British Infantry Tanks - WWII

British Army came a long way about developing their tanks during the World War II. At this post, we will be talking about some of these tanks. Especially the important ones.

Some Airborne Division Soldiers

Carden Loyd Tankette: We wanted to talk about it because it is one of the smallest tanks of the WW2. Its height was 4 ft 0 in(1.22m), width was 6ft 6.5in(1.94m), length was 8ft 1in(2.46m). It became a classic tank design worldwide, was licence-built by several countries.  It was produced between 1927 and 1935.

Carden Loyd

Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I(A11): Although being slow and only armed with a single machine gun, the Matilda had some success in the Battle of France in 1940, thanks to its heavy armor which was an advantage against the standard German anti-tank guns. It was in service from 1938 to 1940. The Mk I designed in 1935 by Sir John Carden. It was designed for quick delivery as well as low cost.

Matilda A11

Infantry, Mk II, Matilda II(A12): With its heavy armor, the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank but it had limited speed and armament. It was the only British tank to serve from the start of the war to its end. It was in service between 1939 and 1955. The Matilda was first used in combat by the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in France in 1940. It was started to be designed in 1937.

Matilda A12

Light Tank Mk III:  This design, invented by Sidney Horstmann and exclusively used on lightweight vehicles, was also used up to the Light Tank Mk VI of the British Army. Apart from being relatively easy to build, compact and lightweight, it had the advantage of having a long 
travel, and of being easy to replace when damaged in the field.

MK III

Light Tank Mk V: The biggest change from the Mark IV to the Mark V was the introduction of a three-man crew. The turret now carried the commander and the gunner who was also the radio operator. The armament of the Mark V was an improvement over the earlier Marks; a 0.5 inch Vickers machine gun was added to the existing 0.303. 

MK V

British tanks were not as effective as the German tanks but  they realized it too late. After all of those blitzkrieg and various losts taken by the infantry branch, the war's end could been seen almost with the naked eye. But that time was the time that British army started to improve their tanks. With the agvantage of outnumbering the enemy as the Allied Power, they won the war.