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The Matilda Dozer was a bull-dozer equipped version of the A12 Matilda Infantry tank, produced in Australia for use in jungle warfare.
The Australians made extensive use of the Matilda during the fighting in the Pacific, and produced a number of modifications of the basic Matilda design under the overall designation of 'Circus Equipment'.
The first to be developed was the Matilda Dozer. This mounted a Britstand full wide bulldozer blade, produced by the British Standard Machinery Co. of Sydney, mounted in front of the tank. The idea was to use it to clear obstacles while under fire, or even to bury troublesome Japanese strongpoints.
The Matilda Dozer was produced in two versions, with the main difference being the equipment used to raise and lower the blade. On the No.1 Mark I cables were used, while on the No.3 Mark I a hydraulic system was installed. The No.1 was installed in Australia, while the No.3 was produced as a field kit.
Neither was especially successful. Both were difficult to steer, and tended to be nose heavy. As a result the dozer blade would dig into the ground.
The No.1 Mark I was used in combat during the landings of Labuan and Balikapan in August 1945 (during the Borneo campaign), but aren't recorded as having achieved much.