British armored vehicles in the battles of World War 2. "Cromwell": British Army tank from World War II
The British began building tanks during the First World War. By its end, England had numerous and organized tank forces - Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - Royal tank corps. Over the next twenty years, tank construction here was almost at the “freezing point.” First of all, the discussion about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare. Uncertainty on this issue among the military slowed down the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. The British did not intend to attack anyone, but they had a real enemy in Europe for a long time did not have. This situation led to the fact that during this period the industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. Most interesting ideas their creators or embodied in experienced and experimental samples, remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland. The issue describes the history of creation, a description of the designs of British tanks during the Second World War, their modifications and vehicles built on their basis; combat use; specifications. A large number of unique photographs, drawings and drawings.
![](https://i2.wp.com/tankovedia.ru/files/tank/1350812509.jpg)
Initially, the British military wanted to have armored vehicles at their disposal to transport soldiers. But very quickly the implementation of this idea turned out to be impossible. The tightness of the Mark I tank and especially the highlight carbon dioxide and cordite vapors threatened the lives of the soldiers on board. Often crew members became victims of intoxication and were carried out of their cars in an unconscious state. Every new soldier, who got into the tank, only worsened the situation. Although the infantrymen could approach the enemy unharmed, when leaving the tank they were completely unfit for combat for several minutes. The Mark V Star tank, which entered service in 1918, is a Mark V tank lengthened for transport personnel. In 1917, Lieutenant G. R. Rackham was appointed to develop an armored vehicle for transporting infantrymen. But the British military did not have enough experience to determine technical requirements To like a machine and, as a result, it was decided to develop a vehicle equipped with a gun.
Thus, if the Mark VIII tank, which was still in development, failed to fulfill its purpose, the Mark IX could be converted into an armored personnel carrier, which became the first "tank" (from the English "tank" - "reservoir"). The military ultimately decided to abandon the “backup” tank, which was both a tank and a transporter, and development of the tank began
Mark IX. The tracks were supported by a lengthened, reinforced chassis and an extended body of the Mark V tank, thanks to the use of fans the ventilation system was improved... Everything unnecessary was removed inside, which made room for a maximum of 30 people. The Mark IX was equipped with two machine guns and eight vision slits that gave men the opportunity to shoot. The engine was moved forward, the gearbox was left behind, the space reserved for the soldiers was crossed by a long transmission shaft with a scale. The thickness of the armor did not exceed 10 mm, in stowed position weight reached 27 tons. The crew consisted of four people: a commander, a driver and two machine gunners. Due to the shape of the tracks and external resemblance the car was nicknamed “The Pig”.
The prototype was approved general staff, who handed over the order to representatives military industry for the production of 200 copies of an armored personnel carrier. By the time peace was signed on November 11, 1918, only 35 vehicles had been assembled. After the war, one of them began to be used by the medical service, and the second turned into an amphibious tank.
TANK VICKERS MARK E |
![]()
The conclusions from the lessons learned from the First World War were obvious: countries capable of creating decent armored forces, had to invest in research and development, as well as in creating an armored vehicle production system. But in 1920, tank production was very expensive. People survived four years bloody war, the period of disarmament has begun, the state of public finances in different countries was depressing. Military budgets were insignificant, and the need for weapons immediately fell into the zone special attention in case of order mass production. Defense industry was looking for ways to develop low-cost, but reliable weapon and equipment without attracting attention. ![]() The British company Vickers-Armstrong took a big risk when, on its own initiative, it decided to design new tank without any ministerial support and without advance payment for development costs. The development of the “six-ton tank” was undertaken by famous engineers and tank designers John Valentine Carden and Vivian Lloyd. An experimental model appeared in 1928 and was named “Mark E”. The vehicle seemed impressive: the thickness of the frontal armor was 25 mm, and on the turret, in the rear and on the sides - 19 mm; power gasoline engine 98 l. With.; excellent tracks on which the tank could travel up to 5000 km. Two versions of the Vickers Mark E tanks were produced: Model A with two turrets, each equipped with a Vickers machine gun, and Model B with one double turret equipped with a 47 mm cannon and one machine gun. But after various stages of testing, ultimately, the British army abandoned the tank due to insufficient reliability of the suspension. Although the hopes of the Vickers company were not justified, it did not abandon its project and tried its luck at international market. This decision paid off. In the late 1920s, the Vickers tank became the main weapon of many tank armies in Europe and around the world. These tanks were in service in the armies of Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Greece, Finland, Portugal and Thailand. In addition, the light tank was quickly copied by foreign engineers. The characteristics of the tank made such a deep impression on the Soviet military that they bought a license from Vickers to produce their own version - the T-26 tank, which was slightly different in armament and armor shape. In the period from 1931 to 1941, from the assembly lines of Soviet factories At least 12 T-26 LLCs of all modifications were produced. |
The symbol of British tank building in the years between the two world wars was the heavy five-turret tank A T Independent. This vehicle became the object of close attention of specialists from many countries and, without a doubt, served as a prototype for the creation of the Soviet T-35 heavy tank and the German Nb.Fz
As you know, the British began building tanks during the First World War. By its end, they had numerous and organized tank forces - the Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - the Royal Tank Corps.
