Noting the Mark I’s abilities and inability’s, the British War Office called for a lighter, faster tank capable of carrying the traditional cavalry task of exploiting a breakthrough and follow retreating enemy. The idea was for an armored substitute for the hose and Sir William Tritton, the designer of the Mark I and the manager of William Foster & Company of Lincoln, set about designing what he called the "Tritton Chaser", a self explanatory name and one that shows marked humility. Trench crossing was considered less important than with the battle tanks, since the latter would have done the job of placing fascines into the wider trenches. The "Chaser" was thereby reduced in size that ensured a lighter weight as a result. The medium tank was born. The layout was like an armored car with engine compartment up front and the driver looking out over the engine hood. Behind him was to be a rotating turret containing the commander and gunner. In the production models the rotating turret was dropped to simplify manufacture. This change brought crew difficulties since the commander and his gunner now had to handle no less than four machine-guns in a fighting compartment never intended for such a task. Sir William Tritton, aware of the power losses caused through steering by brakes, attempted to overcome the problem and designed a system that used a separate engine for each track. Theoretically this is straightforward, in practice anything but! In the Whippet, the driver had a steering wheel connected to the two throttles, and movement of the wheel translated into differential movement of the throttles. In straight-ahead driving he could lock both output shafts. The whole process fiendish to manage and it was common practice for driver to stall one engine and spin the tank on one track. A good idea but on soft ground there was a real possibility that a track would come off. Naturally, this was not desirable under combat conditions. The new layout of the tracks was the first indication of a break away the ideas of running them all round the hull and a return to an older concept. Actually the idea was not new as Tritton himself was involved with the earliest designs including "Little Willie" to which these tracks appear more like. The new mud chutes were a substantial step in helping to clear the tracks and bogies of dirt and thereby reducing maintenance. Unfortunately the bogies were not sprung and true high speed was out of the question. In truth, the quoted top speed could only be achieved on smooth ground. On the battlefields of Flanders the Whippet was nowhere near as fast as a horse. The 40-mile range was too short for a vehicle intended to follow breakthrough. Whippet crews were noted for carrying gasoline in cans strapped on the outside of the hull - a suicidal habit in action. The normal gas tank was armored but placed in the front of the tank. These early fuel tanks were not self-sealing and fire suppression was not yet a reality. As a result, any shot that pierced the fuel tank resulted in a nasty surprise for the crew. Despite it’s shortcomings, the Whippet was considered a great success and the Germans set about copying it almost exactly, though they wisely tried to mount a 57mm gun a rotating turret. The Armistice overtook the German design and Sweden purchased the German stock and developed the tank as the M-21. That tank served Sweden for many years showing that it was a successful design. The British abandoned the Whippet design in 1919 and scrapped the 200 that had been made. The Tank Corps' Central Workshops in France installed sprung bogies on a Whippet for a experiment. This improved the ride considerably and when a 360hp Rolls-Royce Eagle airplane engine was installed 30mph was easily obtained. This experiment was ignored by the powers in charge and British tank design went forward with the Medium C. Other users included Japan and captured units by Germany. For further reading, here is a article written by Witold J. Lawrynowicz, author of Renault FT Tank.
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The suspension was uninspired, and reflected the designers' involvement with the earlier rhomboidal machines. The tracks ran all round the hull and the bogies were not sprung. The Medium C was the last tank to be so designed, and the speed was low as a result. In fact 7.9mph could only be achieved on smooth, flat grassland or a good road. Track life was also very short. A good point was the provision of mud chutes, which kept the bogies clean, and a Wilson gearbox and transmission. The turret had mountings for five guns, though only four were fitted. Guns could be shifted from one port to another. Only female tanks were built, but it had originally been intended that there should be a male version with one 6pdr gun. Apparently one was actually made, but never put into service. The 6pdr was mounted in the front of the turret, This gun must have cut down space in the fighting compartment even further. A hatch in the roof could be opened and one of the Hotchkiss guns mounted on a pintle for AA fire, though this completely exposed the gunner. Extravagant plans were made for the production, begun in September 1918, of the Medium C tank. Once the pilot model had been demonstrated 200 were ordered. In October 1918 a further 4,000 females and 2,000 males were ordered, but immediately cancelled. By February 1919 only 36 of the original 200 had been completed (some sources state that 48 were completed), and all further work was stopped. The remaining half-completed hulls were scrapped. One feature of the Medium C design which was advanced for it’s time was that assemblies and sub-assemblies were intended to be manufactured in different factories, coming together only for final construction. All other tanks had been built wholly under one roof, which was slower and more expensive. Although few Medium Cs were ever made, the design was a significant step in tank history. It was a design between the war-time rhomboids and the future fully-sprung suspensions.Considered the "best of the breed" for this era of design. The few that were built remained in service until 1923.
