Matilda Infantry Tank Mark III with OQF 6 Pdr Mk.III

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                  Matilda Infantry Tank Mark III with  OQF 6 Pdr Mk.III 

Vehicle design and service history:

The Matilda was a respectable infantry tank during the early second world war, but as the armour thickness of german armour progressed the 2-pounder became increasingly ineffective at its role as an anti-tank weapon. Because of this attempts were made with most British tanks in service at the time to upgrade them to carry the QF 6-pounder so that it could effectively engage the enemy enemy armour along with having a more effective HE shell for Close support. Unfortunately in regards to the Matilda, the small cast turret made this impossible, whilst still maintaining crew ergonomics.

The small size of the Matilda’s turret was initially intended to save weight, as well as properly balance the gun. Due to this, it would not be suitable for straightforward up-gunning regardless of how desirable that would be. This created a conundrum where the only alternative would be to fit a larger turret, with a proposed solution involving the fitting of a 6-pounder mounted in a A24/27 cruiser tank turret. This combination would not be straightforward, as the turret ring for the A27 was 57 inches in diameter compared to that of 54 for the Matilda, but existing photographic evidence does prove the two were mated, either through enlarging the Matilda’s turret ring or superimposing it onto the hull in a similar manner to a Churchill Mark III prototype of a similar vein. This prototype would never end up being anything more than a footnote though, as by the time it was tested in 1942 the desired role it would have filled was already fulfilled by the Valentine MK IX, which could carry the 6-pounder in a well-protected turret.

Vehicle Specification:

Weight 24 tons

Length 6.0 m

Width 2.6 m

Height 2.46 m

Crew 4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)

Armour 20 to 78 mm max

Main armament OQF 6 pounder - L36,5 - 64 rounds

Sec. armament 2x 7.92 mm Besa machine gun 2,925 rounds

Engine 2X Leyland 6 cyl. Diesel engines rated at 180 HP total

Transmission Wilson epicyclic pre-selector gearbox, 6 speeds

Suspension Coil spring

Operational range 257 km

Speed 26 km/h (on road)

Steering system Rackham clutch

Additional image showing side profile:

Sources:

2 Likes

hell yeah

This looks hilarious. +1

Definite +1 for me

A much better-suited armament for the Matilda. Encountering the current Matilda III at low tier is a nightmare with their thick armor. Likewise, when playing it the gun is so sad to use and you just end up being a bullet sponge. The discrepancy between armor and firepower has been a long-standing problem with some vehicles in this game.

The 6-pdr should create a much better balance between the armor and firepower and make this new Matilda far more enjoyable to play.