| The Canadian Tank Corps had been formed early
in 1918 and equipped with the latest British Mk V heavy and French Renault light tanks.
This unit was disbanded at the end of the World War 1. Not another tracked unit was
available to the small Canadian army until twelve Carden-Loyd Mk VIB were purchased in
1930 for a handful of mobile machine gun platoons. In 1936, due to the deteriorating international situation, the Canadian Defense Department decided to form an armored force with the intent to train a small group of men in tank warfare in the event of war. The Tank Training School was set up at London, Ontario, with the earlier purchased Carden-Loyd Mk VIB carriers used as training vehicles. Also added were two Vickers Mk VI light tanks with 14 more ordered in 1939. The 1940 fall of France, and the bombing offensive against Britain, led to a decision that Canada be made a source of manufacture of light armored vehicles and tanks. An authorization was given for the formation of two Canadian Armored Divisions in the summer of 1940. This necessitated a requirement for over 1,000 cruiser type tanks to equip these divisions. It was obvious that these could not be supplied through British production and that tank production in the United States was limited to British and American orders. The English and Canadians then decided to construct a Tank Arsenal in Canada under the administration of Montreal Locomotive Works with the assistance of its parent organization, American Locomotive. It was further decided that the Canadian built cruiser tank design would be based on that of the US M3 medium tank to save time and utilize mechanical and chassis components already in production. By the autumn of 1940, it became clear that many of the design features of the M3 would be far from satisfactory for the British or Canadian soldiers, in particular the high silhouette, sponson-mounted main armament, inadequate armor protection, and lack of radio in the turret. By January 1941 it was decided that Canada must develop and produce it's own tank utilizing the mechanical components of the M3 and make it standard with British main armament. This vehicle came to be known as the Ram tank. The Ram was named in honor of the founder of the Canadian Armored Corps, General "Worthy" Worthington. The Ram was part of his family crest. A running prototype of the Ram was completed in June 1941. Canada's Ram with a 6pdr gun production engineering drawings were assumed to be supplied by the United Kingdom. These did not materialize. The mantlet, cradle and elevating gear had to all be designed in Canada. While the engineering was being finalized, the first fifty vehicles were fitted with the standard 2pdr gun and designated Ram Mk I. Production mounting the 6pdr gun then became the Ram Mk II. Though the Ram looked like an American M4 Sherman, it quickly became evident that it lacked the firepower needed to overcome other enemy tanks. For this reason, Rams were used as training vehicles, conversions to Kangaroos, command vehicles, and test chassis. In 1942, the United States put the M4 into production replace the M3. The M4 incorporated all the features of the Ram and met British requirements. Thought was given to manufacture of the M4 in Canada but increased orders for the Valentine tank and the arsenal facilities in the United States rendered this idea moot. However, it was agreed that Ram production would be halted for the M4 Sherman at the earliest possible time. The specifications were laid down in September 1942 for the Canadian production of the M4AI. This tank became known as the 'Grizzly'. In August 1943 changeover in production was achieved after an amazing production of 1,941 Rams. While it had been planned to build large quantities of the Grizzly, orders were reduced when it was realized that the production of Sherman tanks from the USA would be sufficient for Allied requirements. Of the 188 Grizzly tanks built, some were allocated to British Forces but the bulk of them were retained for training. It was as the Kangaroo that Ram tank and it's designers would make the contribution to the Canadian soldier and history. Hitting the battlefield in 1944, the Kangaroo would become the first truly successful Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). Other contributions of the Ram were as armored recovery vehicles, towing vehicles, ammunition carriers, recovery units, and experiments. A popularly quoted model by Canadian sources, called the Skink, was armed with four 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft defense. This vehicle was never adopted for use though one was sent "over there" for evaluation. By the time of it’s arrival, the German airforce was anything but a "force" and there was not much for the Skink to shoot at. It did get the opportunity to shoot up some ground targets with it’s rapid firing cannons. The contribution of the Ram and all the other vehicles provided by Canada during WW2 proved just how resourceful the Canadian people are when the going got tough. |
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The 1st Canadian Armored Machine Gun Brigade was equiped with light trucks made by the Autocar Company of Pennsylvania. The trucks had an armored cab and sides. These units were instrumental in stopping the German offensive in 1918, however, their losses were considerable. Unlike other armored cars, these had no turret to protect the gunner. |
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(no photo) (no information) |
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The 1st Canadian Tank Battalion, was issued Mark V's while training at Bovington Camp, England, in August, 1918. The Armistice occurred just as the Battalion was getting ready to embark for the Continent. They were repatriated in 1919. The 2nd Battalion arrived in England on October 18, 1918, and was under quarantine for the influenza epidemic when the war ended. As they were near the port when space opened up on the Aquitania, they were amongst the first Canadian units repatriated. The 3rd Battalion was disbanded while recruiting in Quebec.
