Matilda Mk V, Infantry Tank Mk IIA**

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Matilda Mk V, Infantry Tank Mk IIA**

The Matilda Mk V, Infantry Tank Mk IIA** was very similar to the Matilda IV, but with some minor improvements made to the transmission.

On earlier versions of the Matilda the transmission had used a Clayton Dewandre air servo built into the gear linkage. On the Mk V this was replaced with a Westinghouse air servo, mounted directly on top of the transmission. The Mk V was only produced as a gun tank, armed with the 2-pounder anti-tank gun. The Mk V also saw the clutch pedal used on early models replaced with a foot-operated control pedal. The Mk V was also given ether carburettors to make it easier to operate the engines in very cold weather.

Stats
Hull Length: 18ft 5in
Hull Width: 8ft 6in
Height: 8ft 3in
Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Weight: 59,360lb (battle weight)
Engine: Twin ? hp Leyland 6 cylinder engine
Max Speed: 15mph
Max Cross-country speed: 8mph
Max Range: 160 miles on road
Radius of Action: 113 miles
Armament: One 2pdr OQF gun, 7.92mm Besa MG in others
Armour: 13-78mm

Armour

Armour	Front	Side	Rear	Top/ Bottom
Turret	37.5m	75mm	75mm	20mm
Hull	78mm	40mm	55mm	20mm
Hull Skirt	25mm

Matilda

The Matilda is an excellent tank with great armor that causes most shots to just bounce off of it and has excellent guns to return fire with. With 70mm of sloped frontal armor, it is not uncommon for a Matilda at low health to take down another full health tank or two. The greatest qualm of the Matilda is its speed, for it is abysmal. Even with upgraded track and engine, it only manages 24 km/h, bad even for a heavy tank. Thus, there are two ways to use this tank, one is to slowly but surely follow up the main frontal push taking opportunity shots with its excellent accuracy. The second is to guard a set spot or choke, as it can be difficult to coax out due its armor and small silohuette. Do be aware for artillery though because while the Matilda's small birds-eye silohuette makes it difficult to target, one good shot can disable a track, leaving the tank a sitting duck or leave it a burning husk.

Being top of the tier list, the only ways to outclass a Matilda on a light tank is making it go into the open with numbers, as its fast rotating turret can keep up with tanks that try to outmaneuver it. Attacks from the rear or side also deal damage and another good way to destroy a Matilda is to ground it by taking out either of its track and destroy it with artillery. In a one-on-one duel at the same tier, it is very difficult to outclass a Matilda, so attempt to flank it, call in fire from a friendly tank destroyer or call in the arty to at least pin it down. Do expect that certain shots from arty will bounce off.

Experienced tankers may want to take advantage of the high accuracy-high penetration gun by equipping a Enhanced Gun Laying Drive and either Coated Optics or Binoculars and finally a Rammer or a Ventilation system as it turns the Matilda into a deadly "machinegun" that can shred most tanks with relative ease, at long or short range. Even with low damage per shot, the 40mm cannon fires really fast, and offers a serious danger even for heavily armored tanks, like KV-1 if you keep that in mind and catch every opportunity to deal damage, it's possible to deal above 1000 hitpoints in damage in a single game.

It is important to note, however, that although the 76mm HE gun has low penetration, it has quite good damage for its tier and has a fast reload rate. Using this gun to allow for a more "brawler" playstyle isn't without its benefits. The 76mm gun will one or two shot any tank below tier 4 and some tanks that are tier 4. It is recommended to try the HE gun as even though it is in fact a derp gun, it has a quite good possibility to hit from medium range. Do note that this gun can penetrate and do catastrophic damage to even tier 6s, such as the sides of most tanks and the flimsy armor of TDs and fast medium tanks. The 76mm is however, near worthless when using HE against another Matilda.

