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Matilda II

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This article is about the tank. For the person, seeMatilda II of Boulogne.For the earlier tank known as Matilda, seeMatilda I (tank).
Infantry Tank Mark II
A Matilda II on display at TankFest 2019
TypeInfantry tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1939–1955
Used byUnited Kingdom
Australia
Soviet Union
Nazi Germany(captured)
Egypt
WarsSecond World War
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Production history
DesignerMechanization Board andVulcan Foundry
Designed1937[1]
ManufacturerVulcan Foundry and others
Produced1937–1943
No.built2,987
VariantsseeVariants below
Specifications
Mass25 tons[2]
Length18 ft 5 in (5.61 m)[3]
Width8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)[4]
Height8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
Crew4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)[4]
Armour20 to 78 mm (0.79 to 3.07 in)[4]
Main
armament
QF-2 pounder (40 mm) gun,
93armour-piercingrounds[5]
Secondary
armament
7.92 mmBesa machine gun
2,925 rounds[5]
Engine2×diesel6-cylinder 7-litre engines: 2×AEC[a][5]or 2×Leyland[2]
190 bhp (140 kW) Leyland engine[6]
Power/weight7.5 bhp (5.6 kW) / tonne
Transmission6 speed Wilson epicyclicpre-selector gearbox
SuspensionCoil spring[2]
Fuel capacity40.0 imperial gallons (181.8 L) Internal + 35.9 imperial gallons (163.3 L) auxiliary tank[7]
Operational
range
80 kilometres (50 mi) With Internal + 157 kilometres (98 mi)with auxiliary tank[7]
Maximum speed15 mph (24 km/h) Mk III on road[7]
9 miles per hour (14 km/h) off-road
Steering
system
Rackham clutches[8]

TheInfantry Tank Mark II,better known as theMatilda,is aBritishinfantry tankof theSecond World War.[1]

The design began as theA12specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, themachine gunarmed, two-man A11Infantry Tank Mark I.The Mark I was also known as Matilda, and the larger A12 was initially known as theMatilda IIorMatilda senior.The Mark I was abandoned in 1940, and from then on the A12 was almost always known simply as "the Matilda".

With its heavy armour, the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank but with somewhat limited speed and armament. It was the only British tank to serve from the start of the war to its end, although it is particularly associated with theNorth Africa Campaign.Only two were available for service by the outbreak of World War II in 1939.[9]It was replaced in front-line service by the lighter and less costlyInfantry Tank Mk III Valentinebeginning in late 1941.

Development history[edit]

The split between the infantry tank and cruisers had its origins in theFirst World Wardivision between thefirst British heavy tanksand the fasterWhippet Medium Mark Aand its successors theMedium Mark BandMedium Mark C.During theinterbellum,British tank experiments generally followed these basic classifications, which were made part of the overall doctrine with the work of Major-GeneralPercy Hobartand the influence ofCaptain B.H. Liddell Hart.

In 1934, Hobart, the then "Inspector, Royal Tank Corps", postulated in a paper two alternatives for a tank to support the infantry. One was a very small, heavily armoured, machine gun-armed model that would be fielded in large numbers to overwhelm the enemy defences. The other was a larger vehicle with a cannon as well as machine guns and heavier armour proof against enemyfield artillery.[10]Vickers designed a tank to a General Staff specification based on the first option as the A11 Matilda. Within the limitations of military finances, theMaster-General of the Ordnance,Hugh Elles,went for the smaller machine gun tank and the larger cannon-armed version did not proceed.[11]This requirement was passed toVickers-Armstrongswhich had a prototype (A11E1) but with armour proof against current anti-tanks guns ready by September 1936.[10]

The first suggestion for a larger Infantry Tank was made in 1936, with specification A12. The design was produced by theRoyal Arsenal,Woolwich,andVulcan Foundrywas selected as the manufacturer.[12][1]A12 used a number of design elements of the A7, a medium tank that was built in limited numbers in the early 1930s whose mechanical layout was used for many following designs.[13][14]With its greatly increased armour, a lack of power was seen as a problem. The solution was to use two AEC straight-six water-cooled diesel engines, used in London buses, providing up to 87 hp each. These were linked along a common shaft. Suspension was to use the "Japanese Type" bell crank suspension used on the A7.[citation needed]

