World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk IV (A13 Mk II) tanks began as Mk III cruiser tanks fitted with extra pieces of armor on the turrets, but they soon had their own complete armor rework. As Mk IV cruiser tanks became the standard cruiser tanks in the British Army in 1940, some Mk III predecessors were converted to Mk IV standards. A number of them saw action with the 1st Armoured Division of the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940, but they did not perform well in this short campaign, and most of them would be either destroyed in action or left behind in France. Starting in Oct 1940, they were shipped to North Africa, where they would see action in the early stages of the Desert War; they were described as reliable, but the Mk IV cruiser tanks had difficulties dealing with newer models of German tanks. They would be retired by late 1941.

SPECIFICATIONS

A13 Mk II

Machinery	One Nuffield Liberty V-12 gasoline engine rated at 340hp
Suspension	Christie suspension
Armament	1x40mm QF 2pdr gun (87 rounds), 1x7.7mm Vickers machine gun
Armor	6-30mm
Crew	4
Length	6.02 m
Width	2.54 m
Height	2.59 m
Weight	16.0 t
Speed	23 km/h off-road; 48 km/h on-road
Range	145 km

Photographs