- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #16
i would like to suggest to the British the A10 Heavy Cruiser, the legitimate predecessor of the Valentine infantry tank.
The A10 was developed in parallel with the A9 cruiser. the design of a multi-turreted tank was judged obsolete in the late 1930s. the need for more armored tanks with a minimum of 25mm of frontal armor, pushed sir John Garden from Vickers to develop a heavier model of the A9 cruiser. the fairly fast speed of the A9 was well outstanding the requirement of the infantry tank. the secondary turret was removed to place a box with a single .303 MG and the armor of the nose and gun Mantlet was upgraded to 30mm. the armor of the rear and the top of the chassis was at 6mm and the rest of the tank armor was 14mm. this extra armor was heavy. it added more than 2 long tons to the A10 in comparison of the A9. The speed was reduced to 26kph due to the extra weight. The already produced A9 and the mix of commercial parts and parts in older tanks, greatly reduced to cost and complexity of the production of the A10. 175 of these tanks were produced between 1938 and 1939 and interred service in December 1939.
the tank saw action in the early stage of WW2. many were sent to France where their poor performance was supported. it saw action again in North Africa where reliability and suspension performance in the desert conditions was praised. 60 was later sent in Greece. although they performed well against the German tanks, over 90% were lost due to mechanical breakdowns as opposed to enemy action.
Firepower
the main armament of this tank is pretty standard for the British early tank. it is the well-known 40mm 2-pounder gun that is quite an effective tank gun whose round can be quite punchy., it has access to many different rounds which allows Gaijin to have a bit of flexibility with the round they want to give it to change the BR they want it to be. the elevation is also quite comfortable in all gound. the depression in particular is quite good. the turret is also pretty fast to turn. The gun is shoulder-stabilized as well. on the side of the armament, this tank will feel pretty good.
Mobility
the mobility of this tank is a bit lacking. the tank is a bit heavy for his engine. still, it would move around well enough to not feel too frustrated. the tank speed is 26 km/h and the power weight is only 10.5 hp/ton. this makes the tank more of an infantry tank than a cruiser. it is pretty much at the French level
protection
for protection, this tank is doing fairly well compared to the other early tank. the frontal protection reaching 30mm at the front will allow a good chance to take a hit at the front. the side however is 14mm only which makes it quite average. the crew of 5 men gives it quite a few men to spare in case of penetration.
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