Vulcan received a contract for two wooden mock-ups and two mild-steel prototypes in November 1936. The first mock-up was delivered in April 1937 and the A12E1 prototype in April 1938. The prototypes proved excellent in a 1,000 miles (1,600 km) test, resulting in only a few changes to improve the gearbox, suspension and cooling. When war was recognised as imminent, production of the Matilda II was ordered and that of the Matilda I curtailed. The first order was placed shortly after trials were completed, with 140 ordered from Vulcan in June 1938.[15]

Design[edit]

Matilda II A12E1 prototype

The Matilda Senior weighed around 27 long tons (27 t; 30 short tons), more than twice as much as its predecessor, and was armed with anOrdnance QF 2-pounder(40 mm)tank gunin a three-manturret.[16]The turret traversed by hydraulic motor or by hand through 360 degrees; the gun could be elevated through an arc from −15 to +20 degrees.[5][b]One of the most serious weaknesses of the Matilda II was the lack of ahigh-explosiveround for its main gun. A high-explosive shell was designed for the 2-pounder but was rarely issued, as the shell explosive charge was so small.[17]The main weapon against unarmoured targets was its machine gun.[18]

The Matilda II had a conventional layout, with the driver's compartment located at the front of the tank's hull, the fighting compartment with the turret in the centre and the engine and transmission housed in the rear. The driver's position was normally accessed by a single hatch in the roof of the hull, and protected by a rotating armoured cover which could be held locked in either fully open or closed positions; emergency egress was made possible by a large escape hatch under the driver's seating position. The driver also had a direct vision viewing port with manually operated armoured shield and a single Mk IV periscope to use when buttoned up.[citation needed]

Like many other Britishinfantry tanks,it was heavily armoured. The front glacis was up to 78 mm (3.1 in) thick; the nose plates top and bottom were thinner but angled. The sides of the hull were 65 to 70 millimetres (2.6 to 2.8 in) and the rear armour, protecting the engine to sides and rear, was 55 millimetres (2.2 in).[5][c]

The cast, cylindrical three-man turret was seated on ball-bearing ring mount and its armour was 75 mm (2.95 in) all round. The turret was laid out such that the gunner and commander were seated in a laddered arrangement on the left side of the gun, and the loader on the right. The commander was given a rotating cupola with a two-piece hatch and a single panoramic Mk IV periscope installed in the forward-facing hatch door. The same device was also mounted in a fixed position in the turret roof, forward of the commander's cupola, and giving the gunner some situational awareness and target finding capabilities. The loader used a single, rectangular hatch in the turret's roof on the right side. The turret was equipped with a basket around which much of the ammunition stowage was contained. The turret had a power traverse system used under normal conditions, and a manually-operated mechanical emergency assist.[citation needed]

The turret roof, hull roof and engine deck were 20 millimetres (0.79 in).[3]The armour varied in strength fromIT.80 to IT.100[15]

The armour of the Matilda was the heaviest of its era. Contemporary GermanPanzer IIIandPanzer IVtanks had 30 to 50 millimetres (1.2 to 2.0 in) hull armour, while theT-34had 40 to 47 millimetres (1.6 to 1.9 in) (angled at 60 degrees). Matilda's side and rear armour was relatively heavy even at the end of the war when tanks like theM4 Shermancarried about 40 mm, and late models of thePanthercarried 50 mm. The shape of the nose armour was based on Christie's designs and came to a narrow point with storage lockers added on either side.[19]The heavy armour of the Matilda's cast turret became legendary; for a time in 1940–1941, the Matilda earned the nickname "Queen of the Desert".[20]

