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Britain's Cruiser Mk II4, A104
Cruiser Mk II, A10: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum |
Cruiser Mk II, A10: |
Design
Sir John Carden9 of Vickers Armstrongs designed the Cruiser Mk II to be an infantry support version of the A9 in 1934.4 It was decided it needed to be slower and have thicker armor.1
Twin "sub-turrets" were removed9 which allowed for more room for ammunition.1 It had the same turret and shaped hull, but it had additional armor bolted on the hull and turret.1,9 Gunner controlled the elevation of the gun with his shoulder.
Prototype
The first prototype appeared in 1936.8
Production
Order for 100 was placed in 1938.1 First delivered in December 1939.8
- Cruiser Mk II: 13
- Production: 1939 - 1941
- Cruiser Mk IIA: 162
- Cruiser Mk II CS: 30
- Manufacturers: Vickers (10)1, Birmingham Railway (45)1, Carriage Co. (45)1, Metropolitan-Cammell (45)1, and Birmingham Railway Carriage Co. (75)1
- Total: 1708, 1754
Variants
- Cruiser Mk II (A10): It was classified as a "heavy cruiser" but it suffered from poor performance in France.4
- Cruiser Mk II CS: Had 3.7" (94 mm) howitzer installed in turret.
Usage
France
31 Cruiser Mk IIs were sent to France with the 1st Armored Division.4,9
North Africa
Cruiser Mk IIs were used in the Western Desert until late 1941.4
| Cruiser Mk II | Cruiser Mk II A | Cruiser Mk II CS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | Commander, loader, gunner, driver, hull MG.3 51,2,3,4,8 |
4-55, 59 | |
| Physical Characteristics | |||
| Weight | 31,696 lb3 12.7 tons2, 13.75 tons1,4,8, 14 tons7 13,970 kg1 |
13.75 tons5,9 13,970 kg9 |
|
| Length w/gun | 18' 1"1,8, 18' 4"3,4 5.51 m1, 5.52 m2 |
18' 1"5,9 5.51 m9 |
|
| Length w/o gun | |||
| Height | 8' 6"1,8, 8' 8.5"3,4 2.654 m1, 2.65 m2 |
8' 6"5,9 2.59 m9 |
|
| Width | 8' 2.5"4, 8' 3.5"3,8, 8' 4"1 2.527 m1, 2.58 m |
8' 3.5"5, 8' 4"9 2.54 m9 |
|
| Width over tracks | |||
| Ground clearance | 1' 6" 0.44 m2 |
||
| Ground contact length | |||
| Ground pressure | 13.37 psi 0.94 (kg/cm2)2 |
||
| Turret ring diameter | |||
| Armament | |||
| Main | 2 pdr QFSA3 L/52 2 pdr (40 mm)1,4 40 mm L/522 |
2 pdr5 2 pdr QFSA L/529 |
3.7" howitzer3,4,5 76.2 mm6 |
| Secondary | |||
| MG | 1: MG2 2: Besa MGs3 |
Vickers MG5 | |
| OR | 2: Besa MG5 | ||
| MG - coaxial | Vickers | Besa MG4 7.92 mm Besa MG8,9 |
Besa4 |
| MG - hull | 7.92 mm Besa1,4 | Besa 7.92 mm Besa MG8,9 |
Besa4 |
| Side arms | |||
| Quantity | |||
| Main | 1002 | ||
| Secondary | |||
| MG | 4,0502 | ||
| Side arms | |||
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 4 - 301, 6 - 304, 15-307 63, 303,8, 506 |
22-309, 305 | |
| Hull Front, Upper | 22.1-302 | ||
| Hull Front, Lower | 22.1-30 | ||
| Hull Sides, Upper | 22.12 | ||
| Hull Sides, Lower | 22.1 | ||
| Hull Rear | 122 | ||
| Hull Top | 72 | ||
| Hull Bottom | 72 | ||
| Turret Front | 302 | ||
| Turret Sides | 262 | ||
| Turret Rear | 302 | ||
| Turret Top | 72 | ||
| Engine (Make / Model) | AEC Type A1791 AEC2,8 |
AEC5 AEC Type A1799 |
|
| Bore / stroke | |||
| Cooling | Water2 | ||
| Cylinders | 62,8 | 69 | |
| Capacity | |||
| Net HP | 1502,8 @ 2,200 rpm2 | 1505,9 | |
| Power to weight ratio | |||
| Compression ratio | |||
| Transmission (Type) | 5 forward2, 1 reverse2 | ||
| Steering | |||
| Steering ratio | |||
| Starter | |||
| Electrical system | |||
| Ignition | |||
| Fuel (Type) | Gasoline2 | Gasoline9 | |
| Octane | |||
| Capacity | 117 gallons 441 liters2 |
||
| Road consumption | |||
| Cross country consumption | |||
| Performance | |||
| Traverse | 360°3 | ||
| Max speed | 16 mph3,7,8, 16.15 mph1 26 kph1, 39.6 kph2 |
16 mph5, 16.16 mph9 26 kph9 |
|
| Cross country speed | 8 mph3 | ||
| Road radius | 100 miles3, 99.36 miles1 160 km1, 225 km2 |
100 miles9 161 km9 |
|
| Cross country radius | |||
| Turning radius | 26' 7.9 m2 |
||
| Elevation limits | |||
| Fording depth | 3'3 0.91 m2 |
||
| Trench crossing | 6'3 | ||
| Vertical obstacle | 2'3 | ||
| Climbing ability | |||
| Suspension (Type) | Triple wheel bogies on springs with Newton hydraulic shock absorbers.3 Coil Springs.2 |
||
| Wheels each side | 62 | ||
| Return rollers each side | |||
| Tracks (Type) | |||
| Length | |||
| Width | 14"3 267 mm2 |
||
| Diameter | |||
| Number of links | |||
| Pitch | |||
| Tire tread | |||
| Track centers/tread | 7' 3"3 |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- Panzer Truppen The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933-1942, Thomas L. Jentz, 1996
- British and American Tanks of World War Two, The Complete Illustrated History of British, American, and Commonwealth Tanks 1933-1945, Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, 1969
- World War Two Tanks, George Forty, 1995
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
- Allied Armour of World War Two, Ian V. Hogg, 2000
- Tanks of World War II, Duncan Crow, 1979
- The Illustrated Guide to Tanks of the World, George Forty, 2006
