| Tank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9) | |
|---|---|
 Tank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9) | |
| Type | Cruiser tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1938–1941 |
| Used by | British Army |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Sir John Carden |
| Designed | 1934–1936 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Produced | 1936–1941 |
| No. built | 125 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 12.8 long tons (13.0 t) battle weight[1] |
| Length | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 4 in (2.5 m) |
| Height | 8 ft 8 in (2.65 m) |
| Crew | 6 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, 2x MG gunners) |
| Armour | 6–14 mm |
Main armament | QF 2-pdr 100 rounds |
Secondary armament | 3 x 0.303Vickers machine gun 3,000 rounds |
| Engine | AEC 179 6-cylinderpetrol[2] 150 hp (110 kW) |
| Suspension | sprung triple wheel bogie |
Operational range | 150 miles (240 km) |
| Maximum speed | 25 mph (40 km/h) |
TheTank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9) was a Britishcruiser tank of the interwar period. It was the firstcruiser tank: a fast tank designed to bypass the main enemy lines and engage the enemy's lines of communication, as well as enemy tanks. TheCruiser Mk II was a more heavily armoured adaptation of the Mark I, developed at much the same time.
In 1936, the BritishWar Office designated two different kinds of tanks for future development: heavily armouredinfantry tanks to be used in close co-operation with infantry during attacks, and fast mobile cruiser tanks designed to make forays deep into enemy territory.
Due to the cost, British replacement designs forMedium Mark II tanks then in service had been cancelled with only threeMedium Mark III built. In 1934,Sir John Carden ofVickers-Armstrong was asked to provide a "reasonably cheap tank" as a replacement for some of the medium models then in use. This design was known by General Staff specification A9.
The pilot model of his medium tank design was finished in 1936 and given the designation A9E1. It incorporated the best features of the cancelled Medium Mk III design, but lighter so that it could be powered by a commercial petrol engine. However, this was still in the time of theGreat Depression and the tank had a number of cost-cutting measures applied. It was the first British tank to have a centrally located turret and to have powered traverse. The system was byNash & Thompson and similar to that being introduced on theVickers Wellington medium bomber aircraft. The armour was light, with a maximum thickness of 14 mm (0.55 in). Many armour faces were vertical, and there were numerousshot traps, but it could achieve 25 mph (40 km/h) and carried the new high velocityQF 2-pounder (40 mm) gun, which had replaced theQF 3-pounder by the time manufacture started in 1937.
The driver's compartment and the fighting compartments were not separated. As well as the turret armament, which consisted of an Ordnance QF 2 pounder gun and a coaxialVickers machine gun, there were two small turrets either side of the driver's compartment, each with a Vickers machine-gun. Both of these smaller turrets were permanently manned, which gave the tank a total crew of six (commander, gunner, loader, driver and two machine-gunners).
The A9E1 was tested against other designs and, although lacking in some areas, it was accepted in 1937 as an interim design until aChristie suspension cruiser tank could be delivered. An order was placed for 125. Seventy-five were built byHarland & Wolff, and the other 50 were built byVickers. Initially, aRolls-Royce car engine (the 7.67 litre of thePhantom II) was used for the pilot model, but this proved to be underpowered and was replaced by a 9.64 litreAECbus engine.[3]
The laterValentineinfantry tank essentially used the same lower hull and suspension, though with considerably more armour.
The A9 weighed 12 long tons (12 t), was 19 feet (5.8 m) long, 8.7 feet (2.65 m) high, 8.2 feet (2.5 m) wide and had a top speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on road and 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) off. Its maximum road range was 150 miles (240 km). The ammunition load was 100 rounds for the main gun and 3,000 rounds for the three machine guns.
The Mark I cruiser began to be delivered in January 1939. 36 tanks were delivered before the start of the war, 40 in September–December 1939 and 49 in 1940.[4]
The Cruiser was an effective tank in the French, Greek and earlyNorth African campaigns. The 2-pounder gun was lethal against the early Italian tanks encountered during the North African campaign and could hold its own againstRommel's early Panzer IIs and IIIs. It could also breach the 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in) of protective steel on later opponents, such as thePanzer IIIAusf D and thePanzer IVAusf D. It was effective until the Germans introduced the more thickly armoured Panzer IVAusf E to the desert in the spring of 1941. However, its minimal armour made the A9 very vulnerable to most Axis anti-tank weapons. Also problematic was the lack ofhigh explosive shells for the 2-pounder gun, and even worse the lack of armour-piercing shells for the 94 mm gun on the close support version.[citation needed] Another issue was that the areas around the front machine gun turrets created a frontal surface that was more vulnerable to enemy fire than it would have been had it been a simple flat plate.
The mechanical unreliability of the Cruiser was also a disadvantage. In particular, tracks were easily slewed, causing difficulties.[citation needed]
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