While the Matilda possessed a degree of protection that was unmatched in the North African theatre, the sheer weight of thearmouron the vehicle contributed to a very low average speed of about 6 mph (9.7 km/h) on desert terrain and 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) on roads. At the time, this was not thought to be a problem, since British infantry tank doctrine valued heavy armour and trench-crossing ability over speed and cross-country mobility (which was considered to be characteristic ofcruiser tankssuch as theCrusader). The slow speed of the Matilda was further exacerbated by a troublesome suspension and a comparatively weak power unit, which was created from two AEC 6-cylinder bus engines linked to a single shaft.[8]This arrangement was complicated and time-consuming to maintain, as it required mechanics to work on each engine separately and subjected automotive components to uneven wear-and-tear. It did provide somemechanical redundancy,since failure in one engine would not prevent the Matilda from using the other.[8]The combined power of the engines went through a six-speedWilsonepicyclicgearbox, operated by compressed air.[8]

The tank's suspension system was that which had been developed by Vickers for their Medium C prototype in the mid-1920s[19]The tank was carried by five double wheelsbogieson each side. Four of the bogies were on bellcranks in pairs, with a common horizontal coil spring. The fifth bogie at the rear was sprung against a hull bracket. Between the first bogie and the idler wheel, was a larger diameter vertically sprung "jockey wheel". The first Matildas had return rollers; these were replaced in later models by track skids, which were far easier to manufacture and to service in the field.

The turret carried the main armament, with the machine gun to the right in a rotating internal mantlet. Traverse was by a hydraulic system. As the gun was balanced for ease of movement by the gunner, much of the breech end was behind the trunnions. Two smoke grenade launchers were carried on the right side of the turret.[15]The grenade launcher mechanisms were cut downLee–Enfieldrifles, each loaded with a smoke grenade. Its camouflage scheme was designed by Major Denys Pavitt of theCamouflage Development and Training Centre[21][page needed]based on thedazzle patternsof First World War ships. The design incorporated block colours, visually breaking the tank in half.

Production history[edit]

Main article:British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II

The first Matilda was produced in 1937, but only two were in service when war broke out in September 1939. Following the initial order fromVulcan Foundry,a second order was placed shortly after withRuston & Hornsby.[15]Some 2,987 tanks were produced by the Vulcan Foundry,John Fowler & Co.ofLeeds,Ruston & Hornsby, and later by theLondon, Midland and Scottish RailwayatHorwich Works;Harland and Wolff,and theNorth British Locomotive CompanyGlasgow. The last were delivered in August 1943.

Peak production was 1,330 in 1942, the most common model being the Mark IV.[3]

The Matilda was difficult to manufacture. For example, the pointed nose was a single casting that, upon initial release from the mould, was thicker than required in some areas. To avoid a needless addition to the tank's weight, the thick areas were ground away. This process required highly skilled workers and additional time. The complex suspension and multi-piece hull side coverings also added time to manufacturing.[19]

Combat history[edit]

Battle of France 1940[edit]

The Matilda was first used in combat by the7th Royal Tank RegimentinFrance in 1940.Only 23 of the unit's tanks were Matilda IIs; the rest of the British infantry tanks in France were the smaller machine-gun armedA11 Matilda.[22]Its 2-pounder gun was comparable to other tank guns in the 37 to 45 mm range. Due to the thickness of its armour, it was largely, but not completely, impervious to the guns of theGerman tanksand anti-tank guns in France.[23]The Germans found the 88 mm anti-aircraft guns were the only effective counter-measure. In thecounter-attack at Arrasof 21 May 1940, 18[9]British Matilda IIs (and Matilda Is) were able to briefly disrupt German progress, but, being unsupported, they sustained heavy losses (30 tanks lost) after breaking through to the rear area of7th Panzer Division.A gun line of artillery and later88mm flak guns,personally organised by the divisional commander GeneralErwin Rommelwas needed to repel the attack.[24]All vehicles surviving the battles aroundDunkirkwere abandoned when theBritish Expeditionary Forceevacuated.

North Africa 1940 to 1942[edit]

A Matilda advancing throughEgyptas part ofOperation Compass

Up to early 1942, in thewar in North Africa,the Matilda proved highly effective against Italian and German tanks, although vulnerable to the larger calibre and medium calibre anti-tank guns.