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Purchased for training in the 1930's. |
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Purchased for training in the 1930's. |
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Used in the 1930's. No details are known. |
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The Ford differed from the Chevrolet in that it had dual wheels on the second and third axles, an eight-cylinder gasoline engine, and the armor plating was welded rather than riveted and bolted. Both armored cars had a maximum speed of 30 mph and the Ford was able to do 8 mph in reverse. Plans called for arming the vehicles with the Vickers Mk. VI medium machine gun but these were delayed as the feed mechanisms were on the wrong side, having been originally designed by the British for right hand drive vehicles. The cars underwent testing at Petawawa, Ontario with the Royal Canadian Dragoons where it was found that both performed satisfactorily. The ten wheel Ford performed the best in off-road tests and the six wheel Chevrolet excelled on roads. Orders for further cars failed to materialize due to budgetary limitations and the Ford experimental car was shipped to Winnipeg for use by the Lord Strathcona’s Horse. The Chevrolet remained with the RCD. Other than the handful of Carden-Loyd carriers obtained in the early 1930’s, these two armored cars were the only armored vehicle procurements by the Canadian Permanent Force until the acquisition of a number of British Mk. VI B Light Tanks in 1938. |
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US M1917 tanks were purchased by the Canadian government, at $20 a ton plus a 100% mark up which means that each tank actually sold for $240. The 236 tanks were shipped to Camp Borden where for nearly 2 years they proved a useful training vehicle. They were known to break down often, catch fire, and gave a bone jarring ride due to the lack of a suspension, but the soldiers learned maintenance and endurance. Since there was no onboard radio, the soldiers learned hand and flag signals and became proficient dealing with poor communications while still maintaining and executing formations. Hats off to the Canadians! |
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By 1939 all U.S. Mark VIII tanks were in storage at Aberdeen Proving Ground and had been there since 1934. Any serviceable units were sent to Canada to aid in tank training in 1939. The unit shown here was assigned to the United States 67th Infantry Regiment who principally operated the 100 units that were produced between 1918 and 1919. The large cylinder on top was a water tank. The Mark 8 had terrible cooling problems associated with it's engine. Over the life of this tank, deliberate efforts were done in an effort to improve it's abilities and increase crew comfort. However, by the time Canada purchased them, they were totally obsolete. |
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(no
photo) Used for training by Canadian troops stationed in the United Kingdom. A total of 8 vehicles were used. |
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(no
photo) Used for training by Canadian troops stationed in the United Kingdom. A total of 47 vehicles were used. |
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(no details)
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Entering the war without a tank industry, 16 Vickers Mk VI, 12 Carden-Loyd carriers, little hope of future help from England, and 219 WW1 era junked U.S. tanks, Canada started her own tank production. The British Tank Mission, in collaboration with the Canadian General Staff, designed a modified U.S. M3 which would become the Ram. The Ram used standard M3 mechanical components, with a Canadian designed hull and cast turret. The first 50 would mount the 40mm 2 pounder cannon and were designated Mark 1. The remainder were called Mark 2 and had the 57mm 6 pounder cannon. Several AA conversions were proposed for RAM tanks. Many of these conversions were found wanting. The famous AA adaption called Skink, often thought to be a RAM conversion was actually a Grizzley. Photos: Top Row - Ram I, Middle Row - Ram II, Bottom Row - Kangaroo
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 The Sheep Remember the Canadian Ram? Well this is a much lighter version. This was ordered by the Canadian Army H.Q. in the U.K. in March 1943. It was a dummy Ram tank on a Canadian Ford 15 cwt truck chassis. It could also be erected in a static role without the vehicle. The project never went beyond the development stage. |
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Canadian licence built American M4A1 "Sherman" tanks were named "Grizzly". The main difference between the "Sherman" and "Grizzly" tanks were the use of CDP tracks and an idler with 13 teeth instead of 17 teeth. From September to December of 1943, Montreal Locomotive Works produced 188 "Grizzly" tanks. Part of them equipped Canadian Forces in Europe, while the rest was used for training purposes. Several AA conversions were proposed for the Grizzley tank. One such test vehicle was the Skink and one unit was converted. Judging the unit to be a real battle winner, it was shipped over to Europe in 1945 for live testing. The Skink proved that it was valuable in knocking down German aircraft, HOWEVER, by 1945 there was little for it to actually shoot at. The Skink then found another purpose... it was turned on German infantry with devastating results. Though successful, little purpose could be found for production and the project was cancelled.
