The last remaining First World War German A7V tank, Panzerkampfwagen 506, 'Mephisto' and the battle damage it absorbed during the First World War at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
In collaboration with the Queensland Museum, it was the first time the rare tank had been displayed outside Brisbane since it was transported from Europe after the end of the First World War.
It was part of the initial German tank detachment which participated in the first German tank attack at St Quentin in France on March 21, 1918. Its second, and final, battle was at Villers-Bretonneux on April 24, 1918, in which opposing tanks fought head-to-head for the first time in what was a watershed moment in the evolution of tank warfare.
During the battle, Mephisto was disabled and abandoned on the field before being salvaged as a war trophy by the 26th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, in a daring night-time operation.
Mephisto was on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra from June 27, 2015 for up to 20 months, as part of commemorations of the Centenary of the First World War.
Images from the Australian Defence Image Library See:
http://images.defence.gov.au/fotoweb/grid.fwx?ArchiveID=5003&Search=S20152083