In late 1940, duringOperation Compass,Matildas of the British7th Armoured Divisionwreaked havoc among the Italian forces inEgypt.The Italians were equipped withL3 tankettesandM11/39 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 enteredLibyato takeBardiaandTobruk.Even as late as November 1941, German infantry combat reports show the impotence of ill-equipped infantry against the Matilda.[25][self-published source?]

Ultimately, in the rapid manoeuvre warfare often practised in the open desert of North Africa, the Matilda's low speed and unreliable steering mechanism became major problems. Another snag was the lack of a high-explosive shell (the appropriate shell existed but was not issued).[citation needed]When the GermanAfrika Korpsarrived inNorth Africa,the88 mm anti-aircraft gunwas again pressed into service against the Matilda, causing heavy losses duringOperation Battleaxe,when sixty-four Matildas were lost. The arrival of the more powerful5 cm Pak 38and7.5 cm Pak 40anti-tank guns also provided a means for the German infantry to engage Matilda tanks at combat ranges. Nevertheless, duringOperation CrusaderMatilda tanks of 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades were instrumental in the break-out from Tobruk and the capture of the Axis fortress of Bardia.[26]The operation was decided by theinfantry tanks,after the failure of thecruiser tanksof the 7th Armoured Division to overcome the Axis tank forces in the open desert.[27]

A captured Matilda put into use by the German forces, is recaptured and its crew taken prisoner by New Zealand troops, 3 December 1941 during the battle to open the corridor to Tobruk, Operation Crusader.

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 theAfrika korpsshowed that the Matilda had become vulnerable to a number of German weapons at ordinary combat ranges.[28][self-published source?]Due to the small size of the turret and the need to balance the gun in it, up-gunning the Matilda, without developing a larger turret, was impractical. There was at least one instance of the turret from theA24/A27 cruiser tankseries being fitted to a Matilda, complete with 6-pounder gun. As the size of the Matilda's turret ring was 54 inches (1.37 m) vs. the 57 inches of the A27, it was possible that a larger turret ring had been superimposed on the hull. The Churchill Mark III also had a 54-inch turret ring but was armed with a 6-pounder and that might have offered an alternative route.[20]It was also somewhat expensive to produce. Vickers proposed an alternative, theValentine tank,which had the same gun and a similar level of armour protection but on a faster and cheaper chassis derived from that of their"heavy cruiser" Cruiser Mk II.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 being replaced. By the time of theSecond 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-clearingMatilda Scorpionmine flailtanks.

Minor campaigns[edit]

In early 1941, a small number of Matildas were used during theEast Africa Campaignat theBattle of Keren.However, the mountainous terrain of East Africa did not allow the tanks of B Squadron4th Royal Tank Regimentto 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 during theBattle of Creteand all of them were lost.[29]

Australian use in the Pacific theatre[edit]

Engineers observe an Australian Matilda II crossing one of their bridges during theNew Guinea Campaign.
An Australian, howitzer-equipped Matilda of the2/9th Armoured Regimentin combat at theBattle of Tarakan(May 1945)

A total of 409 Matilda IIs were supplied by Britain to the Australian army between 1942 and 1944,[30]and a further 33 close-support Matildas were transferred from New Zealand to the Australian army in 1944, as New Zealand made the decision to use only close-support Valentine tanks in the Pacific theatre, to minimise supply problems.[31]TheAustralian 4th Armoured Brigadeused them againstJapaneseforces in theSouth West Pacific Area,first in theHuon Peninsula campaignin October 1943. Matilda II tanks remained in action until the last day of the war in the Wewak,BougainvilleandBorneocampaigns, which made the Matilda the only British tank to remain in service throughout the war.[4]

The tanks were often employed in dense jungle with limited visibility, and could be subject to point-blank fire from hidden Japanese heavy artillery pieces. The Matilda's heavy armour (enhanced by the crews with spare track links) proved to be reasonably effective protection against this.[32]In this fighting, the close-support version of the Matilda, armed with anOrdnance QF 3-inch howitzer,was preferred by the Australians as it was more effective against Japanese bunkers.[32]Local modifications to the tanks included improving the waterproofing, and adding an outside infantry telephone so supporting troops could more easily communicate with the tank crew.[32]Guards were fitted to the suspension to stop it from being tangled with jungle undergrowth, and metal panels fitted to make it harder for Japanese soldiers to attach adhesive demolition charges to the hull.[30]