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 --- Sexton Designed to meet a Commonwealth requirement for a self propelled
mount for the 25 pdr, the Sexton copied its concept heavily from the American M7 Priest.
Using the Ram chassis that was based initially on the M3 Lee, the Sexton differed from the
Priest in several ways. Most visible was the lack of AA MG "pulpit" the Sexton
being fitted to accept a Bren in an AA mounting, but this was almost never seen in
practice. Like all Commonwealth vehicles, the Sexton was also right-hand drive. |
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The Chevrolet WA is seen in the configuration developed by the LRDG for their operations in North Africa. The vehicle illustrated carries a lewis gun behind the cab and a Browing .30 cal M1919 with AA barrel above the dashboard. This vehicle was used by both Canada and Australia. |
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The Chevrolet C60L GS truck became the mainstay of Canadian production and was built in a bewildering variety of different model including water and petrol tankers, ambulances and recovery vehicles. This vehicle was also used by Australian forces. |
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The Canadian built Ford 3 ton truck was re-assembled at the Ford subsidiary plant in Victoria State in Australia. The vehicle shown is carrying lighting equipment. |
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Orginally a Canadian Ford commercial vehicle, The 1942 Fordor Station Wagon was adapted for military use. The seating was for 5 personnel. A further adaptation was called the C 11 A 5. This unit could seat 7 passengers. Extra room for the passengers was made by using lighter tires and axles. Luggage space was canibalized for the extra seat. There was a further Ford heavy duty station wagon produced, but it was almost the same as the C 11. This vehicle is simply noted as a Ford Heavy Utility Car. This variant had a slightly different estate car body and front radiator grill. All three vehicles saw service in North Africa and Italy. |
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The Canadian Defence Department contracted the Canadian Pacific Railway Company of Montreal for 488 Valentines to equip the 1st Canadian Armored Brigade. However by the time these were built the Brigade was already in England and all except 30 were sent to Russia. Concieved on Valentines day, this Vickers design would become one of the legendary tanks of WW2. The Valentine would be warped into a host of variations by the end of the war. The variations included Canal Defense Light, Flame Throwers, Duplex Drive, Scorpion, Archer, Bishop, Bridgelayers, and many unrecorded field modifications. The Valentine saw service on all fronts and was considered reliable and sturdy by it's crews. The bulk of Valentines produced by Canada were sent to the Soviet Union. This tank did have drawbacks, but it's main contribution was that it was available in quantity at a time when it was most needed - a claim that not many British tanks can ever make. At least eleven marks were produced between July 1939 and May 1945.
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This area is contested. It is suggested that Canada never used this tank. Proof is needed! Entering service in 1941, the beautiful, sleek, powerful, agressive appearance of this tank made it an eye catcher. Beneath the skin, though, she was ugly. Weak tracks, and unreliable engine, and terrible armament plagued this design. Though this tank was not a battle winner in it's primary role, it proved itself useful in it's conversions. Variants included, AA, dozers, gun tractors, and armored recovery vehicles. It was in these secondary roles that this tank would remain useful up to the end of WW2.