Historical Info

The Infantry Tank Mark II(sometimes referred to as Matilda II, Matilda senior, by General Staff Specification A12, Waltzing Matilda, or simply an 'I' tank) was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It served from the start of the war to its end and became particularly associated with the North Africa Campaign. It was replaced in service by the Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine. With its heavy armour the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank, but with somewhat limited speed and armament. When the earlier Infantry Tank Mark I which was also known as "Matilda" was removed from service the Infantry Tank Mk II became known simply as the "Matilda".

Variants

The next version of the Matilda was the A12 Infantry Tank Mk. IIA the only difference between it and the original being that it had a Vickers machine gun instead of the typical Besa. It was followed by the Matilda III which had little difference besides a new diesel-powered, Leyland engine and a No. 11 radio. Again, this was followed by the Matilda IV which had improved engines and a No. 19 radio installed.

The final improved Matilda was the Matilda V which had an improved gearbox and the same radio as the Matilda IV. Α] The next variants were not improvements to the original Matilda, but rather variants made for special purposes. The Infantry Tank Mk. II CS (Close-Support) had a 3" (76 mm) howitzer and it could fire either smoke rounds or HE (High Explosive) rounds. Another variant was the Infantry Tank Mk. II Matilda CDL (Canal Defense Light) which had the turret replaced with a searchlight and an machine gun.

The Baron was an experimental mine clearing vehicle based on the Matilda Chasis, but it never reached production. However the Matilda Scorpion was used in combat in places like North Africa. Along with the Scorpion, there was the Matilda Frog which was used by Australia and it used a flamethrower and the Matilda Tank Dozer which was a bull dozer. The Matilda Hedgehog used many different Hedgehog mortars, but it was not used in combat as the war ended a couple months after trials had ended.

Matilda II tanks at the Royal Pavilion, c1941

This photograph shows two tanks in front of the India Gate in the grounds of the Royal Pavilion. It was taken by a newspaper during what is believed to be a fundraising event in around 1941.

What can we see?

Tanks

The tanks in the photograph are both of the Matilda Mk III Infantry Tank Mk IIA* model. This model was part of a series of tanks collectively known as Matilda II.

The Matilda II was designed in 1937 to replace the much cheaper and earlier A11 Matilda, Infantry Tank Mk I. The first order of 140 Matilda II where placed in June 1938 at the Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows in Cheshire.

Vehicle specification

The Matilda Mk III Infantry Tank Mk IIA*carried a crew of four, with a driver situated in the hull, and a tank commander, gunner and loader who where inside the turret.

The Matilda Mk III Infantry Tank Mk IIA*was armed with a 2-pounder gun and had a secondary armament with a 7.92mm Besa machine gun in a coaxial mount. It was powered by two 7 litre Leyland diesel engines, giving it a top speed of 15 to 16mph.

Uniform

The soldier on the left is wearing a black two piece working dress suit. These had been introduced in 1935 specifically for wear by crewed members of the Royal Tank Corps (which in 1939 had been renamed the Royal Tank Regiment).

Above this he wears 1937 Pattern Web Equipment, the load carrying equipment used by British soldiers at this time. He wears this in a configuration for personnel armed only with a pistol.

On his head he wears a black beret adopted by the Royal Tank Corps for wear in 1924 to replace the unsuitable service dress cap worn at the time. His hands are in gauntlets and on his feet are gum boots.

Combat history

French Campaign of 1940

The Matilda was first used in combat by the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in France in 1940. Only 23 of the unit's tanks were Matilda II's the rest of the British Infantry Tanks in France were a11 Matildas. Its 2-pounder gun was comparable to other tank guns in the 37 to 45mm range. Due to the thickness of its armor it was largely immune to the guns of German tanks and anti-tank guns in France. The famous 88mm anti-aircraft guns were pressed into service as the only effective counter. In the counterattack at Arras British Matilda II's (and Matilda Is) were able to briefly disrupt German progress, but being unsupported their losses were high. All vehicles surviving the battles around Dunkirk were abandoned when the British Expeditionary Force evacuated.