TheMatilda Frog,an Australian-modified version of the tank that replaced the gun with aflamethrowersaw some successful use against the Japanese on Borneo. Another Australian version, theMatilda Hedgehog,which could fire seven 65-pound (29 kg) mortar shells, was successfully tested but was developed too late to see combat service.[33]

Matilda IIs remained in service with theAustralian Citizen Military Forcesuntil about 1955.[34]

Soviet use[edit]

The Red Army received 918 of the 1,084 Matildas sent to the USSR.[4]The Soviet Matildas saw action as early as theBattle of Moscowand 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 heavy armour on the Matilda was comparable to that of the Red Army'sKV-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.[35]

Captured use[edit]

Captured Matilda tank, summer 1942

Following Operation Battleaxe a dozen Matildas left behind the Axis lines were repaired and put into service by the Germans.[36]Several vehicles were transported toKummersdorfwhere they were evaluated, including trials by live fire. The German designation wasInfanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk.II 748(e)translating roughly as "Infantry Tank Mk.II Number 748 (English)". The Matildas were well-regarded by their German users[37]although their use in battle caused confusion to both sides, despite extra-prominent German markings.[36]CzechhistorianIvo Pejčoch[cz]writes that theRomanianshad also captured some Soviet Matildas,[38]but no other source mentions this, so it may be a confusion.

Egyptian use[edit]

Egypt used Matildas againstIsraelduring1948 Arab–Israeli War.[39]

Variants[edit]

Matilda Scorpion in North Africa, 1942
Matilda Baron under test

Major variants[edit]

  • Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II)[5]
First production model[40]armed with aVickers machine gun.[5]
  • Infantry Tank Mark II.A. (Matilda II Mk II)[5][40]
Vickers machine gun replaced byBesa machine gun.The "A" denoted a change in armament.[5]
  • Infantry Tank Mark II.A.* (Matilda II Mk III)[5][40]
New Leyland diesel engine used in place of AEC engines.[5]
  • Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II Mk IV)[40]
With improved engines, rigid mounting and no turret lamp[41]
  • Matilda II Mk IV Close Support(CS)
Variant withQF 3 inch (76 mm)howitzer,[d]firing high explosive or smoke shells. In British service these were generally used by HQ units (usually a single command vehicle),[42]whereas entire Australiansquadronsoften appear to have used them – frequently in adirect firerole, against Japanesestrong points.
  • Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II Mk V)[40]
Improved gear box. Westinghouse air servo used.[20][41]

Other variants, field modifications and prototypes[edit]

