17/10/2025
Mephisto after capture. Artwork and graffiti by Australian troops is clearly visible. On the night of July 22, two vehicles from the 1st Gun Carrier Company, long debated to have been either Mark IV tanks or Gun Carriers (with current consensus favouring the latter), set out from Villers-Bretonneux toward Monument Wood.
The recovery team comprised 23 men from the company and 13 men from the 26th Battalion.
To conceal the noise of the operation, a low-flying aircraft provided cover while Allied artillery conducted intermittent shelling. During the mission, the Germans launched a gas bombardment, forcing the recovery crew to don their gas masks.
A steel cable was fastened to Mephisto, and the vehicle was towed roughly 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) west to the relative safety of Bois l’Abbé.
To prevent detection, the team camouflaged the towing track and even laid a false trail to mislead German aerial observers. From there, the tank was gradually transported to the 5th Tank Brigade’s training ground at Vaux-en-Amiénois.
At Vaux, Mephisto quickly drew widespread attention from curious soldiers. The tank’s hull was soon covered in graffiti and artwork. According to Lt-Col Robinson, “the battalion wag got busy and painted quite a good illustration of the British lion with his paw on a German tank.”
On the opposite side, troops painted the Rising Sun badge of the Australian Imperial Force, the inscription “Captured by 26th Batt. A.I.F.”, and the battalion’s insignia. Below this appeared “Salved by 1st G.C. Coy (Gun Carrier Company) 5th Bn. Tanks” along with the 5th Battalion’s badge.
Many soldiers added their names and unit markings to the vehicle’s steel plating, and souvenir hunters removed small parts as keepsakes. Though these decorations and markings have long since disappeared, they are still visible in contemporary photographs, preserving a vivid record of the tank’s remarkable recovery