North Africa 1940 to 1942

Up to early 1942, in the war in North Africa, the Matilda proved highly effective against Italian and German tanks, although vulnerable to the larger-caliber and medium-caliber anti-tank guns. In late 1940, during Operation Compass, Matildas of the British 7th Armored Division wreaked havoc among the Italian forces in Egypt. The Italians were equipped with L3 tankettes and M11/39 medium tanks, neither of which had any chance against the Matildas. Italian gunners were to discover that the Matildas were impervious to a wide assortment of artillery. Matildas continued to confound the Italians as the British pushed them out of Egypt and entered Libya to take Bardia and Tobruk. Even as late as November 1941 German infantry combat reports showed the impotence of ill-equipped infantry against the Matilda. Ultimately, in the rapid maneuver warfare often practiced in the open desert of North Africa the Matilda's low speed and unreliable steering mechanism became major problems. Another problem was the lack of a high-explosive shell (the appropriate shell existed but was not issued). When the German Afrika Korps arrived in North Africa the 88mm anti-aircraft gun was again pressed into service against the Matilda, causing heavy losses during Operation Battleaxe when 64 Matildas were lost. The arrival of the more powerful 50mm Pak 38 anti-tank gun also provided a means for the German infantry to engage Matilda tanks at combat ranges. Nevertheless, during Operation Crusader Matilda tanks of 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades were instrumental in the breakout from Tobruk and the capture of the Axis fortress of Bardia. The operation was decided by the infantry tanks after the failure of the cruiser tank-equipped 7th Armored Division to overcome the Axis tank forces in the open desert. As the German army received new tanks with more powerful guns, as well as more powerful anti-tank guns and ammunition, the Matilda proved less and less effective. Firing tests conducted by the Afrika Korps showed that the Matilda had become vulnerable to a number of German weapons at ordinary combat ranges. Due to the "painfully small" size of its turret ring - 54 inches (1.37 m) - the tank could not be up-gunned sufficiently to continue to be effective against more heavily armored enemy tanks. It was also somewhat expensive to produce. Vickers proposed an alternative, the Valentine tank, which had the same gun and a similar level of armor protection but on a faster and cheaper chassis derived from that of their "heavy cruiser" tank. With the arrival of the Valentine in autumn 1941 the Matilda was phased out by the British Army through attrition, with lost vehicles no longer replaced. By the time of the battle of El Alamein (October 1942) few Matildas were in service, with many having been lost during Operation Crusader and then the Gazala battles in early summer of 1942. Around twenty-five took part in the battle as mine-clearing Matilda Scorpion mine flail tanks.

In early 1941 a small number of Matildas were used during the East Africa Campaign at the Battle of Keren. However the mountainous terrain of East Africa did not allow the tanks of B Squadron 4th Royal Tank Regiment to be as effective as the tanks of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment had been in Egypt and Libya. A few Matildas of the 7th RTR were present on Crete during the German invasion, and all of them were lost.

In the Pacific, Japanese forces were lacking in heavy anti-tank guns and the Matilda remained in service with several Australian regiments in the Australian 4th Armored Brigade in the South West Pacific Area. They first saw active service in the Huon Peninsula campaign in October 1943. Matilda II tanks remained in action until the last day of the war in the Wewak, Bougainville, and Borneo campaigns, which made the Matilda the only British tank to remain in service throughout the war.

The Red Army received 918 of the 1,084 Matildas sent to the USSR. The Soviet Matildas saw action as early as the Battle of Moscow and became fairly common during 1942. Unsurprisingly the tank was found to be too slow and unreliable. Crews often complained that snow and dirt were accumulating behind the "skirt" panels, clogging the suspension. The slowness and heavy armor made them comparable to the Red Army's KV-1 heavy tanks, but the Matilda had nowhere near the firepower of the KV. Most Soviet Matildas were expended during 1942 but a few served on as late as 1944. The Soviets modified the tanks with the addition of sections of steel welded to the tracks to give better grip.