UK
  • Baron I, II, III, IIIA
Experimental Matilda chassis withmine flail– never used operationally.
  • Matilda Scorpion I / II
Matilda chassis with a mine flail. Used in North Africa, during and after the battle of El Alamein.[43]
The normal turret was replaced by a cylindrical one containing a searchlight (projected through a vertical slit) and a BESA machine gun. The searchlight was intended to disorientate and confuse enemy at night.
  • (Prototype)Matilda with A27 turret
Matilda II with modified chassis andOrdnance QF 6 pounderin anA27turret.[44]One produced, no documentation other than photographs of it remain.[20]
  • (Prototype)Matilda II "Black Prince"
Radio-controlled prototype produced in 1941 using A12E2 with Wilson transmission. Planned uses included use as a mobile target, for drawing fire and so reveal hidden anti-tank guns, or for demolition missions. Planned order for 60 cancelled as it would require conversion of Rackham clutch transmission to the Wilson type. Used a QF 6-pdr Mk. V A gun.[45]
USSR
  • Field modification of Matilda Mark III with76mm ZiS-5(redesignated as F-96) gun
One Matilda Mk.III supplied to the USSR was refitted with the 76.2mm ZiS-5 gun as used on the KV-1. This modification was found to be unsuccessful due to the space taken up by the breech of the ZiS-5 in the Matilda's turret, no production was started.[46]
Australia
A Matilda Frog being demonstrated onMorotai,June 1945
Matilda Hedgehog, with the mortar elevated
  • Matilda Frog(25)
Aflamethrower tank,this was fitted with a flame projector in place of the main gun, disguised with a tube to make the Frog resemble a normal, gun-tank. To avoid the complication of engineering a rotating, high-pressure joint, the flamethrower's fuel was in an 80-imperial-gallon (360 L) tank inside the turret along with the tank of high-pressure air, which propelled the fuel. This left space for only a single crewman who operated the flamethrower. Several other flame-fuel tanks, totalling 162 imperial gallons (740 L) were fitted in the hull and used to replenish the turret tank. The flame projector had a range of 90 yards (82 m) and fired about 10 imperial gallons (45 L) with each shot. A problem with the system was that it required a thirty-second interval between shots to build up pressure. The Frog tanks saw action on Borneo and were considered very effective.[33]
  • MurrayandMurray FT
Flamethrower tank. Similar to the Frog but with a larger turret fuel tank - 130 imperial gallons (590 L). It used cordite instead of compressed air as a flame-fuel propellant. The type never saw action.[33]
  • Matilda Tank-Dozer
Bulldozer tank. A hydraulic operated bulldozer blade of similar design to those fitted to the American M3s.
  • Matilda Hedgehog(6)
Officially known as the "Matilda Projector, Hedgehog, No. 1 Mark I",[33]this fitted aHedgehog7-chamberedspigot mortarin an armoured box on the rear hull of several Australian Matilda tanks. The projector was elevated byhydraulicsadapted from the Logan traversing mechanism used inM3 Mediumtank turrets.[33]The mortars were fired electrically either individually or as a salvo of six (from the 12 o'clock position;[47]the fifth tube could not be fired unless the turret was traversed to move the radio antenna out of the bomb's flightpath.[47]Each bomb weighed 65lb(29kg) and contained 30 to 35 lb (14 to 16 kg) of high explosive. The range was up to 182 m (199 yd). Aiming was accomplished by pointing the entire tank; the mounting had no independent traverse,[48]so accuracy was not spectacular, but adequate for the task.[47]Trials atSouthport,Queensland, in May 1945 were pronounced a complete success, and the Projector would have been impressive against enemy bunkers, but the war ended before it was used operationally.[47]

Surviving tanks[edit]

The Matilda Hedgehog at the RAAC Museum, Puckapunyal, Australia (2007)

Around 70 Matilda IIs survive in various degrees of preservation. Around 30 are in Australia, with theBandiana Museumand theAustralian armour and artillery museumhaving one each, others displayed as public monuments or in private ownership, and a notable collection at theRoyal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Army Tank Museum,atPuckapunyal,Australia; it has five Matilda IIs on display, including a Matilda Frog flame tank, a Matilda Hedgehog and a Matilda Bulldozer.[49]

Tanks in running condition are owned byThe Tank MuseumBovington in the United Kingdom, theAmerican Heritage Museumin the United States, and several private owners in Australia. The Tank Museum completely restored a Matilda II tank from 2015 to 2018, with updates provided through YouTube.[50]While a gearbox fault prevented it running at the 2018 Tankfest (its first advertised running event since 2013), the issue was corrected and the tank has run at several events since. The Tank Museum at Bovington also displays the only surviving Matilda Canal Defence Light, currently[when?]housed in the Vehicle Conservation Centre. The WW2 Tank Stories display has a Matilda in desert Caunter camouflage scheme[e]In the UK, theImperial War Museumalso has a Matilda - listed as a Mk V - with additional turret ring armour on display at their IWM North site. The Royal NSW Lancers Museum in Parramatta in Sydney has a MKII "ACE" fitted with a 3 in. howitzer in place of the 2 pounder.

