The Tank, Heavy, TOG 1 was a prototype British

heavy tank Heavy tank is a term used to define a class of tanks produced from World War I through the end of the Cold War. These tanks generally sacrificed mobility and maneuverability for better armour protection and equal or greater firepower than tanks ...

produced in the early part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the expectation that battlefields might end up like those of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was designed so it could cross churned-up countryside and trenches. A single prototype was built, and followed by an improved model (the

TOG 2 The Tank, Heavy, TOG II was a British super-heavy tank design produced in the early part of World War II in case the battlefields of northern France devolved into a morass of mud, trenches and craters as had happened during World War I. When t ...

), but interest faded with the successful performance of another cross-country design, the

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, a ...

, and the mobile war that was being fought.

History

In July 1939, the Special Vehicle Development Committee was drawn up for future tank designs suitable for

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

conditions under Sir

Albert Gerald Stern Sir Albert Gerald Stern (24 September 1878 – 2 January 1966) was a banker who became the Secretary of the Landship Committee during World War I, where his organisational ability assisted the Committee in creating the first British tank. Durin ...

; who had been on the original

Landship Committee The Landship Committee was a small British committee formed during the First World War to develop armoured fighting vehicles for use on the Western Front. The eventual outcome was the creation of what is now called the tank. Established in Februa ...

and head of the Tank Supply Depot during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The committee included others who had been instrumental in the development of the tank during the Great War: former

Director of Naval Construction The Director of Naval Construction (DNC) also known as the Department of the Director of Naval Construction and Directorate of Naval Construction and originally known as the Chief Constructor of the Navy was a senior principal civil officer resp ...

, Sir

Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt Sir Eustace Henry William Tennyson d'Eyncourt, 1st Baronet (1 April 1868 – 1 February 1951) was a British naval architect and engineer. As Director of Naval Construction for the Royal Navy, 1912–1924, he was responsible for the design a ...

, Major-general (retired) Sir

Ernest Swinton Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, (21 October 1868 – 15 January 1951) was a British Army officer who played a part in the development and adoption of the tank during the First World War. He was also a war correspondent and author of sev ...

, engine designer

Harry Ricardo Sir Harry Ralph Ricardo (26 January 1885 – 18 May 1974) was an English engineer who was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine. Among his many other works, ...

, the gearbox and transmission expert Major

Walter Gordon Wilson Major Walter Gordon Wilson (21 April 1874 – 1 July 1957) was an Irish mechanical engineer, inventor and member of the British Royal Naval Air Service. He was credited by the 1919 Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors as the co-inventor of the ...

. Unsurprisingly they got the nickname "The Old Gang" and the initials TOG were applied to their designs. Together, they proposed the development of a ''heavy tank'' design, which they entrusted to another of the first tank's developers and builder of the first tank, Sir

William Tritton Sir William Ashbee Tritton, Justice of the Peace, JP, (19 June 1875 – 24 September 1946) was a British expert in agricultural machinery, and was directly involved, together with Walter Gordon Wilson, Major Walter Gordon Wilson, in the develop ...

of Foster's of Lincoln. Their specification was comprehensive. As well as being able to operate across ground waterlogged and broken up by shelling, it was expected to resist 47-mm anti-tank guns and 105-mm field guns or howitzers at . Main armament would be a field gun mounted in the front – effective against thick reinforced concrete – and two 2-pounder guns, the latter in sponsons. For use against infantry, there would be

Besa machine gun The Besa machine gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun (called the TK vz. 37 in the Czechoslovak army"TK" from ''těžký kulomet'' "heavy machine gun"; "vz" from ''vzor'' "Model"). The name came f ...

s covering "all arcs" – one firing forward, one in each

sponson Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing. Watercraft On watercraft, a spon ...

, and one firing to the rear. The design was later revised with smaller sponsons containing only the Besa machine guns. To provide cover four smoke mortars were included. Design work by Fosters began in December 1939, resulting in a wooden mock-up. Designed with trench crossing abilities to the fore and the capability to carry infantry as well, the design as built was a large hull with side doors supported on broad tracks, with a 2-pdr-gun-armed

Matilda II The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11. The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machin ...

infantry tank turret. The front plate of the hull carried the 75 mm gun and mounting as used on the French

Char B1 The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II. The Char B1 was a specialised break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turr ...

tank.Chamberlain and Ellis p78 Neither of the planned sponson designs was ever actually installed on the prototype hull. It was realised that running the track drive over the top of the hull was not necessary and work began on a follow-up design in June 1940. The prototype TOG I was delivered in October 1940. Due to the weight, electrical drive was used – the engine driving two generators connected to an electrical motor for each track. The steering wheel was connected to a

potentiometer A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. The measuring instrume ...

that varied the voltage to the track motors. This strained the drive and track. Due to these problems, it was converted to a

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

drive designed by Fluidrive Engineering, a process that took until May 1943 after which it was called TOG 1A. The fluid drive was not satisfactory either. The prototype was sent to

Chobham Chobham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England. The village has a small high street area, specialising in traditional trades and motor trades. The River Bourne and its northern tributary, the Hale, ...

and then seems to have disappeared into history.

Notes

References

*White BT, ''British Tanks 1915-1945'' Ian Allan Publishing, London * *Chamberlain, P; Ellis, C ''British and American Tanks of World War II'' 1969. Arco Publishing

External links

Great Britain's Heavy TanksTank, Heavy, TOG 1
{{WWIIBritishAFVs Abandoned military projects of the United Kingdom Super-heavy tanks World War II tanks of the United Kingdom History of the tank