- Yes
- No
- BeNeLux
- France
- Other / I don’t know
- No
In the early thirties, Belgium was faced with a growing threat coming from Germany, and two factions then emerged concerning the defence of the Belgian territory.
Some wanted to give up the ardennes and north-eastern flanders and defend on the Meuse and Albert canal, and if needed, retreat to the Dyle on the K-W line, giving up a large portion of Belgium to the enemy.
Many others found that unacceptable, and wanted to defend the entirety of the land from the German border, and did not want to give up anything without a fight.
In a classic Belgian compromise that really didn’t satisfy anyone anyway, it was decided to create the famous Chasseurs Ardennais, which were tasked to defend the Ardennes and delay the German advance up to the more heavily defended Meuse river. They had to be mobile to move more easily through the forest, and as such were equipped with bicycles.
However, when it comes to enemy tanks, throwing bicycles was surprisingly not considered very efficient, and the 47 mm anti-tank guns, while having excellent performance, were towed and slow to put in place, and therefore ill-suited to the terrain they were supposed to defend.
Therefore, it was decided to put the guns directly on a mobile chassis, creating one of the very first tank destroyers!
Six Carden-Loyds were then fitted with the C.47 gun and a mobile gun shield, giving the Belgian army a mobile anti-tank capability, but the added weight significantly stressed the chassis, especially due to the gun’s recoil. Mobility was also affected, and armor protection stayed very poor.
Nonetheless, these issues would be addressed with the T.13 tank destroyers.
The cannon is very similar to the French 47 mm (which was actually heavily inspired by the Belgian gun) and fires APC and HE.
Mobility is mediocre, even with the tank’s weight being less than 2 tons, it is still overweight, and the armor won’t save you either.
What can save you is the vehicle’s very small profile (only slightly taller than the ASU-57) and the quick reload speed, but now is the time to talk about the specifications.
Carden-Loyd Mk VI
Specifications - Carden-Loyd Mk VI
Armament:
C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 47 mm cannon (Ammo: 54)
- O.R.A.Tr APC: Penetration at 0m and 0°: 62 mm
- O.E.A. HE: 180 g TNT (~5 mm pen.)
Reloading rate: 2.4 → 4 s
Armor:
5-9 mm RHA
Mobility:
Ford T 4-cylinder engine (40 hp)
Max. speed: 32 km/h
Power to weight ratio: 22.2 hp per ton
Crew:
2 (Driver-Gunner, Commander-Loader)
Dimensions:
Mass: 1.8 t
Length: 3.2 m
Width: 2 m
Height: 1.6 m
There you have it, a tiny, poorly-armored, overweight but well-armed tank destroyer ready to hide in some bushes!
It would definitely be a bit tricky to play, relying on ambushes to get kills but hey- it’s historically accurate!
The gun, while very good irl, lacks explosive filler and can get caught on volumetric armor due to a higher caliber than the more common 37-40 mm guns. However it does have a good reload speed and a hard silhouette to hit.
As to where it would go, once again, it could go either to France in a subtree or as an event vehicle or it could go to a possible BeNeLux tree.
Let me know what you think!
Sources
Spoiler
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/carden-loyd-mk-vi-in-belgian-service-mk-vi-with-47-mm/
“Le V.C.L. T.13 B un nouveau type de véhicule au service des Chasseurs Ardennais.”, Laurent Halleux