Bolt Action – British ‘Rhomboid’ Tanks in Berlin ’45

This is a colourised photo of the Berlin Cathedral taken from the Lustgarten after the Battle of Berlin in 1945. The cathedral was burnt out in May '44.

Have a good look at the destroyed tanks.

Here's another photo.
The tank seems to have been destroyed while running, judging by the tracks.


So what are we looking at? On the face of it the Germans seem to have got two British WWI heavy tanks, maybe MkIVs or Vs, running as part of the last ditch defence of Berlin.

Which also raises the issue of where they got them from:

The British in WWI? The Germans certain used captured British tanks both in the war and in Berlin afterwards to restore order.

The Red Army captured British tanks from the White Russians after the British pull out and some could have been captured by the German Army or Freikorps in the battles around Riga after the war.


Another possibility is that they were captured by the Germans on the Leningrad front in '41, from a Museum, or even from the Red Army. The Soviets were using all sorts of obsolete gear.

Wherever they came from, these two British heavy tanks are a wonderful invitation for a bit of creative modelling and wargaming. I feel a scenario coming on.