British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II
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This article lists British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II. The United Kingdom produced 27,528 tanks and self-propelled guns from 1939 to May 1945, as well as 26,191 armoured cars and 69,071 armoured personnel carriers (mostly the Universal Carrier).[1]
Contents
- 1 Nomenclature
- 2 Design and production
- 3 Tanks
- 3.1 Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I (A11)
- 3.2 Tank, Infantry, Mk II, Matilda II (A12)
- 3.3 Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine
- 3.4 Tank, Infantry, Mk IV, Churchill (A22)
- 3.5 Tank, Light, Mk VII, Tetrarch (A17)
- 3.6 Tank, Cruiser, Mk I, (A9)
- 3.7 Tank, Cruiser, Mk II, (A10)
- 3.8 Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, (A13)
- 3.9 Tank, Cruiser, Mk IV, (A13 Mk II)
- 3.10 Tank, Cruiser, Mk V, Covenanter (A13 Mk III)
- 3.11 Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI, Crusader (A15)
- 3.12 Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII, Cavalier (A24)
- 3.13 Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Centaur (A27L)
- 3.14 Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M)
- 3.15 Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Challenger (A30)
- 3.16 Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34)
- 3.17 Tank, Cruiser, Centurion I (A41)
- 4 Armoured cars
- 5 Self-propelled guns
- 6 See also
- 7 Notes
- 8 References
Nomenclature
British tank nomenclature used a complex combination of specifications, types, marks/models and versions. e.g.
| Spec. | Type | Model | Name | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A27M | Tank, Cruiser, | Mark VIII, | Cromwell | IV |
This allowed vehicles to be referenced under three different identification schemes:
Specification Number
Firstly a General Staff specification developed by the Directorate of Tank Design e.g. A13. These were specifications for new tanks to be designed. Not all specifications delivered workable vehicles, and hence only a subset entered production.
The specification could apply to more than one vehicle where design was competed. If the vehicle was privately developed it may not have a General Staff number at all.
Type name and mark
Secondly by a descriptive name - e.g. "Tank, Infantry, Mark II". This reflected the type and model of tank, i.e. "Tank, Infantry, Mark II" is a different tank to "Tank, Infantry, Mark III".
The scheme was introduced during the First World War but not always applied to earlier designs. The descriptive name could also be modified by the inclusion of "A" denoting an armament change or "*" denoting some other change.
Name
Thirdly by a name for this model of tank - e.g. Crusader. This could have a number associated for the version of this model of tank, e.g. Crusader Mark II (rendered as "Crusader II") is an upgraded version of Crusader I.
In rare cases, a complete redesign could spawn a new specification number, for instance Churchill VII was renumbered A42 after completion due to the significant level of difference from the original tank.
Some tanks had already picked up names, either nicknames or from project names, but in June 1941 the Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked that all tanks be named.
Design and production
Cruiser tanks
Crusader and Covenanter were parallel designs for a cheaper cruiser tank than the A16 design proposed to replace the Cruiser Mark IV. Both designs were ordered in 1939 prior to the start of the war. The first tanks were delivered in 1940. Cavalier was used for training in the UK while Crusader was used in North Africa. When its successors were delayed the Crusader was modified to take the 6 pounder gun.
The tanks that received the names Cavalier, Centaur and Cromwell were all designs to meet the same requirement for a cruiser tank to replace the Crusader tank. Design work took place in 1941 and 1942. The Cavalier and Centaur used the Nuffield Liberty engine while Cromwell used the more powerful Rolls-Royce Meteor. Cromwell was first used in action in June 1944.
Tanks
Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I (A11)
The Matilda I was a machine gun armed infantry support tank. It had been built down to a price and for quick delivery. Those not lost during the fighting of the battle of France were abandoned at Dunkirk. The few left in the UK were retained for training only.
Total production 1937–40: 140.
Tank, Infantry, Mk II, Matilda II (A12)
The Matilda II was produced by Vulcan Foundry, John Fowler & Co., Ruston & Hornsby, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, Harland and Wolff, and the North British Locomotive Company
As well as Marks I, II, III, IV and V of the Matilda, some were rebuilt with the Canal Defence Light
Total production 1937–43: 2,987.
Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine
Valentine was a private development by Vickers that was accepted by the War Office. It used the suspension of their pre-war A10 Heavy Cruiser design with heavier armour.
There were eleven marks of Valentine.
Total production 1939–45 of Valentine Mks I, II, III and IV: 8,275.
Tank, Infantry, Mk IV, Churchill (A22)
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| Model | Years | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Churchill I | 1941–45 | 303 |
| Churchill II | 1941–45 | 1,127 |
| Churchill III | 675 | |
| Churchill IV | 1,622 | |
| Churchill V | 1941–45 | 241 |
| Churchill VI | 1941–45 | 200 |
| Churchill VII | 1,600 | |
| Churchill VIII | 1941–45 | 1,600 |
Total production 1941-45: 7,368
Tank, Light, Mk VII, Tetrarch (A17)
Total production: 177.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk I, (A9)
Total production: 125.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk II, (A10)
Total production 1938–40: 175.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, (A13)
Total production 1938–39: 65.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IV, (A13 Mk II)
The initial production of the Mark IV was by adding extra armour to Mark III. Later production included the extra armour at the time of construction. On top of those converted from the Mk III, 665 of the Mk IVA (with the BESA rather than a Vickers machine gun) were built.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk V, Covenanter (A13 Mk III)
The Covenanter was an unsuccessful design suffering from engine cooling problems. Total production: 1,700. Note that no A13 Mk III saw combat as all but one (which was sent to North Africa) were stationed in Great Britain during the war and used for training.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI, Crusader (A15)
The last production Crusaders were produced without turrets as they were to be converted to artillery tractors or self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.
Total production 1940–43 of Crusader Mks I, II and III: 5,300.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII, Cavalier (A24)
Total production 1941–43: 500.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Centaur (A27L)
Total production 1942–43: 950.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M)
Cromwell was produced in several marks: I, III (II was a design not preceded with), IV, IVw, Vw, VI, VII, VIIw, VIII. Some of these were reworks of earlier Cromwells, some of reworked Centaurs.
Total Production 1943–44 3,066
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Challenger (A30)
Total production 1943–44: 200.
Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34)
Total production 1944–45: 1186.
Tank, Cruiser, Centurion I (A41)
Total production 1944–45: 6.
Armoured cars
- Scout cars
- Daimler Dingo (6,626)
- Humber Scout Car (4,300)
- Light Reconnaissance Cars
- Armoured Cars
- AEC Armoured Car (629)
- Coventry Armoured Car (220)
- Daimler Armoured Car (2,694)
- Guy Armoured Car (101)
- Humber Armoured Car (5,400)
- Lanchester Armoured Car
- Morris CS9 (99)
- Standard Beaverette
Self-propelled guns
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- A self-propelled gun based on the Valentine tank, the Bishop was a emergency programme to provide mobile artillery in the North African campaign. As a result it had several problems and only about 150 were produced.
See also
- Comparison of early World War II tanks
- French armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II
- German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
- Soviet armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
- American armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
Notes
- ↑ Steven Zaloga. "Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II". Stackpole Books, May 15, 2015. Appendix 4: British and Commonwealth AFV Production.
References
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