Light Tank Mark IIA from the left
|
|
The Light Tank Mark IIA was the designation given to twenty nine Mark IIs built by the Royal Ordnance Factory at Woolwich during 1931. The Mark IIA was similar to the standard Mark II, but with a modified fuel system that featured two fuel tanks – one armoured tank on the back of the tank and one on the right side track guard. The Mark IIA was given a No 1 Mark II turret, similar to that on the standard Mk II but with air vents protected by anti-bullet splash baffles on each side of the turret. The Mark IIA was built with the same two spring Horstmann suspension system as the Mark II, but many were later given the four spring system used on the Light Tank Mark III.
Names
Light Tank Mark IIA A4
Prototypes: A4E16 and A4E18
Stats
Production: 29 (1931)
Hull Length: 11ft 8in
Hull Width: 6ft 1in
Height: 6ft 9in
Crew: 2
Weight: 4.25 tons
Engine: 66 hp Rolls Royce 6-cylinder
Max Speed: 30mph
Max Range: 125 operational radius
Armament: One .303in Vickers machine guns
Armour: 10-4mm
British Battle Tanks - World War I to 1939, David Fletcher.
An excellent history of British tanks from the earliest developments, through the battles of the First World War and on into the post-war period. Strongest on the First World War tanks, which fill the first three quarters of the book, helping to explain the problems faced by the developers, how they coped with the problems of the battlefield and how the design was improved in the light of experience, making it clear that the tanks of 1918 were actually very different from the tanks of 1916, despite looking very similar [read full review]
