The A7V was 7.34 metres (24.1 ft) long, 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, and the maximum height was 3.3 metres (11 ft). The tank had 20 mm of steel plate at the sides and 30 mm at the front; however the steel was not hardened armour plate, which reduced its effectiveness. It was thick enough to stop machine gun and rifle fire, but not larger calibres. This offered protection comparable to the thinner armour of other tanks of the period, which used hardened steel.
| A7V Sturmpanzer | |
|---|---|
| Type | Tank |
| Place of origin |  Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 21 March 1918 – October 1918 |
| Used by | Germany |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Joseph Vollmer |
| Designed | 1916 |
| Number built | 21 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 30 to 33 t |
| Length | 7.34 m (24 ft 1 in) |
| Width | 3.1 m (10 ft) |
| Height | 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 18 |
| | |
| Armor | side 20 mm, front 30 mm |
| Main armament | 57 mm gun |
| Secondary armament | 6 × 7.9 mm machine guns |
| Engine | 2 × Daimler 4-cylinder 200 hp (149 kW) |
| Power/weight | 6.5 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Holt track, vertical springs |
| Operational range | 30–80 km (20–50 miles) |
| Speed | 15 km/h (9 mph) |
The crew normally consisted of up to sixteen soldiers and two officers: commander, driver, mechanic, mechanic/signaller, twelve infantrymen (six machine gunners, six loaders), and two artillerymen (main gunner and loader).
The A7V was armed with six 7.92 mm MG08 machine guns and a 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt cannon mounted at the front. This cannon was of British manufacture; Germany captured many from Belgium and Russia. Between forty and sixty cartridge-belts, each of 250 rounds, were carried as well as 180 shells for the main gun, split 90:54:36 between canister, antitank, and explosive. These were the official figures, up to 300 rounds for the main gun were actually stowed.
The "female" variant had two more machine guns in place of the main gun. It is not entirely clear how many started this way or were converted. Some sources say only chassis number 501 saw combat as a female.
Power came from two centrally mounted Daimler 4-cylinder petrol engines delivering 100 horsepower (75 kW) each; the A7V carried 500 litres (110 imp gal) of fuel. The top speed was about 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph) on roads and 5 kilometres per hour (3.1 mph) across country.
Compared to other World War I tanks the road-speed was quite high, but the tank had very poor off-road capability and was prone to getting stuck. The large overhang at the front and the low ground clearance meant trenches or very muddy areas were impassable. This was worsened by the fact that the driver could not see the terrain directly in front of the tank, due to a blind spot of about 10 metres. However, on open terrain it could be used to some success and offered more firepower than the armoured cars that were available. Power to weight ratio was 6.8 hp/ton (5.1 kW/ton), trench crossing: 7 feet (2.1 m), ground clearance: 7.5 to 15.75 inches (190 to 400 mm).
Thirty chassis were assigned for completion as Überlandwagen supply carriers, but not all were completed before the end of the war.
The design of the A7V featured on the tank badge of 1921, awarded to commemorate service in the German Panzer forces of 1918.
