Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda (A12)

History of the infantry tank Mk II Matilda (A12)

At the beginning of WWII, no other tank was more important in the British Army's inventory than the Matilda II. The German Blitz occupied most of Europe, and the Allies narrowly escaped the massacre in Dunkirk, leaving behind countless small arms, artillery, and tanks. The Matilda II came out when there was little hope of stopping the German war machine. In the battles of the desert campaign, the system performed quite well, leaving behind a reputation as a powerful mobile force comparable to British tankers. Although Matilda II was outdated by the middle and late stages of the war, there is no doubt that she served the Empire through her numerous exploits in the field.

Amazingly, the Matilda II was the only British tank to serve throughout the war (starting with the British and ending with the Australians).

By World War II, the British Army had adopted a tank doctrine centered on light, fast "cruiser" tanks, supplemented by slower, better armored armed "infantry" tanks. The former will be used to exploit weaknesses in enemy defenses, while the latter will serve as an infantry support role.

To this end, in response to the growing threat of war on the European continent, the British Army requested a new infantry tank to be added to its existing inventory. The resulting design became the "Mk I Matilda Infantry Tank (A11)" (not to be confused with the "Mk II Matilda A12 Infantry Tank").

(Original) The Matilda is a two-person tracked vehicle with a main weapon being a machine gun mounted on a movable turret. This type becomes more or less a temporary "stop-and-go" design that can be built quickly until more formal development can be achieved. As such, the design was so useful that the genre never quite fit into the modern warfare prescribed at the time. Its heavily armored front - 60mm thick - is its only strength, although there are still some differences of this type.

The Matilda (A11) is very slow on the road (top speed is just 13 km/h), has exposed track sides and exposed landing gear, and uses only machine gun armament - overall, it lacks the "real" The" quality of a main battle tank, even if its time. In addition, tank commanders need to manage almost all aspects of the vehicle: not easy to reach on the battlefield by communicating with the driver, firing and reloading machine guns (as well as through the turret), and managing the radio built into the hull.

If anything, the original Matilda was little more than a "light support vehicle" more comparable to the light tanks of the time, which proves that only 139 were produced in total.

While Matilda's legacy is still being formed, work began in 1936 on a more specialized infantry tank under the project name "A12". Design work took place at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, and a prototype was built at the Vulcan foundry due to the use of cast steel construction. The construction process required the use of heavy industrial foundries, which slowed down manufacturing considerably. The pilot vehicle appeared in 1937, and its design proved sufficient to use it as a "Mark II Infantry Tank".

The tank was named "Matilda" from the A11, although it was a completely new design. Since both were in service at the same time, the A11 became "Matilda I" and the A12 became "Matilda II". The Matilda II was not referred to simply as "Matilda" or "Matilda Superior" until the Matilda One entered service from the front.

Like the A11 before it, the A12 is classified as an "infantry tank" in British Army nomenclature and is designed to support infantry operations. The Mk II series was in service from 1938 to 1939 and over time became the standard infantry main battle tank of the British Army.

At the time of the German invasion of Poland, only two Matilda IIs were completed.

From the looks of it, the Mk II is definitely more of a "main battle tank" than the Mk I Matilda that preceded it. First, the vehicle's tracked undercarriage is protected on the sides by thick armored skirts with five protruding mud troughs - a common feature of World War I tanks.

The layout of the vehicle is very traditional, with the driver sitting in the front center of the fuselage, the turret on top of the fighting compartment (comprising a crew of three - commander, gunner and loader), and the engine in the rear. Trackside there are 11 small wheels (in groups of ten) with coil spring suspension for off-road service. There was a short, flat front panel, resulting in a shorter hull layout, although many panels were arranged vertically - providing ample opportunity for shooting traps.

The superstructure is the turret, which houses a 2lb L/50 (40mm) main gun. The traverse is a full 360-degree movement and adds a 7.92mm Bessa machine gun in a coaxial anti-infantry mount.

The main gun is armed with 93 x 40mm armor-piercing rounds and the machine gun is armed with 2,925 x 7.92mm ammunition. The Mk II also offers interior space for four occupants instead of the two required by the Mk I. One main hatch is located on top of the turret, while the other entry point is the driver's hatch.

The vehicle has a total weight of 25 tonnes and is protected by heavy armour, some of which is up to 78mm thick.