In the next 20 years, British tank building was almost at the “freezing point”. There were several reasons for this. First of all, in Great Britain the discussion about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare has dragged on. Uncertainty on this issue among the military slowed down the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. Played her role and geographical feature states - the British did not intend to attack anyone, and for a long time they did not have a real enemy in Europe.
This situation led to the fact that during this period of time the British industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. The most interesting ideas of their creators were either embodied in prototypes and experimental samples that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland.
The end of the debate in the USSR and Germany about the role of tanks and the subsequent massive deployment tank troops in these countries forced the British military to come out of hibernation. Beginning around 1934, development armored vehicles in the UK has sharply intensified.
By this time, the views of the military leadership on tactical application tanks. In accordance with them, tanks in England were divided into three classes: light, infantry and cruising. Moreover, the concept of cruising tanks was formed later than others. At first, their functions were supposed to be performed by the lungs combat vehicles- fast and maneuverable. The main task infantry tanks became direct support infantry on the battlefield. These vehicles had limited speed and heavy armor. Sometimes it reached the point of absurdity: the gearbox of the Matilda I infantry tank, for example, had only one speed - it was believed that this was quite enough.
In 1936, the British considered it sufficient to arm tanks only with machine guns. Common sense, however, soon triumphed, and first on cruising and then on infantry vehicles a 2-pounder gun appeared. Its capabilities, however, were very limited - there were no high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.
The disaster at Dunkirk forced the British to reconsider their views somewhat. Light tanks were now assigned only reconnaissance functions, and even then, during the war, they were gradually transferred to armored vehicles. The role of infantry tanks, the only ones that had proven themselves well in battles on the continent, remained virtually unchanged, and efforts to improve them boiled down to increasing the power of weapons and armor protection.
At the same time, unfolding fighting in North Africa, the army identified a huge need for a reliable and complete tank for independent armored formations. HVi is one of those then in service british army cruiser tanks in to the fullest did not meet these requirements. One can only be surprised that a country that built beautiful ships, planes and cars could not achieve the required operational reliability of tank engines and chassis elements for several years. The British were able to resolve these issues only by 1944. By this time, the importance of infantry tanks and their specific gravity V tank units. The cruising tank increasingly acquired the features of a universal one. Soon after the end of World War II, the British abandoned the division of tanks into classes according to purpose.
Leading developer and manufacturer of armored vehicles in Great Britain in 1930 - 1940. was Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. With her participation, almost half of all British tanks that participated in World War II were created. On the picture - Polish tanks Vickers on the shop floor
Assembly of cruiser tanks Mk II in the workshop of the BRCW plant, 1940. In the foreground are stands for assembling turrets
Manufacturing the hull of the Mk V "Covenanter" tank in the workshop of the LMS plant
Cruiser tank Mk V "Covenanter" in
A prototype of the A43 tank Black Prince(“Black Prince”), 1945. This vehicle, developed on the basis of the Churchill infantry tank and armed with a 17-pounder gun, is an attempt to create a full-fledged English heavy tank
For the 1940s, the design and assembly technology of British tanks cannot be considered progressive. The hulls and turrets (if the latter were not made in one piece) were assembled using bolts on frames or using the frameless method (“Valentine”). Welding was used to an extremely limited extent. Armor plates, as a rule, were located vertically, without any angles of inclination. British tanks, especially in the second half of the war, could not compete with German tanks either in terms of armor protection or firepower.
