The British “Tadpole” was an experimental WWI tank concept based on the Mark IV. The idea was simple: make the tank longer by fitting extended rear track frames, which increased trench-crossing ability and helped reduce the tendency to “nose in” when climbing out of shell holes or wide ditches. In theory it would handle broken ground better than the standard Mark IV while keeping the same basic layout, crew arrangement, and armament options.
In practice, the Tadpole concept didn’t move beyond trials and limited prototypes. The added length and altered weight distribution brought handling and reliability issues, and it didn’t provide enough real-world advantage to justify the complications compared to standard production tanks and evolving designs. Still, it remains one of the more interesting WWI “field improvement” experiments - a snapshot of how quickly tank designers and crews were trying to adapt to trench warfare realities.
Field trials Tadpole “T2” depicted here during testing with stowed canvas cover and asbestos wrapped exhaust - typical of the times - seen at Tank Corps Central Workshop in Erin, France, 1918. Kit by Takom in 1/35 scale.
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