Power was initially provided by a pair of AEC 6-cylinder diesel engines that combined to produce a whopping 94 hp. The vehicle can reach a top speed of 16 mph on the road (twice as fast as the Matilda I) and has a range of up to 160 miles.

The engine is mated to a Wilson planetary preselected transmission that provides six gears via a Rackham clutch.

Initially, the Matilda II proved to be an excellent tank as it was well protected and had a 40mm main gun. During the 1940 invasion, France had only 24 Matilda IIs available, but these were enough to give German commanders a headache. The Matilda II's 2-pounder gun has a long range, and in return it can absorb more damage than competing light tanks. During the Battle of Arras (along with the previous 58 Matilda I tanks), 16 Matilda IIs destroyed German General Irving Rommel's 7th Panzer Division.

The tide turned when the German 88mm anti-aircraft gun proved capable of being a deadly anti-tank weapon.

This type continued to fight extensively, mainly in North African campaigns, and handled Italian light tanks with relative ease (earning it the nickname "Queen of the Desert"). Only with the arrival of the Afrika Korps and their 88mm anti-tank guns did the Matilda II meet their opponents. Still, some Matildas were able to withstand multiple direct hits from these powerful weapons and keep fighting. During Operation Tomahawk in June 1941, Matilda II performed quite poorly in the Axis victory - some 64 units were lost despite the large numbers. On the first day of battle, the British Army counted the loss of half of its main battle tanks in their moderately successful three-pronged attack.

On the other hand, more than half of the 15th Panzer Division lost to Matildas in the battle of Capuzzo.

The presence of Maltida II continued between these back and forth field battles. Proved to be a reliable tank, it was the best British tank in the early days of the war until it was replaced by improved, more capable types over time. Eventually, even on the battlefield, she was replaced by newer, more powerful enemies deployed alongside improved anti-tank weaponsand her best days of combat quickly fell behind. In 1940, instead of building new Matilda IIs to replace those that fell, the British Army began mass introduction of the newer "Valentine Infantry Tanks" and entered service.

Matilda II's last notable combat action took place at the Second Battle of El Alamein.

A total of 2,987 Matilda IIs were built, with production spanning from 1937 to 1943. Due to the complexity of cast steel body production for selected British heavy industries - they had experience building locomotives rather than combat vehicles - production levels were always equally below expectations. Through a valuable Lend-Lease initiative, the vehicle ended up in the stocks of the Australian Army (Australian 4th Armoured Brigade in New Guinea and Borneo) and the Soviet Army that fought in the Pacific campaign.

The Soviet Union received between 1,000 and 3,000 Matilda IIs, which were used in the 1941 winter offensive. Like other adaptable platforms on the market, Matilda's various transformations perform well and are designed to adapt to different battlefield and non-combat roles as needed.

Production of Matilda IIs began with the first Mk II series, followed by the Mk II. One just replaced the Vickers brand coaxial machine gun with the Besa. MKII. A* noted that the installation of the new Leyland diesel engine exceeds the original AEC mark. The Mk.

IV is an improved Matilda II with better engine performance, while the Mk. V features a new drivetrain for improved reliability.

Non-combat tank variants include the Matilda II CS (Close Support) brand with a QF 3" (76mm) howitzer. The Matilda "Scorpion" is a mining flail vehicle, while the "Baron" I, II, III and IIIA brands are experimental flail types of a similar range. The Matilda II "CDL" (Canal Defense Light) was equipped with a powerful searchlight to guide night raids, while the Matilda "Black Prince" became a heavy development version incorporating the British 6-pounder gun into the Centaur's turret configuration.

However, due to the turret Ring differences, these efforts were eventually abandoned.

The Australian Armed Forces are more "revolutionary" in their handling of the Matilda II variant, although this is more of an experience and requirement of a specific combat environment in the Pacific. Furthermore, Japan's weapons threat is relatively small compared to Germany and Italy in Europe. The Matilda "Frog" is a flamethrower tank (appropriately) equipped with flamethrowers that can be used to clear fortifications or jungle-covered sections. Another form of firepower projection is the "Murray" and "Murray FT" types. Another Australian Matilda converted into a special construction vehicle with a dozer blade.

The Matilda "Hedgehog" is a heavy rocket launcher mounted on a modified Matilda II chassis.

As usual, within the Bundeswehr, the captured Matilda II was put back into service under a new owner. Some are equipped with upgraded anti-tank guns.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

93 x 40mm projectile.

2,925x7.92mm ammo.

Changes