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Stuarts were fast and they were reliable, something most British design couldn't manage right up to the end of the war. Used in the Recce troops of armoured reconnaissance regiments some armored car and infantry division reconnaissance regiments replaced some armoured cars with Stuarts that had the turret removed. This both increased the vehicle's speed and gave these units an armored vehicle that could go places their cars could not. |
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The A12 Infantry Tank Mk 2 came into production in 1938 and was destined to become one of the greatest tanks in history. Slow, reliable, and nearly shot proof, it became a real battle winner despite the poor performance of it's 40mm main gun. Long after this tank became outmoted by heavier enemy models, it soldiered on as useful variants - most of which took place in the field so that a complete listing will never be known. The best known varients were the Baron, Scorpion, AMRA pushers, CDL, dozers, Frog, and recovery units. This tank served in all theaters of war from 1939 - 45. Matildas served in regiments of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade from July through October 1941 until replaced by Churchill's.
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The Churchill tank has an honoured if tarnished place in
Canadian Armored history. Tanks belonging to the 14th Armored Reg't, The Calgary Reg't
(Calgary Tanks), were assigned to accompany and support the regiments of the 2nd Canadian
Inf. Div. that assaulted Dieppe on August 19, 1942. Even though the assault was to be a
failure and a sharp incentive towards the development of the specialist armor used at
Normandy and beyond, there were several specialist modifications made to the Churchills at
Dieppe. Included in the attack were Mks I, II and III along with some outfitted with
flame-throwers called OKEs. Several Churchills were outfitted with bobbins of mats to be
unwound under the tracks to improve traction over the shingle beach. To even provide a list of all the marks and variants of this tank would require book! Simply put, this rugged, ugly tank was a true battle winner and was a direct decendent of the Matilda. This model gave a bit of parity with German tanks thanks to it's thick armor, and heavier main gun. Initially, the tank had some serious teething problems when introduced, but time ironed them out. Tank crews liked the model and examples continued to be operated into the 1960's in some countrys.
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(no information) |
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Design of the 17pdr as a high velocity anti-tank weapon comparable in hitting power to the Germaqn 88mm gun began in the fall of 1941. It was approved for production in mid 1942 and consideration was given to fitting it in tanks. Consideration was also given to the Bishop, but this was ruled out due to the vehicles high silhouette. The Crusader was ruled out as being too small and underpowered to take the mounting which left the Valentine as the only available alternative existing in quantity. The Ministry of Supply asked Vickers to design an entirely new SPG vehicle based on the Valentine. Work started in July 1942 and the pilot was ready for trials in March 1943. Named Archer, the SP was a low, open topped vehicle with a radical twist - the gun had a limited traverse and always pointed to the rear. The first production model was completed in March 1944 and used in North West Europe. What was at first considered to be only a temporary fix turned into a great success. A total of 665 of these hard hitting and trusty tanks were built out of an original order of 800.
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(no information) |
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(no photo) (no information) |
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The rightmost picture was taken in 1943 during the invasion of Sicily. |
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The picture on the right shows a Staghound of the 12th manitoba dragoons, in Hochwald Forest, 1945. |
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(no information) |
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The Ford Lynx Scout Car, manufactured in two major variants at Windsor, Ontario, was a light reconnaissance vehicle derived from the British Dingo. 3255 units were built. Lynx came in two models, basic differences were stowage compartments.
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No Details.
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(no information) |
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General Motors of Canada built the C15TA Armored Truck. The C15T was a four-wheel drive personnel transport built upon the standard 15CWT truck chassis. |
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(no picture) The Canadians demonstrated their interest in flamethrower tanks by fitting Wasp equipment to old Ram tanks in order to produce the Badger. These conversions were carried out in the UK for the Canadian 1st Army. Early Badgers did not have turrets, though later versions did. The turretless version being based on Ram Kangaroo personnel carriers. Badgers were used by the Canadians from February 1945 onwards. |
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This armored car which saw some service in India, Italy and Great Britain, the GM (General Motors) Fox was based upon the British Humber series of armored cars. |
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No details |
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No details |
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No details |
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Details in the Japan section of TANKS! |
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People who helped make this page possible |
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Steve Guy Thunder and Steel |
| Dana
J. Nield Author Of dana-nield.com |
Paul Roberts |
Bill Morran |
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Last Update: Thursday, February 13, 2003 |
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