visitors can't see pics , please
register or
loginOn the 8th of August 1918, near the town of Villers-Brettoneux, France, Whippet A344 known as Musical Box was about to become a legend. In command of the tank was Lieutenant C.B. Arnold. Musical Box took part in the big attack on August 8, 1918, overtook the slow Mk V's, routed a German Artillery Battery and on its own penetrated to the rear of the German lines. From this on the lonely Whippet, with it's bold crew of only three men, carried on a war of its own. It shot down retiring infantry, attacked horse and motor transport, and regularly terrorized the bewildered Boche.
Lt. Arnold pressed on regardless for several hours resulting in the dispersal of a large segment of a German infantry division, a transport column and even an observation balloon. The combat had caused the cans of petrol carried on Musical Box to be perforated leaking petrol dangerously into the tank so much so the crew were having to wear their respirators. Eventually, Muscial Box was crippled and set on fire by a direct hit from a German gun and the crew bailed out. The driver was shot but he and the machine gunner were captured. Lt. Arnold survived the war as a POW having inflicted a loss on the Germans far out of proportion to what could be expected.
