VIEW OF 35-TON TANK. SHOWING THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR, PRESIDENT OF THE BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS, AND ARMY OFFICERS INSTRUMENTAL IN DESIGNING THIS MACHINE.
The tank has 400 horsepower, a speed of 6 miles an hour, and can climb a 45° grade. It carries a crew of 11 men and is equipped with two 6-pounders and seven machine guns.
The other new tank developed was a successor to the French Renault, designed for production in great volume. This tank was to carry three men, instead of two, as the original Renault machine, and mount two guns, one a machine gun and the other a 37-millimeter gun. Some Renault tanks were equipped with 37-millimeter cannon instead of machine guns. Cost of production of this machine would have been very much less than that of the original Renault, while the weight of the machine would have been substantially the same and its fighting power much greater.
An outlay of about $175,000,000 was projected in the tank program, but this, of course, was greatly reduced upon the signing of the armistice. This outlay would have included, besides the cost of the machines, expenses at various plants for increased facilities for operation.
| Item. | Quantity ordered. | Quantity accepted Nov. 11, 1918. | Quantity accepted Jan. 31, 1919.[23] | Floated to Nov. 11, 1918. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | ||||
| 6-ton | 4,440 | 64 | 291 | 6 |
| Mark I | 1,000 | |||
| 3-ton | 15,015 | 15 | 10 | |
| Mark 8 A. A. components | 1,500 | [24]1 | 1 | |
| Mark 8 U. S. complete | 1,450 |
[23] Immediately upon signing of the armistice, production was slowed down as rapidly and as much as possible.
[24] Approximately 50 per cent of the production work on components for these 1,500 tanks had been completed by Nov. 11.