The A24 Cruiser Tank Mark VII Cavalier was designed to be an improvement over the Crusader and its predecessors. The Cavalier weighed 5 tons more than the crusader and had a larger (6 pounder) gun, thicker armor, wider tracks and a better suspension than the Crusader. However, the Cavalier used the same engine and power …
Author Archives: M Malory
A43 Infantry Tank Black Prince
The A43 Infantry Tank Black Prince was a modification of the A22 Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill. The Black Prince was designed to mount a 17 pounder gun. The Allies had realized, by December 1943, that while the Sherman Firefly and the Challenger A30 had mounted 17 pounder guns, their armor was not comparable to …
A22 Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill
The A22 Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill was the first British tank to be designed entirely during World War II. It remained in production throughout the war and was one of the most popular British tanks during the war. The first model, which had a 3 inch (76.2 mm) close support howitzer in its nose …
A25 Light Tank Mark VIII Harry Hopkins
The A25 Light Tank Mark VIII Harry Hopkins was the last of the Vickers Light series. It was called the Harry Hopkins after the advisor to President Roosevelt, and was originally known as Tank, Light Mark VII, revised. Like its predecessors, the A25 was smaller, more vulnerable and less reliable than the opposition’s tanks. There …
A17 Light Tank Mark VII Tetrarch
Vickers built the A17 Light Tank Mark VII Tetrarch in 1937. It had a unique suspension which included large road wheels that could be partially skid-steered. This helped the tank to turn more efficiently. The Tetrarch, which was originally known as the Purdah, was accepted by the British Army in 1938. However it could not …
A15 Cruiser Tank Mark VI Crusader
The A15 Cruiser Tank Mark VI Crusader was the primary British tank from spring 1941 until the American Sherman tank arrived. The A15 was built by Nuffields and was ready by March 1940. By 1943, 5,300 Crusaders had been produced. To reduce costs and production time, as well as vehicle weight, Nuffields used many of …
A13 Mark III Cruiser Tank Mark V Covenanter
The A13 Mark III Cruiser Tank Mark V Covenanter, which was built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company, was in service from 1940 to 1943. To reduce production costs, it used many of the parts for the A13 Mark II, on which its design was based. A Meadows Flat-12 engine was built specifically …
Continue reading “A13 Mark III Cruiser Tank Mark V Covenanter”
Germany – Mauser 13mm Tankgewehr
The German Mauser Tankgewehr was the first purpose built weapon designed for use against tanks. The Tankgewehr was a single shot rifle, firing an armour piercing 0.512inches (13mm) tungsten alloy round coated with lead in a copper jacket. This anti tank rifle was used in action in early 1918, its factory output peaked at 300 …
A13 Mark II Cruiser Tank Mark IV
The A13 Mark II was the bulkier big brother of the A13, with added armor for better protection that was made from special steel plates positioned to eliminate shot traps. An example of this was the v-shaped plates added to the turret to deflect strikes, where the previous tank’s turret was a flat surface. However, …
A13 Cruiser Tank Mark III
The A13 was first conceived in 1936 as a response to the Russian Christie-type BT being used by the Red Army. When the British War Office saw the Russian tank they asked designers at the Nuffield Organisation, a vehicle manufacturer in England, to create something similar and faster than the older A9 and A10. The …
A12 Infantry Tank Mark II Matilda II
This is the second, and perhaps more famous, tank to be named Matilda. This is a much updated version of its predecessor and far more in-line with modern, contemporary tank designs. Though, originally, the British had hoped to simply update the older version with new equipment to save money. Thankfully, due to many shortcomings of …
A11 Infantry Tank Mark I Matilda I
The first model of the famous Matilda tanks was designed by Sir John Carden, a prolific tank designer in Britain at the time. It was first built in 1936 at the Vickers tank factory. There are a number of stories behind how these tanks got the nickname Matilda. Some say that General Hugh Elles named …