The Schwerer Kampfwagen A7V was first used at St Quentin on 21st March 1918. Although some of its features, such as the sprung tracks and the thicker armour, made it better than British tanks at that time, the A7V was less successful as a battle vehicle. The main problems concerned its mechanical reliability and the difficulty it encountered crossing enemy trenches.

The German Army needed a new design and by the summer of 1918 the Leichter Kampfwagen II began to be produced by the Daimler company. Its length was 16 ft. 8 in. which enabled it to cross a 6 ft. 6 in. trench. It weighed 8.7 tons and it had a 5.7-cm gun. The German Army ordered of 580 of these tanks but the war came to an end before any reached the front-line.