Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Genre/Period Discussion => 20th Century => Topic started by: Wulf on 23 April 2019, 10:29:39 PM

Title: The orientation of Hermaphrodites
Post by: Wulf on 23 April 2019, 10:29:39 PM
I know the difference between a Male and a Female (WWI tanks, I mean, of course...) and I know a Hermaphrodite had a Male sponson on one side and a Female sponson on the other - but did they all have the same sponson on the same side? And, if so, which?

I could imagine they were created by swapping sponsons between tanks, in which case there were likely equal numbers of both orientations, but that may be entirely wrong.
Title: Re: The orientation of Hermaphrodites
Post by: FierceKitty on 23 April 2019, 11:18:14 PM
And what about those that had male features but identified as female...? Did they need separate maintenance facilities? Distinctive ID papers?
Title: Re: The orientation of Hermaphrodites
Post by: Ithoriel on 24 April 2019, 12:48:29 AM
I was under the impression that the hermaphrodites were MKV female tanks with 6pdr sponsons recovered from KO'd male tanks.

The only image,a picture not a photo, I remember seeing had the right hand sponson equipped with the 6pdr. Since it was not a photo I would treat it with an appropriate degree of scepticism.
Title: Re: The orientation of Hermaphrodites
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 24 April 2019, 07:07:58 AM
Don't know, but I do know that the Sponsons were detachable for transport (probably also handy for maintenance).

Common sense suggests a roughly equal supply of left and right handed spares.

What I've seen of Tank Doctrine had troops of 3 with a fancy trench crossing drill.
One turned left and one turned right clearing the trench, while the third used a fascine to push across the trench.
From that it seems sensible for each troop to have a left and right hander (if possible) in each troop.

Quite how to optimally mix them is way beyond my ken.
It seems like those footbal clubs who play with an interchanging "front three".
All manner of Hungarian-style tricks like reversed wingers, false nines ....