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An idea tested from 1921 to 1922 and based on the Medium B. The vehicle was found mechanically unrealiable and the project was dropped as a result. Still stuck on the idea of Male and Female tanks, Tank Number 01 was a Female and Tank Number 02 was a Male. It did provide valuble knowledge for future applications however.
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Developement began in 1922 and the first deliveries began in 1924 to the British army. Beginning service as the Mark I Light Tank, this vehicle was soon reclassified a medium. This was the first British tank to have all round traverse and geared elevation for the gun. Sprung suspension gave the tank a good speed of 15mph. Two special units (not pictured above) were made called The Light Tank Mark I, these were "female" tanks designed specially for India (India Pattern). These two tanks were extra special in that all possible technology was used (fans, asbestos) to keep the interiors cool in the hot climate. These 2 tanks looked and weighed just as the Mark I Medium, but were never reclassified from Light as all others were.
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An important and often overlooked developement. Vickers introduced the Mark II in 1925 as a follow on to the Mark I. Improvements included thicker armor, better driver vison, and armor skirting that provided protection for the suspension. This tank would remain in service until 1939 and after that year the tank was used for training - at least everywhere but North Africa. Due to an true shortage of armor, the British employed everything at hand, including these tired old machines. Against Italian armor they aquited themselves well, against German armor they were no match. These machines were armed basically as a Mark IA. Not shown above is model Mark IIA*. This model was basically the same as the Mark IIA but fitted with an armored wireless radio container. Not shown above is the small quanity of Mark IIA tanks modified specially for the USSR. The Soviets called this tank the "English Workman". Not shown is the Mark II "Special" designed for Australia (see the Australia section).
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Only 3 pilot models were made of this tank after a call for a new design was issued in 1930. Two of the pilots were built by the Royal Ordnance Factory, and the third by Vickers.
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These multi-turret tanks were based on the Independent and built at the request of the War Office in an effort to find the next generation of tanks to replace the Mark I and Mark II. They were nicknamed "16 Tonners" because of the weight limitations imposed upon the design but in reality, this weight was exceeded when the test models were produced. Due to drastic cutbacks in military spending due to the worldwide depression, none were ever produced in series. These 3 produced units were used as test beds for a variety of ideas up to 1938. |
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As with the A6 series, these tanks were used for testing toward finding a next generation of armor for the Royal Tank Corps. Design and testing began in 1931 and all models were declaired obsolete in 1936. Mechanical faults plagued this series. |
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A 1926 Vickers design for export. Prototypes were sold to Ireland and Japan. The Japanese, in turn, used this tank as a basis for their Type 89 Medium Tank.
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US M3 tanks had been supplied to the UK under the lend lease program, but the Grant modification was a outright purchase. The Lee, named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, was the unmodified US M3 version. The Grant was named after Union General and US President Ulysses Simpson Grant. The modifications were directed by the British Tank Commission that was sent to the United States based on experiance. The outright difference was a longer turret with a bustle for radio storage. On it's battlefield debut against the Germans in North Africa the tank performed beyond all hopes. German general Erwin Rommel noted that the tank tore gaps in his line and their 50mm AT shells bounced off the hulls.