Other examples are displayed at theKubinka Tank Museumin Russia, theRoyal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military Historyin Belgium, theYad La-Shiryonmuseum in theLatrun,theMusée des Blindésin France, and theCavalry Tank MuseumatAhmednagarin India.[51]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

Footnotes
  1. ^AEC engine model A183 on the left hand side and A184 on the right hand side.
  2. ^The WWII Equipment states that the gun could move through an elevation arc of −20° to +20°.[3]
  3. ^The 65 mm was made up of the hull and the side skirt armour.[3]
  4. ^The shell cartridge was 76.2 x 134R. On the Infantry Tank Mk IV, theChurchill tank,the gun was used for HE
  5. ^This tank has additional steel bars welded to some track link faces, Russian style, despite not being an ex-Russian tank.[citation needed]
Citations
  1. ^abcJentz, p. 11.
  2. ^abcJentz, p. 13.
  3. ^abcdeBoyd (2008).
  4. ^abcdeBean & Fowler (2002),pp. 147–148.
  5. ^abcdefghijkJentz (1998),p. 12.
  6. ^Jentz (1998),pp. 12–13.[verification needed]
  7. ^abcFletcher (1994),p. 28.
  8. ^abcdFletcher (1994),p. 6.
  9. ^abTank Chats #19 Matilda II.The Tank Museum. 28 April 2016.Retrieved7 December2020– viaYouTube.
  10. ^abChamberlain & Ellis (1981),p. 54.
  11. ^Fletcher (1989),p. 3.
  12. ^Fletcher (1989),p. 4.
  13. ^"A12, Infantry Tank Mark II, Matilda II".Arcane Fighting Vehicles - AFVs.Graham Matthews. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2009.Retrieved15 February2010.
  14. ^"Britain's A7 Medium Tanks - World War II Vehicles, Tanks, and Airplanes".wwiivehicles. Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2011.Retrieved15 February2010.
  15. ^abcdFletcher (1994),p. 8.
  16. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 5.
  17. ^"Tank Chats #19 Matilda II".The Tank Museum. 28 April 2016.
  18. ^Hogg, Ian (1996).Tank Killing.Sidgwick & Jackson. pp. 138–139.ISBN1-885119-40-2.
  19. ^abcFletcher (1994),p. 7.
  20. ^abcdFletcher (1994),p. 14.
  21. ^Newark, Tim.Camouflage.Thames & Hudson.
  22. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 10.
  23. ^Sebag-Montefiore (2006),pp. 149, 153.
  24. ^Panzer Commander - The Memoirs of Hans Von Luck,pp. 33
  25. ^"Defending Position 19".The Crusader Project.12 October 2008.[self-published source]
  26. ^Orpen (1971),p.[page needed].
  27. ^Murphy (1961),p.[page needed],Chapter 14 and 15.
  28. ^"German Firing Trials against the Matilda II".The Crusader Project.27 April 2010.[self-published source]
  29. ^Handel, Paul."Matilda Tanks at Retimo on the Island of Crete"(PDF).Australian Army. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 May 2009.
  30. ^abFletcher (1994),p. 33.
  31. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 24.
  32. ^abcFletcher (1994),p. 34.
  33. ^abcdeFletcher (1994),p. 42.
  34. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 35.
  35. ^Hill (2007).
  36. ^abTucker-Jones (2007),p.[page needed].
  37. ^Tucker-Jones (2007),p. 47.
  38. ^Pejčoch & Pejs (2005),p. 330.
  39. ^Tucker, Spencer C; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2008).The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social and Military History.p. 520.
  40. ^abcdeFletcher (1994),pp. 12–14.
  41. ^abMark Bannerman, Robert Oehler.Modelling the Matilda Infantry tank.Osprey. p. 6.
  42. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 12.
  43. ^Fletcher, David (2017).British Battle Tanks: British-made Tanks of World War II.Bloomsbury. p. 37.ISBN978-1-4728-2003-7.
  44. ^"Photo".Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2005.
  45. ^Fletcher (1994),p. 40.
  46. ^Юрий Пашолок (17 October 2016)."Новый" меч "для" Матильды "".warspot.ru.Retrieved29 September2018.
  47. ^abcdFletcher (1994),p. 43.
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  49. ^"Vehicle Displays and Exhibits".RAAC Memorial and Army Tank Museum. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2002.Retrieved15 February2010.
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  51. ^"Matilda Infantry tanks (A11 and A12)"(PDF).Surviving Panzers. 13 January 2013.Retrieved8 May2013.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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