The Infantry Tank Mk. III Valentine was an infantry tank that was used by Great Britain during World War II.
Description[]
The Valentine had an AEC Gasoline 6 engine which both propelled the Valentine at a maximum speed of around 24 kilometers per hour. Armament on the Valentine consisted of a single 40 mm 2-Pounder main gun and a single 7.92 mm Besa machine gun.[1] To defend its crew, the Valentine had been equipped with up to 65 mm worth of armor at its thickest. This however, was less than the Valentine's counterpart, the earlier A12 Infantry Tank Mk. II Matilda II. To man the vehicle, the Valentine required a crew of three men, with the commander also serving the role of the loader, machine gunner, and radio operator in combat.
In total, the Valentine weighed around 17,200 kilograms while its total length was around 5.8 meters.[2] Used in the type, was a five speed forward, one speed reverse transmission with a three-wheeled bogie suspension system. Operational range was around 145 kilometers on a single tank.
Variants[]
Scottish infantry riding aboard a Valentine Mk. III in North Africa, 1942
The first variant of the Valentine was known as the Valentine Mk. II which was equipped with an AEC Diesel 6 engine for more torque. Furthermore, the commander was then equipped with a Vickers model periscope for better sighting. Following came the signature Valentine Mk. III which had introduced a major turret redesign, having a new three man turret. The additional crew member filled the role of loader, freeing up the commander for sighting and directing. However, the armor on the tank was downgraded to 50 mm because of the redesigns. Furthermore, the Valentine Mk III was given a gasoline engine once more. Next were the Valentine Mk. IV and V which had been equipped with American GMC Diesel engines because of a shortage of British made engines.[3]
The difference between Mk. IV and V was that the Mk. IV was a Valentine Mk. II that was given a US transmission system and GMC engine while the Mk. V was a Valentine Mk. III with GMC diesel engine and US transmission. The next British variant in the series was the Valentine Mk. VIII, skipping the two Canadian production models. This model, the Mk. VIII, had the same two man turret crew as the Mk. II as well as a removed coaxial machine gun, though it was based on a Mk. III chassis. To distinguish itself, the Mk. VII was mounted with an Ordnance QF 6-pounder main gun to replace the aging QF 2-pounder which could no longer fight against newer axis tanks. The Mk. IX had an improved GMC diesel engine for better performance. The Mk X managed to equip the coaxial Besa machine gun again because of a turret redesign.
The final British variant to the base in the Valentine series was Mk. XI which had a 75 mm main gun, three man turret, and the most powerful derivative of the US GMC engine. Going back to the Canadian production models, the Mk. VI and VII were both based upon the Mk. IV. The two were similar in design, minus some internal modifications. However, differentiating the types from the British variants was the use of American and Canadian parts. Furthermore, replacing the British Besa machine gun, the Browning M1919 was used in the coaxial position. Like most other Allied tanks, the Valentine had numerous other variants to carry out a variety of roles. Notably, there was the Valentine DD, a seafaring model, the Valentine OP, which was an artillery observation model, the Valentine bridgelayer, the Valentine Bishop Self Propelled Gun, the Valentine Archer Self Propelled Gun, and finally the Valentine Snake, a type used to detonate minefields.
History[]
Soviet troops riding atop Lend-Lease Valentine tanks, Berlin 1945
The Infantry Tank Mk. III Valentine was first developed in 1938, being designed by Leslie Little of the Vickers Armstrong company. Development took time however, with the designs being approved by the next year. The first prototype of the Valentine appeared in 1940. Testing of the type was rushed into production as newer and more tanks were needed to fight the ever advancing German army in France.
However, by the time testing had finished, France had fallen. In the end, the Valentine was accepted into service in 1941, first seeing combat in North Africa. Here, the reliability of the type was well liked, allowing the tank to traverse the intense desert environment without failure. Additionally, compared to the Matilda II, the Valentine took 30% less time to construct and thus far more could be built and issued into service.[4]
Besides North Africa, thousands of Valentines had been sent to the Soviet Union to supplement their armored forces, especially in the early years of the war. While the Valentine was disliked for its small armament, it was highly praised for simplicity and reliability, which was critical in such conditions as found on the Eastern Front. Throughout the war, various upgraded Valentines, many built by Canada, continued to be sent to the Soviet Union and thus were used until the end of the war on the Eastern Front, all the way into Berlin. However, on the Western Front, many were replaced by the A22 Infantry Tank Mk. IV Churchill. Finally, the Valentine had seen limited service for New Zealand in the Pacific, especially in Burma, though like Soviets had given many Valentines the 76.2 mm gun as a main armament, New Zealand had equipped most of its Valentines with a howitzer to assist in the infantry support role. In the end, around 8,200 examples had been produced during the war.
References[]
- ↑ http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=209
- ↑ http://www.wwiivehicles.com/unitedkingdom/infantry/valentine.asp
- ↑ http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/Tank_Infantry_MkIII_Valentine.php
- ↑ http://www.wwiiequipment.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65:valentine-infantry-tank&catid=38:infantry-tanks&Itemid=56