Use of captured Matildas

Following Operation Battleaxe a dozen Matildas left behind the Axis lines were repaired and put into service by the Germans. The Matildas were well regarded by their German users although their use in battle caused confusion to both sides, despite extra-prominent German markings.

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We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. In certain instances, store credit may be provided instead of a refund. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.

Fighting Under the Red Flag

The Matilda IIs that found their way to the USSR were mostly Mk.IIIs and Mk.IVs, with Leyland diesel engines. Diesel being the preferred fuel of the Soviets. The Soviets identified the Matilda as the “British Mk.2”. The 170th and 171st Tank Battalions of the South-Western and Kalininsk fronts were the first units to receive the tank. At the time of the Battle of Moscow, their first action under the Soviet flag, only 145 Matildas had been received. Along with the Valentine, the Matildas only made up 2 percent of all Soviet armor used. The 170th only had 13 of them at the time.

Matilda’s tanks of the Soviet 5th Mechanized Corps, 68th Army. Photo: Osprey Publishing

Soviet crews fell in love with the Matilda, however, and up until 1942 they deemed it “the toughest tank on the western front”. To the Soviets, of course, the German front was the “Western” front. The only thing they didn’t like were the tracks, that were ill-suited to icy conditions. The tank fought on several fronts under Soviet use, mostly on Western Front, but also at North Caucasian Front and Bryansk Front until at least early 1944. In December 1943, the 5th Mechanized Corps of the 68th Army, fighting on the Western front, still had 79 fully operational Matildas.

There are several proposed explanations for the name Valentine. According to the most popular one, the design was presented to the War Office on St Valentine's Day, 14 February 1940, although some sources say that the design was submitted on Valentine's Day 1938 or 10 February 1938. [1] [3] [4] White notes that "incidentally" Valentine was the middle name of Sir John Carden, the man who was responsible for many tank designs including that of the Valentine's predecessors, the A10 and A11. [5] [a] Another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrongs Limited Elswick & (Newcastle-upon) Tyne. The "most prosaic" explanation according to David Fletcher is that it was just an in-house codeword of Vickers with no other significance. [6]

The Valentine started as a proposal based on Vickers' experience with the A9 and A10 specification cruiser tanks and the A11 (Infantry Tank Mk I). [7] As a private design by Vickers-Armstrongs, it did not receive a General Staff "A" designation it was submitted to the War Office on 10 February 1938. The development team tried to match the lower weight of a cruiser tank, allowing the suspension and transmission parts of the A10 heavy cruiser to be used, with the greater armour of an infantry tank, working to a specification for a 60 mm (2.4 in) armour basis (the same as the A.11). [8] [b]

The tank was to carry a 2-pounder gun in a two-man turret (the A.11 was armed only with a heavy machine gun), a lower silhouette and as light as possible, resulting in a very compact vehicle with a cramped interior. Compared to the earlier Infantry Tank Mk II "Matilda", the Valentine had somewhat weaker armour and almost the same top speed. By using components already proven on the A9 and A10, the new design was easier to produce and much less expensive. [9]

The War Office was initially deterred by the size of the turret, since they considered a turret crew of three necessary, to free the vehicle commander from direct involvement in operating the gun. [10] Concerned by the situation in Europe, it finally approved the design in April 1939 and placed the first order in July for deliveries in May 1940. At the start of the war, Vickers were instructed to give priority to the production of tanks. [11] The vehicle reached trials in May 1940, which coincided with the loss of much of the army's equipment in France, during Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk. The trials were successful and the vehicle was rushed into production as "Tank, Infantry, Mark III" no pilot models were required as much of the mechanics had been proven on the A10, [12] and 109 had been built by the end of September. [13] During late 1940 and early 1941, Valentines were used in the cruiser tank role in British-based armoured divisions, and they were supplied to tank brigades of the Eighth Army in North Africa from June 1941. [14]

Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon—an associate company of Vickers—and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company (BRCW) were contracted to produce the Valentine. Metropolitan and the BRCW had built small numbers of the A10, their production runs were just finishing and they delivered their first Valentines in mid-1940. Metropolitan used two sites, with Wednesbury joined by their Midland site in production of the Valentine. Vickers output started at ten per month rising to 45 per month in a year and peaking at 20 per week in 1943, before production was slowed and then production of the Valentine and derivatives stopped in 1945. Vickers-Armstrong produced 2,515 vehicles and Metropolitan 2,135, total UK production was 6,855 tanks. [15]

To develop its own tank forces, Canada had established tank production facilities. An order was placed in 1940 with Canadian Pacific and after modifications to the Valentine design to use local standards and materials, the production prototype was finished in 1941. [16] Canadian production was mainly at CPR Angus Shops in Montreal and 1,420 were produced in Canada [17] of 1,388 were sent to the Soviet-Union, with 2,394 exported from Britain. [18] They formed the main Commonwealth export to the Soviet Union under lend-lease. The remaining 32 were retained for training. [18] The use of local GMC Detroit Diesel engines in Canadian production was a success and the engine was adopted for British production. British and Canadian production totalled 8,275, making the Valentine the most produced British tank design of the war. [11]

The Valentine was of conventional layout, divided internally into three compartments from front to back the driver's position, the fighting compartment with the turret and then the engine and transmission driving the tracks through rear sprockets. The driver's area contained only the driver and the driving controls. The driver sat on hull centre line, entering through either of two angled hatches over the seat, though there was an emergency exit hatch beneath his seat. The driver had a direct vision port—cut in what was one of the hull cross members—in front of him and two periscopes in the roof over his head. Driving was by clutch and brake steering through levers, whose control rods ran the length of the hull to the transmission at the rear.

Behind the driver was a bulkhead that formed another hull cross-member and separated him from the fighting compartment. The first tanks had a two-man turret, the gunner on the left of the gun and the commander acting also as the loader on the right. When three-man turrets were introduced, the commander sat to the rear of the turret. The turret was made up of a cast front and a cast rear riveted to the side plates which were of rolled steel. [19] All tanks carried the radio in the turret rear. Early tanks used the Wireless set No. 11 with a Tannoy for the crew later tanks had Wireless Set No. 19, which included crew communications with long and short range networks. [19]

Turret rotation was by electric motor controlled by the gunner, with a hand-wheel for manual backup. The restrictions that the two-man turret placed on the commander, made more so if they were a troop commander and responsible for directing the actions of two other tanks besides their own, were addressed by enlarging the turret for the Mark III so that a loader for the main armament could be carried. The turret ring diameter was not changed, so the extra space was found by moving the gun mounting forward in an extended front plate and increasing the bulge in the rear of the turret. This increased weight by half a ton on the 2.5 long tons (2.5 t) two-man turret.

A bulkhead separated the fighting compartment from the engine compartment. The engine, clutch and gearbox were bolted together to form a single unit. The first Valentines used a petrol engine and the diesel engine which distinguished the Mark II—at the time Tank Infantry Mark III*— from the Mark I, was based on the AEC Comet, a commercial road vehicle engine. The Mark IV used a GMC Detroit Diesel these were the majority of those used in the desert campaigns. The gearbox was a 5-speed, 1-reverse Meadows connected to the multiplate steering clutches which then fed epicyclic reduction gearboxes on the sides of the tanks. The brakes themselves were on the outside of the drive sprockets. [19] The suspension was made up of two units on either side each unit made up of a single 24 in (0.61 m) diameter wheel and two 19 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (0.50 m) wheels. Improved tracks were added to later marks.

