The first suggestion for a larger Infantry Tank was made in 1936, with
specification A12 and contractor decided around the end of the year.[9]
The Infantry Tank Mk II was designed at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich[10] to
General Staff specification A.12[1] and
built by the Vulcan Foundry. The design was based on the
A7[11]
(which had started development in 1929) [12]
rather than on the Infantry Tank Mk I, which was a two-man tank with a single
machine gun for armament.
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 Foundry in mid 1938.[13]
Design[edit]
The Matilda Senior[14]
weighed around 27 tons (27 tonnes or 60,000 lb)[15] more
than twice as much as its predecessor, and was armed with a QF 2 pounder (40 mm) tank gun in a three-man turret. The turret traversed by hydraulic motor
or by hand through 360 degrees; the gun itself could be elevated through an arc
from -15[nb
2] to +20 degrees.[5] One of
the most serious weaknesses of the Matilda II was the lack of a high-explosive
round for its main gun. A high-explosive shell was designed for the 2 pounder
but for reasons never explained it was not placed in production. The tank's best
weapon against un-armoured targets was thus its single machine gun.[17]
Like many other British infantry tanks, it was heavily armoured; from 20
mm (0.79 in) at the thinnest it was 78 mm (3.1 in) at the front, much more than
most contemporaries. The turret armour was 75 mm (3.0 in) all round,[5] the
hull side armour was 65 to 70 millimetres (2.6 to 2.8 in),[nb
3] and the rear armour, protecting the
engine to sides and rear, was 55 millimetres (2.2 in).[5] The
frontal armour was 75 millimetres (3.0 in), although the nose plates top and
bottom were thinner but angled. The turret roof was the same thickness as the
hull roof and engine deck: 20 millimetres (0.79 in).[16] The
German Panzer
III and Panzer IV tanks, of the same period, had 30 to 50
millimetres (1.2 to 2.0 in) thick hull armour. The shape of the nose armour was
based on Christie's designs,[18] and
came to a narrow point with storage lockers added on either side. The heavy
armour of the Matilda's cast turret became legendary; for a time in 1940–41 the
Matilda earned the nickname "Queen of the Desert".[19] The
sheer thickness of its armour made the tank impervious to the 37
mm and 50 mm calibre anti-tank guns that were then
commonly used by the Germans, as well as the 47 mm used by the Italians in North
Africa; only the 75 mm PAK 40 anti-tank gun and 88
mm anti-aircraft gun could penetrate its armour reliably.
specification A12 and contractor decided around the end of the year.[9]
The Infantry Tank Mk II was designed at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich[10] to
General Staff specification A.12[1] and
built by the Vulcan Foundry. The design was based on the
A7[11]
(which had started development in 1929) [12]
rather than on the Infantry Tank Mk I, which was a two-man tank with a single
machine gun for armament.
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 Foundry in mid 1938.[13]
Design[edit]
The Matilda Senior[14]
weighed around 27 tons (27 tonnes or 60,000 lb)[15] more
than twice as much as its predecessor, and was armed with a QF 2 pounder (40 mm) tank gun in a three-man turret. The turret traversed by hydraulic motor
or by hand through 360 degrees; the gun itself could be elevated through an arc
from -15[nb
2] to +20 degrees.[5] One of
the most serious weaknesses of the Matilda II was the lack of a high-explosive
round for its main gun. A high-explosive shell was designed for the 2 pounder
but for reasons never explained it was not placed in production. The tank's best
weapon against un-armoured targets was thus its single machine gun.[17]
Like many other British infantry tanks, it was heavily armoured; from 20
mm (0.79 in) at the thinnest it was 78 mm (3.1 in) at the front, much more than
most contemporaries. The turret armour was 75 mm (3.0 in) all round,[5] the
hull side armour was 65 to 70 millimetres (2.6 to 2.8 in),[nb
3] and the rear armour, protecting the
engine to sides and rear, was 55 millimetres (2.2 in).[5] The
frontal armour was 75 millimetres (3.0 in), although the nose plates top and
bottom were thinner but angled. The turret roof was the same thickness as the
hull roof and engine deck: 20 millimetres (0.79 in).[16] The
German Panzer
III and Panzer IV tanks, of the same period, had 30 to 50
millimetres (1.2 to 2.0 in) thick hull armour. The shape of the nose armour was
based on Christie's designs,[18] and
came to a narrow point with storage lockers added on either side. The heavy
armour of the Matilda's cast turret became legendary; for a time in 1940–41 the
Matilda earned the nickname "Queen of the Desert".[19] The
sheer thickness of its armour made the tank impervious to the 37
mm and 50 mm calibre anti-tank guns that were then
commonly used by the Germans, as well as the 47 mm used by the Italians in North
Africa; only the 75 mm PAK 40 anti-tank gun and 88
mm anti-aircraft gun could penetrate its armour reliably.