank, the only surviving example of an A7V. In April 1918, during a German attack at Villers-Bretonneux on the Western Front, it became stuck in a shell-hole and was abandoned by its crew. It was recovered by Allied troops about three months later and, after the war, taken to Australia as a trophy. Mephisto is housed at the Queensland Museum, in Brisbane, in the Anzac Legacy Gallery. It is not in running order.

Background

The front of “Mephisto”

The vehicle was issued to the … Continue Reading (10 minute read)

Leave a Comment