British Tank design
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk
separate thread.
First the prewar constraints.
One. The principal method of transporting tanks was by rail. This
limited maximum width which had to fit the British loading gauge which
was narrower than the continental one. This also limited maximum
length as the length width ratio had an effect on steering.
Two. Maximum weight was limited by military bridging. The standard
prewar military bridge was rated at 16 tons.
Three. Engines the well developed railway network in Britain plus tax
systems that penalised lorries with a payload of more than 2.5 tons
resulted in a lack of suitable large engines.
Four. Money prior to 1937 the vote for armoured vehicles rarely
exceeded 100,000 pounds Sterling.
Five. Doctrine the idea of all tank armies had been abandoned and tank
units were to be divided into three types. First light tanks for
reconnaissance units. Second Cruiser tanks to equip exploitation units
and third infantry tanks to support breakthroughs. Of these types only
the light tanks existed in 1934.
Six. Production constraints. Most of the firms with spare capacity in
the late thirties were the traditional heavy industry who were not
capable of using modern methods like welding.
I will be discussing the specific designs later.
Sources for all of this
British and American Tanks of WW2
The Great Tank Scandal
Encyclopedia of Armoured Vehicles.
Comments would be appreciated.
Ken Young
ken...@cix.co.uk
Maternity is a matter of fact
Paternity is a matter of opinion
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk () wrote:
> I will be discussing the specific designs later.
This is later.
The standard British tank from 1923 until 1938 was the Vickers
Medium. This was a commercial design available for export. It was
adopted as a replacement for the WW1 tanks. It was of course obsolete
by WW2 but was still useful for training. The main disadvantages were
the thin armour, short track life and a low velocity gun.
When the decision to use light tanks for reconnaissance units was
made. The A4 specification was laid down. To meet this specification
Vickers built tanks designed by Carden-Loyd. The first five were test
vehicles and series production started with the Light Tank Mk II. This
was developed through several models. The tank in front line service
in 1939 was the Light Tank Mk VI.
This tank was quite adequate for it's intended role being fast (35mph
max 25mph cross country) small arms proof armour (14 mm) and a decent
anti personal weapon (1 X05MG and 1x303MG). Unfortunately for it's
reputation, it was due to the shortage of heavier tanks forced into
tank versus tank actions where it was totally out classed. In this
case we have a tank that was suitable for it's intended role but
placed in situations where it had to fulfil a cruiser tank role.
The final light tank to see service was the Tetrarch which was big
enough to mount an anti tank gun. Production of this was limited and
the switch to armoured cars for the reconnaissance role meant the only
front line service it saw was with airborne troops. This was the only
British tank that could be carried by the Hamilcar glider.
To sum up British light tank development was adequate but the tanks
were used outside the designed role due to shortages of heavier tanks.
Tony Williams
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk wrote:
> The standard British tank from 1923 until 1938 was the Vickers
> Medium. This was a commercial design available for export. It was
> adopted as a replacement for the WW1 tanks. It was of course obsolete
> by WW2 but was still useful for training. The main disadvantages were
> the thin armour, short track life and a low velocity gun.
The velocity of the 3 pdr (47mm) wasn't that low for the period. The
gun fired a 3 lb 4 oz APHE projectile at 1,840 fps and could penetrate
25mm/1,000 yards/60 degrees. What would you compare it with? The most
common tank gun around was probably the French short 37mm which was far
less powerful. Only in the second half of the 1930s did significantly
better equipment start to enter service.
--
Tony Williams
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~autogun/
Military gun and ammunition website
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk
Williams) wrote:
> The gun fired a 3 lb 4 oz APHE projectile at 1,840 fps and could penetrate
> 25mm/1,000 yards/60 degrees.
Thanks for this it information on this gun has been impossible for me
to find. I was comparing it with the two pounder with a muzzle
velocity of 2,800 fps. British tank guns declined in size from the
57mm 6pdr of WW1 through the 3pdr as the importance of HE shell
declined.