North Africa Edit

The Valentine was extensively used in the North African Campaign, earning a reputation as a reliable and well-protected vehicle. [20] The first Valentines went in action with the 8th Royal Tank Regiment in Operation Crusader. [21] The tank first served in Operation Crusader in the North African desert, when it began to replace the Matilda Tank. Due to a lack of cruisers, it was issued to armoured regiments in the UK from mid-1941. [20] The Valentine was better armed and faster than the Cruiser Mk II. During the pursuit from El Alamein in late 1942, some tanks had driven more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) by the time the Eighth Army reached Tunisia. [21]

The Valentine shared the common weakness of the British tanks of the period, its 2-pounder gun lacked high-explosive (anti-personnel) ammunition and soon became outdated as an anti-tank weapon. Introduction of the 6-pounder in British service was delayed until the loss of equipment in France had been made good, so the 2-pounder was retained longer. [21]

The small size of the turret and of the turret ring meant that producing mountings for larger guns proved a difficult task. Although versions with the 6-pounder and then with the Ordnance QF 75 mm gun were developed, by the time they were available in significant numbers, better tanks had reached the battlefield. Another weakness was the small crew compartment and the two-man turret. A larger turret, with a loader position added, was used in some of the 2-pounder versions but the position had to be removed again in variants with larger guns. Its relatively low height was an advantage in a battlefield with little cover, allowing it to take up a "good hull-down position in any convenient fold in the ground". [21]

Madagascar Edit

Six Valentines of 'B' Special Service Squadron of the Royal Armoured Corps took part in the 1942 Battle of Madagascar with six Tetrarchs of 'C' Special Service Squadron. [22]

Northwest Europe Edit

By 1944, the Valentine had been almost replaced in front-line units of the European theatre by the Churchill tank (the Infantry Tank Mark IV) and the US-made M4 Sherman tank. A few were used for special purposes or as command vehicles for units equipped with the Archer self-propelled gun. The Royal artillery used the Valentine XI (with 75 mm gun) as an OP command tank until the end of the war. [16]

Pacific Edit

In the Pacific War, 25 Valentine Mk III and nine Valentine Mk IIICS tanks were employed by the 3rd New Zealand Division in the south-west Pacific campaign. Trials in New Zealand had found that the locally developed 2 pounder HE shell lacked power, especially compared to the 18-pounder shell of the 3-inch howitzer, so 18 Valentine Mk III were converted to Valentine Mk IIICS standard by having their main armament replaced by the QF 3-inch howitzer taken from Matilda Mk IVCS tanks, surplus to New Zealand requirements. Other modifications to the nine Valentine Mk IIICS tanks deploying to the Pacific included Infantry telephones (a means for infantry to talk to the tank commander). The converted tanks carried 21 HE and 14 smoke shells. The other nine 3-inch armed tanks and 16 normal Valentines (with 2-pounder guns) remained in New Zealand for training. The Valentine was retired from New Zealand service in 1960. [23]

Eastern Front Edit

Valentines, of most all Marks except the Mark I, were sent to the USSR from 1941. The creation of Valentines tanks destined for use by the Soviet Union was a part of a campaign known as Aid to Russia Fund, headed by Clementine Churchill and heavily supported by the Communist Party of Great Britain. In Soviet service, the Valentine was used from the Battle of Moscow until the end of the war, mainly in the second line. Although criticised for its low speed and the 2-pounder gun, the Valentine was liked due to its small size, reliability and good armour protection. Initially the tracks gave some problems in winter from freezing down to minus 20, snow packed into the tracks, though at below minus 20 it was not a problem. The problem was later solved. [24]

Soviet Supreme Command asked for its production until the end of the war. In August 1945, as part of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, the 267th Tank Regiment (40 Valentine III and IX) of the 59th Cavalry Division Red Army, together with the 65th T-34-85 43rd Tank Brigade, passed from Eastern Gobi across the mountains Greater Khingan to Kalgan in China. [25] [26] [27]

Cyprus Edit

The last use of a Valentine in combat is thought to have occurred during the Cyprus crisis of 1963–64. A turretless Valentine from a quarry was used by Greek militia, fitted with an improvised armoured casement from which a gunner could fire a Bren gun. The vehicle is owned by the Cypriot National Guard, who intend to place it in a proposed new military museum. [28]

Valentine I (Tank, Infantry, Mk III): (308)

The first model of the Valentine production was by Vickers, Metro-Cammell and Birmingham Railway [12] The tank had a riveted hull, was powered by AEC A189 135 hp petrol engine and equipped with a 2-pounder gun and a coaxial Besa machine gun. Its two-man turret forced the commander to act as the loader.

