![]() It remains the sole surviving A7V tank in the world. ![]() It was sent to Australia as a war trophy, arriving at Norman Wharf in June 1919 where it was towed by two Brisbane City Council steamrollers to Queensland Museum, then located in Fortitude Valley. It remained on the battlefield for months before troops of the 26th Battalion AIF, composed mainly of Queenslanders, regained lost ground and retrieved it, dragging the tank behind Australian lines under cover of darkness. During the battle, Mephisto became stuck in a shell crater and was abandoned by its crew. Named Mephisto by its crew, this 30-tonne tank was part of an advance towards the French town of Amiens, resulting in the capture of Villers- Bretonneux and the temporary retreat of Allied forces. The A7V’s were involved in the first tank versus tank action. The German tanks were engaged in actions at such places as Villers-Bretonneux, a small French village that was recaptured by Australian soldiers at the cost of 1,200 lives. Crewed with 18 men, the cumbersome war machines clambered into action in April 1918. In late 1917 the German Army produced 20 A7V Sturmpanzerwagen’s which were deployed in combat the following year. After completing my honours degree, I worked for a number of years as the collection manager before joining the archaeology program as a curator in 2015. I joined the museum’s Cultures and Histories program as a volunteer and became a full time assistant collection manager in 2008, after completing a Bachelor of Arts (Archaeology double major) with the University of Queensland. I am the archaeology curator in the Cultures and Histories Program, responsible for researching, curating and sharing the Queensland Museum’s archaeology collections.
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