The pace also lagged behind real needs tank production before and during the Second World War. For example, by December 1938, the industry was supposed to supply the army with more than 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, only 30 of the former were produced, and 60 of the latter. A year later, only 314 tanks of all types entered the army. As a result, Britain entered the war with just over 600 tanks, more than half of which were light tanks. In total, during the war years the British produced 25,116 tanks, about 4,000 self-propelled guns and self-propelled guns. Moreover, a significant part of the latter were manufactured using the chassis of obsolete and decommissioned vehicles. Speaking about the production of tanks in the United Kingdom, it should be taken into account that a significant part of the combat vehicles produced during the war never reached the front” and were used for training purposes.
The tank, known as the Vickers 6 ton tank, was created by Vickers-Armstrong and entered production in 1931. A total of 153 vehicles were produced in three versions. Vickers Mk-E mod.A - a double-turreted version with a riveted box-section hull, armed with two 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns. Vickers Mk-E mod.B is a single-turret version, armed with a 47 mm cannon and a 7.7 mm machine gun in a coaxial mount (50 rounds of ammunition and 4 thousand rounds of ammunition). Vickers Mk-E mod.C – tank destroyer armed with two 37 mm anti-tank guns. The tank was manufactured for export. It was used in Poland, the USSR and Finland. In the USSR, production of the T-26 tank was launched on its basis. In Poland, the tank was re-equipped with 47 mm Vickers cannons and 7.92 mm Browning wz.30 machine guns. Finnish tanks were armed with a 37 mm Bofors gun and later with Soviet 45 mm guns. Tank performance characteristics: length – 4.6 m; width – 2.3 m; height – 2 m; ground clearance – 380 mm; weight – 7 t; armor – 5-13 mm; engine type - in-line 4-cylinder air-cooled carburetor Armstrong Siddeley; engine power – 91.5 hp; specific power – 13.1 hp/t; travel speed – 37 km/h; Power reserve – 120 km/h; crew – 3 people.
In 1933, Vickers-Armstrong developed a so-called “commercial” (for export) tank, which was produced from 1933 to 1940. The following modifications of the tank are known: Model 1933, Model 1934 and T-15, which differed in shape turrets, suspension and, at the customer’s request, weapons. The vehicles were delivered to Belgium (42 units), Holland (24 units) and Latvia (32 units).
Tank performance characteristics: length – 3.6 m, width – 1.9 m; height – 1.9 m; ground clearance – 260 mm; weight – 3.8 t; armor – 4-9 mm; engine type - 6-cylinder, carburetor, in-line, liquid cooling “Meadows2”; power - 90 hp; speed on the highway – 65 km/h; armament - 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun or 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun or 40 mm gun; crew - 2 people.
The tank was put into service in 1936 and was produced in the following modifications: Mk-VI - basic version(81 units), Mk-VIA - modified commander's cupola And chassis(115 units), Mk-VIB - changes in armor, installation of an anti-aircraft 7.7 mm machine gun mount (854 units), Mk-IP - Indian version (106 units), Mk-VIC - with 15 mm and 7.92 mm Besa machine guns (129 units). A total of 1,285 vehicles were produced. Tanks were used in North Africa, Greece, Crete and Syria. Tank performance characteristics: length – 3.9 m; width – 2 m; height – 2.2 m; weight – 5 t; armor – 4-14 mm; engine type - 6-cylinder carburetor liquid-cooled Meadows ESTB; engine power – 88 hp; specific power – 17.6 hp/t; speed on the highway – 58 km/h; Power reserve – 206 km; armament - 12.7 mm Vickers machine gun, 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun; ammunition - 2.9 thousand rounds; means of communication – radio station No. 7; crew – 3 people.
The air transportable tank was put into service in 1941. The following modifications are known: Mk-I (main version); Mk-I CS (prototype armed with a 75 mm howitzer); DD (prototype converted into an amphibious tank). A total of 177 vehicles were produced, 20 of which were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. Tank performance characteristics: length – 4.6 m; width – 2.4 m; height – 2.1 m; ground clearance - 356 mm; weight – 7.6 t; armor – 4-16 mm; engine type - horizontally opposed 12-cylinder carburetor Meadows MAT; engine power – 165 hp; specific engine power – 21.7 hp/t; speed on the highway – 64 km; Power reserve – 224 km; main armament - 40 mm QF-2 cannon; ammunition - 50 shots; additional weapons- 7.92 mm BESA machine gun, ammunition - 2025 rounds; two smoke grenade launchers of 101.6 mm caliber; ammunition - 8 smoke grenades; means of communication – radio station No. 2; crew 3 people.