Valentine II (Tank, Infantry, Mk III*): (700)

Until the Valentine name adopted in June 1941, known as "Tank, Infantry, Mark III*". [19] [c] This model used AEC A190 131 hp 6-cylinder diesel engine. To increase its range in the desert, an auxiliary jettisonable external fuel tank was installed to the left of the engine compartment.

Modifications to the turret design – moving the front turret plate forward and a larger rear bulge – gave room for a loader to ease the duties of the commander. [29] [ page needed ] The side armour was reduced from 60 mm (2.4 in) to 50 mm (2.0 in) to save weight. [ citation needed ]

Valentine IIICS (Close Support)

New Zealand modification of 18 Valentine III carried out by replacing the 2 pounder with a 3" Howitzer from Matilda IVCS tanks. [30] [ page needed ] They were used in Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands (see Battle of the Green Islands), and remained in service into the 1950s. [31]

A Mark II using an American 138 hp GMC 6004 diesel engine and US-made transmission. Though it had slightly shorter range, it was quieter and highly reliable. [d]

As the Valentine III but with the GMC 6004 diesel and US-made transmission.

Canadian-built version of Mk IV initially known as Tank, Infantry Mark III***. [29] [ page needed ] It used some Canadian and American mechanical parts and a GMC diesel engine. Late production vehicles had cast glacis detail, along with more use of cast sections instead of fabricated ones. The first fifteen were produced with a 7.92 mm Besa coaxial machine-gun, thereafter replaced by a coaxial 0.30-inch Browning machine-gun.

Another Canadian version, it was essentially the VI with internal changes and No. 19 Wireless replaced the No. 11 radio set.

Mark VII with jettisonable fuel tanks, new studded tracks, oil cooler and protected headlights.

AEC diesel engine and turret modification to take 6-pounder gun meant the loss of the coaxial machine-gun.

A V upgraded to the 6-pounder gun as VIII. Similar armour reduction as on the Mk VIII on late production units an upgraded, 165 hp version of the GMC 6004 diesel was installed, somewhat improving mobility.

New turret design so that a Besa coaxial machine-gun could be mounted again. Welded construction the 165 hp engine was used in place of the 130 hp engine in some production. [32]

An X upgraded with the OQF 75 mm gun and 210 hp version of the GMC 6004 diesel welded construction. The Canadian cast nose introduced into British production, only used as a command tank. [32]

Valentine Mk V, IX and Mk XI, made amphibious by the use of Nicholas Straussler's "Duplex Drive". Conversions by Metro-Cammell of 625 tanks delivered in 1943–1944. Used by crews training for the M4 Sherman DD tanks for the Normandy Landings as well as training in Italy and India. A few were used in Italy in 1945. [33]

Valentine OP / Command

Artillery Observation Post and Command Vehicle extra radios, to give more space inside, the gun was removed and a dummy barrel fitted to the front of the turret. Used by battery commanders and observation post for Archer units.

Continuation of Canal Defence Light experiments conventional turret replaced with one containing a searchlight.

Valentine Scorpion II

Mine flail turretless vehicle with flail attachment never used operationally.

Armoured Mine Roller Attachment, a few used on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day.

Mine exploder using "Snake" mine-clearing line charge equipment a few used operationally.

