The
Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I (A11) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
infantry tankThe infantry tank was a concept developed by the British and French in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack. To achieve this, they were generally heavily armoured compared to the cruiser tanks, to allow them to operate in...
of the Second World War. It is not to be confused with the later model
Tank, Infantry Mk II (A12)The Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II was a British Infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12....
, 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known as the "Matilda II" which took over the "Matilda" name after the early part of the war when the first Matilda was withdrawn from combat service. They were of totally different design and did not share components, but did have some similar traits because they were both designed to be
infantry tankThe infantry tank was a concept developed by the British and French in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack. To achieve this, they were generally heavily armoured compared to the cruiser tanks, to allow them to operate in...
s, a type of tank that tended to sacrifice speed for increased armour protection.
The development, by
Vickers-Armstrongs LtdVickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
, began in 1935.
The
Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I (A11) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
infantry tankThe infantry tank was a concept developed by the British and French in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack. To achieve this, they were generally heavily armoured compared to the cruiser tanks, to allow them to operate in...
of the Second World War. It is not to be confused with the later model
Tank, Infantry Mk II (A12)The Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II was a British Infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12....
, 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 combat service. They were of totally different design and did not share components, but did have some similar traits because they were both designed to be
infantry tankThe infantry tank was a concept developed by the British and French in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack. To achieve this, they were generally heavily armoured compared to the cruiser tanks, to allow them to operate in...
s, a type of tank that tended to sacrifice speed for increased armour protection.
Development history
The development, by
Vickers-Armstrongs LtdVickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
, began in 1935. It resulted in a small two-man vehicle with a low hull and a small cast
turretIn architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
in which its only weapon, a
Vickers 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. The machine gun typically required a six- to eight-man team to operate: one to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and the...
, was mounted. Designed for quick delivery, the A11 used many stock parts from other vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, a Fordson gearbox, a steering mechanism similar to the one used in
Vickers light tanksThe Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrong in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II.- Development history :...
, and suspension adapted from the Mk IV Dragon
artillery tractorArtillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights. The first such devices were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I, often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor. Such tractors allowed the...
that was based on the
Vickers 6-Ton Tank Model EThe Vickers 6-Ton Tank or Vickers Mark E was a British light tank designed as a private project at Vickers. It was not purchased by the British Army, but was picked up by a large number of foreign armed forces and was copied almost exactly by the Soviets as the T-26. It was also the direct...
.
Although the hull and turret were well protected against contemporary anti-tank weapons, the tracks and running gear were completely exposed and more vulnerable than on tanks that had protected tracks. In addition, the lack of a cannon severely limited its utility on the battlefield.
The machine gun was either a
.303.303 British, or 7.7mmx56R, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain in the 1880s as a blackpowder round, later adapted to use cordite and then smokeless powder propellant...
or .50 inch calibre.
General
Hugh EllesSir Hugh Jamieson Elles KCB KCMG KCVO DSO was a British General and the first commander of the newly formed Tank Corps in the First World War.Born in British India on May 27, 1880, Hugh Elles was the younger son of Lt Gen Sir Edmond Elles...
, the
Master-General of the OrdnanceThe Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished. Usually held by a serving general, the Master-General of the Ordnance was responsible for all British artillery, engineers, fortifications, military supplies,...
, gave the tank the name Matilda "due to the vehicle's diminutive size and duck-like shape and gait."
Production history
The first order of 60 Matilda tanks was placed in April 1937, and the tank remained in production until August 1940. One hundred and forty were produced, some of them with the heavier .50 inch Vickers machine gun instead of the
.303.303 British, or 7.7mmx56R, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain in the 1880s as a blackpowder round, later adapted to use cordite and then smokeless powder propellant...
inch Vickers machine gun.
Combat history
The Matilda I (55) and Matilda II tanks fought together in France as part of the
1st Army Tank BrigadeThe British 1st Army Tank Brigade took part in Operation Crusader, being a part of the XIII Corps. Tied to the 2 South African Division, it took part in the conquest of Bardia December 1941-January 1942.It was at the time equipped with Valentine tanks....
of the
British Expeditionary ForceThe British Expeditionary Force was the name given to the British Forces in Europe from 1939–1940 during The Second World War.-History:...
in the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
. They participated in the defence and counter-attack operation at
ArrasThe Battle of Arras took place during the Battle of France, in the early stages of World War II. It was an Allied counterattack against the flank of the German army, that took place near the town of Arras, in north-eastern France. The German forces were pushing northwards towards the channel...
against the invasion by
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
in May 1940, temporarily discomfiting the 7th Panzer Division under
RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , was perhaps the most famous German Field Marshal of World War II....
.
When the BEF returned to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, nearly all their armour was left behind. Matilda Mk Is left in the United Kingdom were withdrawn for training purposes.
Survivors
Three tanks are preserved at the
Bovington Tank MuseumThe Tank Museum is a collection of armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the most wide-ranging collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in the world...
. One (T-3447) is in running condition, one is on display in the museum and the third is a severely damaged wreck that was used as a gunnery range target.
External links