The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - Matilda I,(A11) & Matilda II (A12) - Oct. 26th, 2004

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[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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Matilda Infantry Tank

Design/Production

Matilda I: In April 1934 the British General Staff discussed a proposal put forth by General Sir Hugh Elles of the Royal Tank Corps that covered the specs for an "Infantry" tank, well protected, with MG as armament and go as fast as infantry on foot. Sir John Carden led the design team. Prototypes were given to the army for trials in September 1936. Production order for 60 was placed in April 1937.


Matilda I, Mk I(A11)

Matilda II: While the Matilda I was still in pre-production phases, it was decided an infantry tank would need to be able to withstand anti-tank fire from enemy guns and tanks. A tank that could carry more than just a MG was decided upon. The Matilda I couldn't have a larger turret installed so a new design was started in November 1936. The Design Department at Woolwich Arsenal was given the task. The Vulcan Foundry made wooden prototypes in April 1937. It was another year before a mock-steel prototype was produced.


Matilda, Mk II(A12)

An order for 65 was placed in December 1937 and was shortly increased into 165. During trials improvements were made to the gearbox, suspension, and air cleaners. Initially produced by the Vulcan Foundry in Warrington, Lancashire. In June 1938 contracts for production were placed with Fowler, Ruston and Hornsby, and later LMS, Harland and Wolff and North British Locomotive Co.

Description

Matilda I: Costs were kept down by using a commercial Ford engine and transmission. The crew was limited to 2 because of severe cost restrictions, and thus there wasn't enough in the budget for 2 in the cast turret.


Matilda I

The steering, brake and clutches were adapted from the Vickers light tanks. Named after a cartoon duck.

Matilda I, Mk II: First production type with AEC engines.


Matilda I Mk2

Matilda II: The driver sat in the middle behind the nose armor plate. There was a cupola for the commander but it didn't have good visibility. The Frazer Nash Company developed the hydraulic power for the turret.

First British tank to have diesel engines. It was difficult to mass produce due to the size and shape of the armor castings. The side skirts were one piece and cause production to slow down. The mud chutes were reduced from 6 to 5 to help speed up production.

The Matilda couldn't be up-gunned as the turret ring was too small.

Matilda II, Mk IIA: Besa MG replacing Vickers.

Matilda III, Mk IIA:Used Leyland engines.

Matilda III CS: 3" howitzer.

Matilda IV, Mk IIA: Like Mk III but with improved Leyland engines.

Matilda V: Improved gear box and gear shift.

Matilda II CDL and Matilda V CDL: Canal Defense Light. Replaced turrets with searchlight. Used at Rhine crossing in 1945.


This drawing, from an official (and highly secret) report and despite the fact that the artist got the proportions all wrong, is virtually all the visual evidence that there is of the Matilda CDL.

Baron I, II, III, IIIA: Mine clearing. Developed in Britain.


Matilda Baron

Matilda Scorpion I: Mine clearing, developed in Middle East.


Matilda Scorpion

Matilda Scorpion II: Used on October 23, 1942, at El Alamein to clear Afrika Korps minefields.

Matilda with AMRA Mk Ia: Fowler rollers mine clearing device. Used in small numbers in Western Desert.


Matilda with AMRA Mk Ia

Matilda with Carrot: 600lb HE demolition charge. Used for blowing gaps in obstacles.


Matilda Carrot

Matilda Frog: Australian flame thrower version. 25 vehicles in late 1944. Used in New Guinea.


Matilda Frog

Matilda Murray: Improved flame thrower. Produced in 1945.

Matilda Dozer: Australian developed box shaped blade dozer.


Matilda Dozer in New Guinea

Matilda with Inglis Bridge: Light bridge on a track pushed ahead of Matilda. Used only in training.


Matilda with Inglis Bridge

Matilda with Trench Crossing Device: Device pushed ahead on tracked bogies for spanning gaps for infantry and light vehicles to cross.


Matilda with Trench Crossing Device

Usage

Matilda I: Went with 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment, and 1st Army Tank Brigade to France in 1940 and took part in battle of Arras. After Dunkirk remaining vehicles used for training. The first models were delivered in 1938 to the 1st Army Tank Brigade.



Matilda II: At the outbreak of the war in September 1939 only 2 were in service.

Used by the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments in France 1940 at Battle of Arras.



Used in Africa and the Mediterranean. Fought the Italians at Sidi Barrani, Tobruck, Bardia, Keren (Eritrea). Its last battle was at Alamein in July 1942. Was used by the 42nd and 44th Royal Tank Regiments in Egypt and Cyrenaica. Half squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment was lost on Crete.


By an odd quirk of fate the only CDL tank to survive is a Matilda which is displayed in the Tank Museum.

While fighting in Libya in 1940 and 1941 it was nearly invulnerable to antitank fire. Became known as the Queen of the Battlefield. However, once the Germans brought 88 mm Flak guns this dominance was over.