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Initially known as the T6 Medium Tank, the M4 "General Sherman" would go on to become one of the most important and most produced tanks of WW2 and was only out produced by the Soviet T34. Seeing battle on all fronts and in a plethora of forms, the tank would become one of either fond or awful memory to the soldiers who handled it. Often misused and asked to handle tasks usually assigned to heavy tanks in other armies because there was nothing else available. The tank was nimble, reliable, and had superior gun controls - which is part of the reason it was kept around when it should have been replaced. The initial production model's armor and 75mm gun were excellent but fluid battlefield conditions would render it weak and finally obsolete barely a year after introduction in Europe. In the East, the M4 would remain peerless throughout the war. Some 300 of these trusty and robust tanks first went into British service during the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. From that point, the General Sherman, or simply "Sherman", quickly became the principle tank of the British armored force during WW2. These tanks came initially armed with US 75mm, 76mm, and 105mm guns, however, it was the British conversion to the Firefly design that made this tank a real battle winner. In 1943 it was decided to place the highly successful 17pdr gun in the Sherman. The British redesigned the turret slightly, mounted a 17pdr on it's side and then adapted it for left handed loading. The original trunnions were used with a new mounting, recoil, and elevation gear. Since the breech nearly filled the whole turret, a hole was cut in the rear of the turret and a box was added to hold the radio gear. The armored box also acted as a counterweight. The most converted vehicle was the M4A4 (Sherman V) followed by the M4 (Sherman I). A small number of Sherman II, III, and IV were also converted. The British numbering system worked as follows: Sherman I - M4 Blank - 75mm Gun A Sherman IBY would be translated to mean a M4 armed with a 105mm Gun, using HVSS. A Sherman IIA would be translated to mean a M4A1 armed with a 76mm Gun using normal suspension.
(1) HVSS M4s were built with Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension and wide center guide track. (2) M4s were manufactured with non-interchangeable engines. (3) Transmissions: Manual, 5 speed forward and reverse. (4) The M4A3E2 was a special limited production model with extra heavy armor. A total of 254 were built for use in the European Theater of War by the U.S. Army. Some had their 75mm guns replaced with the 76mm prior to combat. Nicknamed "Jumbo". (5) Early vehicles had a three piece bolted nose and narrow M34 gun mount. Late units had a combination cast/rolled hull front. "105" designator means that the tank was made with both 75, 105mm cannon. British called the late units a Hybrid. (6) Early units had M3 type bogies, M2 75mm gun and counterweights, twin fixed MGs in hull front. Nose altered from the three piece bolted to once piece cast. M34A1 gun mount and sand shields added later. "W" designator denotes wet storage of ammunition to reduce fire hazard. The ammunition was stowed in water protected racks below the turret instead of in the sponsons. Ten boxes on the hull floor held 100 rounds and needed 37.1 gallons of water. a further gallon was needed to protect the four ready rounds. The water contained ethylene glycol to prevent freezing and a corrosion inhibiter known as "Ammudamp". "75" and "76" designator means that the tank was made with both 75 and 76mm cannon. "C" designator indicates British conversion to Firefly model - mounting a British 17pounder main gun. See the Canadian Section of TANKS! for details on the Canadian Grizzly. (7) Most produced M4 model with the majority produced leaving Lend Lease to the British and Soviets. Never had cast/rolled hull. "W" designator denotes wet storage of ammunition to reduce fire hazard. The ammunition was stowed in water protected racks below the turret instead of in the sponsons. Ten boxes on the hull floor held 100 rounds and needed 37.1 gallons of water. a further gallon was needed to protect the four ready rounds. The water contained ethylene glycol to prevent freezing and a corrosion inhibiter known as "Ammudamp". "75" and "76" designator means that the tank was made with both 75 and 76mm cannon. Some units produced with HVSS suspension. "C" designator indicates British conversion to Firefly model - mounting a British 17pounder main gun. (8) One piece cast nose. Mainly retained for U.S. Army. "W" designator denotes wet storage of ammunition to reduce fire hazard. The ammunition was stowed in water protected racks below the turret instead of in the sponsons. Ten boxes on the hull floor held 100 rounds and needed 37.1 gallons of water. a further gallon was needed to protect the four ready rounds. The water contained ethylene glycol to prevent freezing and a corrosion inhibiter known as "Ammudamp". "75", "76", "105" designator means that the tank was made with both 75, 76, and the 105mm cannon. Units produced with HVSS suspension were called "Easy Eights". "C" designator indicates British conversion to Firefly model - mounting a British 17pounder main gun. (9) Three piece bolted nose. (10) Named M4A5 on the American books, the chassis was actually a very heavily modifed M3. No M4A5 tanks were made in the United States or used by American soldiers. |
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Last Update: Thursday, February 20, 2003 |
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