The tank was developed by Vickers on the basis of the Tetrarch tank. In 1943, Metro produced 99 cars. The tank had a simplified welded hull with a heavily beveled one-piece armored front plate and power steering. Tank performance characteristics: length – 4.3 m; width – 2.7 m; height – 2.1 m; ground clearance - 356 mm; weight – 8.6 t; armor 4 -3 8 mm; engine type - horizontally opposed 12-cylinder carburetor Meadows MAT; engine power – 165 hp; specific engine power – 21.7 hp/t; speed on the highway – 40 km/h; Power reserve – 190 km; main armament - 40 mm Mk-IX cannon; ammunition - 50 shots; additional weapons – 7.92 mm BESA machine gun; ammunition - 2,035 rounds; 50.5 mm smoke grenade launcher; means of communication – radio station No. 19; crew – 3 people.
The tank was developed by Vickers-Armstrong and entered service in 1940. It was also produced in Canada (modifications Mk-VI and Mk-VII - 1,420 units). The tank was produced in 11 modifications: Mk I - Mk XI. A total of 8,275 vehicles were produced, of which 2,474 were equipped with 57 mm and 75 mm guns. 3,782 tanks were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. Performance characteristics of the tank of early modifications (Mk-I – Mk-VII): length – 5.4 -5.6 m; width – 2.6 m; height – 2.3 m; ground clearance - 420 mm; weight – 15.7 – 16.7t; armor – 17 – 65 mm; engine type – diesel 6‑cyl. AEC A190 or diesel 6‑cyl. GMC 6-71, engine power – 130-135 hp; specific power – 8.6 hp/t; speed on the highway – 25 km/h; Power reserve – 176 km; main armament - 40 mm QF-2 pounder cannon; ammunition - 60 rounds; additional weapons - 7.92 mm BESA machine gun; crew – 3 people. Performance characteristics of the tank of later modifications (Mk-VIII – Mk-XI): length – 6.3 m; width – 2.6 m; height – 2.3 m; ground clearance - 420 mm; weight – 17.2-18 tons; armor – 17-65 mm; engine type - diesel 6‑cylinder GMC 6-71; engine power – 135 – 175 hp; specific power – 9.6 hp/t; speed on the highway – 25 km/h; Power reserve – 225 km; main armament - 57 mm QF-6 pounder and 75 mm QF-75 cannon for the Mk-XI modification; ammunition - 44-53 rounds; additional weapons - 7.92 mm BESA machine gun; crew – 3 people.
Defeats in Europe and the disaster at Dunkirk
Before the start of the German offensive in the West, the British had 12 divisions and over 500 tanks in France, 9 of these 15 divisions were located in Belgium as part of the joint Anglo-French North-Eastern Front, which was supposed to cover this direction from a possible German attack. The British Expeditionary Force in France was armed with Matilda (Mark II), Cruiser (Mark IIA) and Cruiser (Mark IIIA) tanks, armed with 40mm guns, more than half of which had excellent armor for 1940 and were difficult to hit by German tank guns. In addition, do not forget that many German tanks in the French campaign were still armed only with a machine gun (Pz.I and Pz.II).![](https://i0.wp.com/4tanks.ru/nations/british/pic/churchill(2).jpg)
See also:
British tanks in Africa
Initially in Africa the British were opposed by units Italian army, the technical equipment of which left much to be desired - all Italian combat vehicles were inferior to English models. When the first offensive of British troops in Africa against the Italian aggressors began in December 1940, the superiority of the British in technology made itself felt - the Italians retreated until German command, which decided to help its ally, did not transfer a corps under the command of General Rommel to Africa. The counterattack of this corps, which has initial stage there were only 120 tanks, drove the British back to the Egyptian border and surrounded their base in Tobruk.![](https://i0.wp.com/4tanks.ru/nations/british/pic/matilda.jpg)
Tank production in England during the war
The rate of tank production in the pre-war years in England was very low. In many sources, this is sometimes explained by the fact that in the British War Ministry there were many opponents of the development of tank forces. Some officials considered the development of tanks a waste of the budget. As a result, the British nevertheless came to the conclusion that it was necessary to produce tanks of two different options- infantry and cruising. By 1938, the British industry, according to the plan, was to produce over 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, it was actually possible to produce thirty cruising![](https://i1.wp.com/4tanks.ru/nations/british/pic/archer.jpg)