Vickers Carden-Loyd M1937 Light Tank

Djavidus · December 25, 2023, 3:55am

[Would you like to see this in-game?]

Yes, as researchable
Yes, as premium
Yes, in an event
Yes, in the battlepass
No

0 voters

In which nation tree should the vehicle be part of?

USSR
GB
Other
No

0 voters

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Vickers_Light_Tank_M1937_in_the_Kubinka_Tank_Museum#

I’d like to suggest this light tank since this is the only unique & viable tank Latvia has ever used even though it is of British origin.

History

The Vickers Carden-Loyd Commercial tank was the export variant based of the Vickers Light Tank Mk III designed by the British arms manufacturer Vickers-Armstrong. It could either come with a cylindrical or cubical turret Produced models were the 1933 sold to Lithuania & apparently to Finland , the 1934, an upgraded variant, to Switzerland, Argentina & Belgium, and lastly the 1936 aka “Dutchman” sold to the Dutch KNIL , allegedly to China &

as well to Latvia, which became independent after the 1st World War seeking to replace its aging armor composed of :

some British Mark V & B tanks given during their Independence war,
6 Italian Fiat 3000s ,
1 Carden Loyd tankette Mk IV
and a few captured armoured cars from the Freikorps & Russia,

leading them to buy in total 18 VCL M1936 ‘Dutchman’ tanks in 1936, of these 12 were armed with a single Vickers Mg and upon Latvian request the next 6 one fitted with a 40 mm QFSA Vickers Armstrong (Mk K) tank gun, which could only fire AP shells + muzzle brake, whose performance is comparable to the 2pdr & which arrived a year later, hence also called the VCL M1937. In 1940 Latvia was annexed by the USSR appropriating its tank fleet and given to the 23rd Tank Division.

When Nazi Germany launched a surprise attack on the Ussr in 1941, those armed with the tank gun saw combat & destruction except for one that was retained for inspection in Kubinka, which still survives in the Kubinka Tank museum.

Gun Breech

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Muzzle Brake

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More photos here:

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https://ar.culture.ru/ru/subject/lyogkiy-tank-vikkers-karden-lloyd-m1937

http://tankfront.ru/neutral/latvia/photo.html

Technical Specifications

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Ammunition &  Armament

Ammunition Storage: 58 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: 792ms / 2600 fs
Projectile Weight: 0.91kg/ 2lbs
Shell Type: AP
Elevation: -10* to +20*
Main Armament : 1 x 40mm QFSA Vickers-Armstrong (Mk K?) (2pdr?)
Turret Traverse: 360° (Manual)

telescopic sight; periscopic panorama and glass blocks of the Triplex type.

Crew

Commander/Gunner , Driver (2)

Armour

Hull Front/Sides/Rear: 9 mm
Hull Top/Bottom: 4mm
Gun Mantlet: 9mm
Turret Front/Sides/Rear: 9 mm
Turret Top: 4mm

the body and the tower riveted, from the rolled armor of medium hardness; all sheets are set to tilt.

Maneuvrability & Cross-country capabilities

Engine: Meadows 6-Cyl (Petrol)
" Power: 88hp
Transmission: 5 Forward & 1 Reverse
Maximum Road Range: 209 km
Maximum Road Speed: 48 kph
Suspension: Horstmann Coil Spring suspension
Trench Crossing: 1.70m
Fording Depth : 0.60m

Dimensions & Weight

(length x width x height)

3070 x 1890 x 2020 mm or
(4870 x 2410 x 2150) or
(3626x 1886x1886) or
( ‘’ 1892x 1880)

Combat Weight: 4-4,2t
Ground Clearance: 0.50m

Sources

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https://www.antik-war.lv/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1306542&mobile=off