Matilda II
The Infantry Tank Mark II, better known as the Matilda, is a British infantry tank of the Second World War.[1]
This article is about the tank. For the person, see Matilda II of Boulogne. For the earlier tank known as Matilda, see Matilda I (tank).Infantry Tank Mark II
United Kingdom
1939–1955
United Kingdom
Australia
Soviet Union
Nazi Germany (captured)
Egypt
Mechanization Board and Vulcan Foundry
1937[1]
Vulcan Foundry and others
1937–1943
2,987
see Variants below
25 tons[2]
18 ft 5 in (5.61 m)[3]
8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)[4]
8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)[4]
20 to 78 mm (0.79 to 3.07 in)[4]
QF-2 pounder (40 mm) gun,
93 armour-piercing rounds[5]
7.92 mm Besa machine gun
2,925 rounds[5]
7.5 bhp (5.6 kW) / tonne
6 speed Wilson epicyclic pre-selector gearbox
40.0 imperial gallons (181.8 L) Internal + 35.9 imperial gallons (163.3 L) auxiliary tank [7]
80 kilometres (50 mi) With Internal + 157 kilometres (98 mi)with auxiliary tank [7]
15 mph (24 km/h) Mk III on road [7]
9 miles per hour (14 km/h) off-road
Rackham clutches[8]
The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machine gun armed, two-man A11 Infantry Tank Mark I. The Mark I was also known as Matilda, and the larger A12 was initially known as the Matilda II or Matilda 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 the North 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 costly Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine beginning in late 1941.
Development history[edit]
The split between the infantry tank and cruisers had its origins in the First World War division between the first British heavy tanks and the faster Whippet Medium Mark A and its successors the Medium Mark B and Medium Mark C. During the interbellum, British tank experiments generally followed these basic classifications, which were made part of the overall doctrine with the work of Major-General Percy Hobart and the influence of Captain 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 enemy field 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, the Master-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 to Vickers-Armstrongs which 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 the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, and Vulcan Foundry was 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.
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]
Combat history[edit]
Battle of France 1940[edit]
The Matilda was first used in combat by the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in France 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 armed A11 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 the German tanks and anti-tank guns in France.[23] The Germans found the 88 mm anti-aircraft guns were the only effective counter-measure. In the counter-attack at Arras of 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 of 7th Panzer Division. A gun line of artillery and later 88mm flak guns, personally organised by the divisional commander General Erwin Rommel was needed to repel the attack.[24] All vehicles surviving the battles around Dunkirk were abandoned when the British Expeditionary Force evacuated.