Matadors 1/72 Trench Crossing Cribs
 

One big terrain problem for the early tanks (besides the ever present risk of the vehicle getting stuck while moving on the muddied or churned-up ground) was crossing the trenches that were encountered everywhere on the battlefield. The British had several solutions to this - besides the idea of simply making the tank longer, as in the Mk IV Tadpole Tail experiment - the first being the use of Fascines, big bundles of tree trunks and branches, that were carried on top of the tanks and then dropped into the trenches, thus making it possible to cross. In 1918 the Fascines concept was refined by some units. Out of this came the so called Cribs. This was a braced cylindrical framework which, dropped in the trench from the nose of the tank as a form of stepping stone, helped the machine to cross it. Cribs served the same purpose as the fascines (large bundles of chestnut palings) which had been used in the same fashion at Cambrai in 1917. However, whereas a fascine weighed some 1300kg a crib weighed only just 544kg. They were used by 7th Battallion Mk IV's and 8th Battallion Mk V's in september 1918, and later during the crossing of the tributaries of the Selle River. They were carried in front of the unditching beam, as can be seen in the photo below.

Now Matador Models have issued a small kit, containing a Trench Crossing Crib. There is not much to say about this offering, except that it is very well done, with very sharp and falsh-free moulding. It will undoubtedly save you a lot of work, if you want to do a tank so equipped. I can't fault it in any way. Well done again, Matador!

It's good to see Matador Models back on the Great War track. They done many interesting WW1 kits, extras and conversion kits, and now we will hopefully see even more!