Light Tank Mk VI
Encyclopedia
The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British
light tank
, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II
.
. The company had achieved a degree of standardization with their previous five models, and the Mark VI was identical in all but a few respects. The turret, which had been expanded in the Mk V to allow a three-man crew to operate the tank, was further expanded to give room in its rear for a wireless set. The weight of the tank was increased to 10800 pounds (4,898.8 kg), which although heavier than previous models actually improved its handling characteristics, and an 88 hp engine was added to the model to increase its maximum speed to 35 miles per hour (15.6 m/s). It had the Horstmann
coil-spring suspension system which was found to be durable and reliable, although the fact that the tank was short in relation to its width and that it pitched violently on rough ground made accurate gunnery whilst moving exceptionally difficult. The Mk VI possessed a crew of three consisting of a driver, gunner and commander who also doubled as the radio operator, between 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) and 14 millimetre (0.551181102362205 in) of armour, which could resist rifle and machine gun bullets, and its armament consisted of one water-cooled .303 inch
and one .50 inch
Vickers machine gun
.
Production of the Mk VI began in 1936 and ended in 1940 with approximately 1,000 Mark VI tanks having been built. Many of those produced were actually variants designed to solve problems found with the original design. The Mk VIA had a return roller removed from the top of the leading bogey and attached to the hull sides instead, and also possessed a faceted cupola. The Mk VIB was mechanically identical to the Mk VIA but with a few minor differences to make production simpler, including a one-piece armoured louvre over the radiator instead of a two-piece louvre, and a plain circular cupola instead of the faceted type. The Mk VIC, which was the last in the MK VI series, had the commanders cupola removed and had wider bogies and three carburettors to improve engine performance; it was also more powerfully armed than the other models, replacing the .303 and .50 Vickers machine gun
s with co-axial 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) and 7.92 millimetre (0.311811023622047 in) Besa machine gun
s. A small number of specialized variations were also built based on the Mk VI chassis
. The Tank, Light, AA Mk I was built in the aftermath of the Battle of France
and was intended to act as a counter-measure against attacks by German aircraft. It featured a power-operated turret fitted with four 7.92 mm Besa machine guns; a Mk II was produced which was mechanically similar but had improvements, such as better quality sights for the machine guns and a larger turret for easier access. A variant on the Mk VIB was produced for service with the British Indian Army
, in which the commanders cupola was removed and replaced with a hatch in the turret roof.
, a role for which it and the other Vickers-Armstrongs light tanks were found to be well suited. When the British government began its rearmament process in 1937, the Mk VI was the only tank with which the War Office
was ready to proceed with manufacturing; the development of a medium tank for the Army had hit severe problems after the cancellation of the proposed "Sixteen Tonner" medium tank in 1932 due to the costs involved, and cheaper models only existed as prototypes with a number of mechanical problems. As a result of this, when the Second World War began in September 1939, the vast majority of the tanks available to the British Army were Mk VIs; there were 1,002 Mk VI Light Tanks, seventy-nine Mk I
and Mk II
Cruiser Tanks and sixty-seven Mk I
Infantry Tanks. Of these tanks, only 196 light tanks and fifty Infantry Tanks were in use by operational units of the Army.
When the Battle of France
began in May 1940, the majority of the tanks possessed by the British Expeditionary Force
were Mark VI variants; the seven Royal Armoured Corps
divisional cavalry regiments, the principal armoured formations of the BEF, were each equipped with twenty-eight Mk VIs.Fletcher, p. 19 The 1st Armoured Division, elements of which landed in France
in April, was equipped with 257 tanks, of which a large number were Mk VIB and Mk VICs. The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, which formed part of the division's 3rd Armoured Brigade, possessed by this time twenty-one Mark VI light tanks.
The Mk VIb was also in action in North Africa
against the Italians late in 1940 with the 3rd Hussars and the 7th Armoured division. Late in 1940, the British had 200 light tanks (presumably the Mk VIb) along with 75 medium tanks (A9, A10, A13) and 45 Matildas. An attack by the 3rd Hussars on December 12, 1940 resulted in them getting bogged down in salt pans and severely mauled. The 7th Armoured division had 100 left on January 3rd, 1941 and 120 tanks on January 21 at which time they were used in flanking far into the rear and gathering up scattered Italian troops, sometimes joining or leaving the main attacks to the Cruiser
and Matilda tanks. The 2nd RTR continued to battle the Italians with light tanks as late as Feb 6, 1941.
Being widely used by the British Army, the tank participated in several other important battles. The Mk VIb made up a significant amount of the tanks sent over to the Battle of Greece
in 1941, mostly with the 4th Hussars. Ten Mk VIb tanks fought with the 3rd The King's Own Hussars
during the Battle of Crete
. The same armoured unit had previously embarked three MK VIb tanks for the Norwegian Campaign
but they were lost in transit to a German aircraft attack.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Development history
The Tank, Light, Mk VI was the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vickers-Armstrongs for the British Army during the interwar periodInterwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
. The company had achieved a degree of standardization with their previous five models, and the Mark VI was identical in all but a few respects. The turret, which had been expanded in the Mk V to allow a three-man crew to operate the tank, was further expanded to give room in its rear for a wireless set. The weight of the tank was increased to 10800 pounds (4,898.8 kg), which although heavier than previous models actually improved its handling characteristics, and an 88 hp engine was added to the model to increase its maximum speed to 35 miles per hour (15.6 m/s). It had the Horstmann
Horstmann suspension
Horstmann suspension is a type of tracked suspension devised by the British engineer Sidney Horstmann in 1922.The system uses coil springs and has the advantages of a relatively long travel and, consisting of a self-contained bogie that is bolted to the hull, causing little or no encroachment on...
coil-spring suspension system which was found to be durable and reliable, although the fact that the tank was short in relation to its width and that it pitched violently on rough ground made accurate gunnery whilst moving exceptionally difficult. The Mk VI possessed a crew of three consisting of a driver, gunner and commander who also doubled as the radio operator, between 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) and 14 millimetre (0.551181102362205 in) of armour, which could resist rifle and machine gun bullets, and its armament consisted of one water-cooled .303 inch
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...
and one .50 inch
Vickers .50 machine gun
The Vickers .50 machine gun, also known as the 'Vickers .50' was basically the same as the Vickers machine gun but scaled up to use a larger calibre round.-Mark II, IV and V:...
Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
.
Production of the Mk VI began in 1936 and ended in 1940 with approximately 1,000 Mark VI tanks having been built. Many of those produced were actually variants designed to solve problems found with the original design. The Mk VIA had a return roller removed from the top of the leading bogey and attached to the hull sides instead, and also possessed a faceted cupola. The Mk VIB was mechanically identical to the Mk VIA but with a few minor differences to make production simpler, including a one-piece armoured louvre over the radiator instead of a two-piece louvre, and a plain circular cupola instead of the faceted type. The Mk VIC, which was the last in the MK VI series, had the commanders cupola removed and had wider bogies and three carburettors to improve engine performance; it was also more powerfully armed than the other models, replacing the .303 and .50 Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
s with co-axial 15 millimetre (0.590551181102362 in) and 7.92 millimetre (0.311811023622047 in) Besa machine gun
Besa machine gun
The Besa Machine Gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine-gun, which in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the TK vz. 37...
s. A small number of specialized variations were also built based on the Mk VI chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
. The Tank, Light, AA Mk I was built in the aftermath of the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and was intended to act as a counter-measure against attacks by German aircraft. It featured a power-operated turret fitted with four 7.92 mm Besa machine guns; a Mk II was produced which was mechanically similar but had improvements, such as better quality sights for the machine guns and a larger turret for easier access. A variant on the Mk VIB was produced for service with the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, in which the commanders cupola was removed and replaced with a hatch in the turret roof.
Operational history
When the Mk VI was first produced in 1936, the Imperial General Staff considered the tank to be superior to any light tank produced by other nations, and well suited to the dual roles of reconnaissance and colonial warfare. Like many of its predecessors, the Mark VI was used by the British Army to perform imperial policing duties in British India and other colonies in the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, a role for which it and the other Vickers-Armstrongs light tanks were found to be well suited. When the British government began its rearmament process in 1937, the Mk VI was the only tank with which the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
was ready to proceed with manufacturing; the development of a medium tank for the Army had hit severe problems after the cancellation of the proposed "Sixteen Tonner" medium tank in 1932 due to the costs involved, and cheaper models only existed as prototypes with a number of mechanical problems. As a result of this, when the Second World War began in September 1939, the vast majority of the tanks available to the British Army were Mk VIs; there were 1,002 Mk VI Light Tanks, seventy-nine Mk I
Cruiser Mk I
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk I was a British cruiser tank of the interwar period. It was the first cruiser tank: a fast tank designed to bypass the main enemy lines and engage the enemy's lines of communication, along with enemy tanks...
and Mk II
Cruiser Mk II
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk II , was developed alongside the A9, and was intended to be a heavier, infantry tank version of that type. In practice it was not deemed suitable for the infantry tank role and was classified as a "heavy cruiser"....
Cruiser Tanks and sixty-seven Mk I
Matilda Mk I
The Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It is not to be confused with the later model Tank, Infantry Mk II , also known as the "Matilda II" which took over the "Matilda" name after the early part of the war when the first Matilda was withdrawn from...
Infantry Tanks. Of these tanks, only 196 light tanks and fifty Infantry Tanks were in use by operational units of the Army.
When the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
began in May 1940, the majority of the tanks possessed by the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
were Mark VI variants; the seven Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
divisional cavalry regiments, the principal armoured formations of the BEF, were each equipped with twenty-eight Mk VIs.Fletcher, p. 19 The 1st Armoured Division, elements of which landed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in April, was equipped with 257 tanks, of which a large number were Mk VIB and Mk VICs. The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, which formed part of the division's 3rd Armoured Brigade, possessed by this time twenty-one Mark VI light tanks.
The Mk VIb was also in action in North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
against the Italians late in 1940 with the 3rd Hussars and the 7th Armoured division. Late in 1940, the British had 200 light tanks (presumably the Mk VIb) along with 75 medium tanks (A9, A10, A13) and 45 Matildas. An attack by the 3rd Hussars on December 12, 1940 resulted in them getting bogged down in salt pans and severely mauled. The 7th Armoured division had 100 left on January 3rd, 1941 and 120 tanks on January 21 at which time they were used in flanking far into the rear and gathering up scattered Italian troops, sometimes joining or leaving the main attacks to the Cruiser
Cruiser tank
The cruiser tank was a British tank concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the Second World War....
and Matilda tanks. The 2nd RTR continued to battle the Italians with light tanks as late as Feb 6, 1941.
Being widely used by the British Army, the tank participated in several other important battles. The Mk VIb made up a significant amount of the tanks sent over to the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
in 1941, mostly with the 4th Hussars. Ten Mk VIb tanks fought with the 3rd The King's Own Hussars
3rd The King's Own Hussars
The 3rd Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958.-The Glorious Revolution:...
during the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
. The same armoured unit had previously embarked three MK VIb tanks for the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
but they were lost in transit to a German aircraft attack.