Valentine Bridgelayer

armoured bridgelaying vehicle a turretless Mk II fitted with 10 m (34 ft) long by 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in) wide Class 30 (capable of bearing 30 long tons (34 short tons)) scissors bridge. 192 were produced, [34] 25 of them supplied to the USSR. [18] Used in action in Italy, Burma, north-west Europe and Manchuria.

Valentine with 6-pounder anti-tank mounting

Experimental vehicle built by Vickers-Armstrong to examine the possibility of producing a simple tank destroyer by mounting the 6-pounder in its field carriage on the hull in place of the turret. Trials only, 1942 not required since the Valentine could be fitted with a 6-pounder in a turret. [35]

Valentine flame-throwers

Two Valentine tanks were modified to carry flame-throwers and were tested by the Petroleum Warfare Department to determine which system was best for a tank-mounted flame projector. One used a projector pressurised by slow burning cordite charges (designed by the Ministry of Supply) and one designed by AEC with the PWD using a projector operated by compressed hydrogen gas. [36] [35] Both carried the flame-thrower fuel in a trailer and the flame projector was mounted on the hull front. Trials started in 1942 and showed that the gas-operated system was better. From this test installation was developed the Crocodile equipment for the Churchill Crocodile flame-thrower used in the North West Europe campaign in 1944–45. [36]

Valentine 9.75-inch flame mortar

Experimental vehicle with the turret replaced by fixed heavy mortar intended to fire 25 lb TNT incendiary shells to demolish concrete emplacements. Trials only by the Petroleum Warfare Dept, 1943–45. Effective range was 400 yd (370 m) (maximum range 2,000 yd (1,800 m)). Few used in Normandy on D-Day to help clear buildings.

"Ark" design using Valentine hull for a light ramp tank to be used in Far East. The end of the war precluded further development. [33]

The first tanks were so loud that it was impossible to communicate via radio instead they used carrier pigeons! The Mark I was the world’s first combat tank made by the British Army during World War I. it was developed to be able to cross trenches, resist small arms fire, travel over difficult terrain, carry supplies, and to capture fortified enemy positions.

Matilda

The Matilda is well-suited for the role of a heavy. It has one of the biggest hitpools for tier IV, and the armor is very difficult to be penetrated by lower tiers. And a fully upgraded Matilda can even penetrate the notoriously ricochet-inducing front armor of the Hetzer, and the only tank capable of this feat in its tier that is not a TD. But the Matilda, like the Churchill after it, is very slow, with a top speed of only 27 kph. Fast tanks like the Pz. III and A-20 can easily outmaneuver and destroy it. Fortunately, some tanks, like the Covenanter, can't pen the Matilda in any place. The damage is also mediocre, only doing 45 damage on average. Overall, the Matilda is a good, quick-firing tank, built for those who are annoyed with the Hetzer's front armor and can stand low damage and very slow speed. It is also good for those that prefer armor over speed.

The Matilda is also one of the tanks that can still perform well in High Tier Matches. Even in Tier 5 Matches, the Matilda is still a force to be reckoned with. Though it got a low-damage gun, the rate of fire will surely send any tank that is opposing, even the KV-1, into the garage quick. It's also one of the tanks that can de-track enemies faster than the repairing speed, making this , though having a slow speed, can still engage enemy non-turreted tanks with ease though will slow speed.

It's armor, in paper, already have 75mm. With proper angling which is better than the KV-1, this tank is nearly impenetrable for most Tier 3 Tanks, some Tier 4 tanks, and even a few Tier 5 Tanks. Howitzers hitting it's tracks will not deal expected damage also with it's side skirts which reduce incoming damage, but this will surely de-track your tank.

Despite the seemingly invincible armour at times, some same tier tanks can and will penetrate you with ease. It's essential to spot these vehicles while the games was loading, and take them down once you started engaging. These tanks includes: Hetzer, T-28, T40, Luchs and the Matilda. Howitzers can't penetrate you, but the HE shells can still do some splash damage to you, so be careful when going up against one, especially if you're on low health.