Only British tank to server throughout entire war.

[shield]

Good Morning....Foxhole Snippy ;o)

[SAMWolf]

1942 US ship Hornet sunk in Battle of Santa Cruz Islands during WW II

1942- The seventh HORNET (CV-8) launched 16 Army B-25s to strike the Japanese home islands in one of the most daring raids in the history of warfare -- the "Doolittle Raid." She went on to fight at the Battle of Midway and was lost to an overwhelming air attack at the Battle of Santa Cruz.

USS HORNET CV-12: THE LEGACY CONTINUES

1943 - The eighth HORNET (CV-12) was commissioned just 16 months after her keel was laid.

For 16 continuous months she was in action in the forward areas of the Pacific combat zone, sometimes within 40 miles of the Japanese home islands.

Under air attack 59 times, she was never hit.

Her aircraft destroyed 1410 Japanese aircraft, only ESSEX exceeded this record.

Her air groups destroyed or damaged 1,269,710 tons of enemy shipping.

10 HORNET pilots attained "Ace in a Day" status.

30 of 42 VF-2 Hellcat pilots were aces.

72 enemy aircraft shot down in one day.

255 aircraft shot down in a month.

Supported nearly every Pacific amphibious landing after March 1944.

Scored the critical first hits in sinking the super battleship YAMATO.

In 1945 launched the first strikes against Tokyo since the 1942 Doolittle Raid.

[SAMWolf]

Sam sounds excited about the store opening!

You should see Snippy. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Shield.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Well, you'll just have to give hints. :)

[Iris7]

Morning, SAM and Snippy,

Four things.

Matilda shows that the most important thing for a tank is good protection. The crew has to feel and believe that they have a fighting chance for survival. They have to have faith in the armor. During the pre-gunpowder days it was said that "armor makes men brave." Nothing changes in the human heart.

Matilda had seven horse power per ton. So did the Marder. Believe it or not, this is enough in most situations. Makes much heavier armor practical.

Matilda's small size allowed good protection while allowing it to be transported by truck and to cross most bridges. This is the reason the Russian tanks are so small, of course.

The American designs historically have been poorly protected mostly because they were so roomy inside, being designed by men who did not have to fight in tanks.

Creighton Abrams did a lot of fighting with the old M4 Sherman and Abrams is responsible for the adequately protected (although only in the frontal arc) Abrams tank. There are superior designs in production in other countries, designed for "close ground", particularly for built up areas.

The Canal Defense Light (CDL) is interesting. The machine had nothing to do with canal defense, canals, or even defense. The name was designed to hide it's purpose.

There was a powerful searchlight in the turret set up to flicker at a speed that messed up the brain rhythms, probably about 5 times per second. It was made for night attacks, where the light was focused on the enemy's defenses. The enemy could not see anything but the light, which when looked into nearly paralyzed the mind. Friendly infantry then advanced while not looking into the light, which was tolerable but darned hard, but better than being shot at effectively by the enemy.

General J.F.C. Fuller, the very noted military historian and designer of Plan 1919 (worth a Foxhole), said that the CDL could have saved thousands of Allied lives had it been used. I suspect that the CDL was very hard indeed to tolerate even when you did not have to look directly into it, and so unpopular. It was also so secret that no one had any idea that it existed much less what it could do.

[shield]

Good morning....Sir Sam ;o)

[PsyOp]

Mornin' all.

[Professional Engineer]

Hiya Sam. I'm waltzing through the thread.

[Professional Engineer]

Hi miss Feather.

[Professional Engineer]

We want a distance shot in daylight. ;-)

Me too!

[Professional Engineer]

1947 Hilary Rodham Clinton First Lady/smartest woman in the history of the world (1993-2001)

Named in honor of a guy who climbed a mountain in 1953. Durn time travelers are popping up everywhere.

[Professional Engineer]

1954 Chevrolet introduces the V-8 engine

The secret password is: 18436572

[Professional Engineer]

Howdy ma'am.

I'm working on a better shot.

[colorado tanker]

Hi folks.

I just read a very poignant post about a "born tanker" who was killed on patrol in Baghdad. Seems an appropriate read for Treadhead Tuesday. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1257530/posts

[colorado tanker]

1 week til election day. Pray hard.

Amen to that. My oldest daughter just turned 18. She's a pro-life Republican and is volunteering for the 72 hour project. I am one proud papa.

[colorado tanker]

General J.F.C. Fuller

I've got a copy of his Military History of the Western World. He's highly opinionated, but very readable and very interesting.

[Professional Engineer]

Electric dragonfly for ya'.

[Iris7]

"I've got a copy of his Military History of the Western World. He's highly opinionated, but very readable and very interesting."

I also. His "The Generalship of U.S. Grant" I also like. It destroys the myth of Grant being incompetent. Well, except that most don't give a fig for the truth if they don't like what they see.

[Soaring Feather]

Way Cool!! Thanks so much!