I really hate to be that guy… but some times it feels like it’s done on purpose, and it’s always a british vehicle that is left incomplete… this gap is a oversight, and just needs to be closed on the British tank.
The British Mk.V has a frontal armored plate missing behind the tracks, they’re present in the german Mark.IV and should be in the british tank too, bacause they’re essentially the same tank, also it makes no sense for this gap to be left open, imagine the amount of mud that whould flood this areas if they were open.
Real images of these tanks also show that this area is closed.
In a video of the tank museum Tank Chats #22 with David Fletcher a diagram of a Mk.V** is showed and it’s possible to clearly see the plates behind the frontal tracks in the diagram. the Mark V** is the same tank as the Mark V but the tank has been elongated. Also those same plates can be seem in numerous photos of destroyed and disassembled tanks.
tank museum video link:
The tank Museum tank chats #22 with David Fletcher