Valentine VI, Infantry Tank Mk III***

The Valentine VI, Infantry Tank Mk III***, was a version of the Valentine IV that was built in Canada. The Mk IV was powered by a GMC diesel engine and had the original two-man turret, with 2-pounder gun and 7.92mm Besa machine gun.

The Valentine VI used the same 138hp G.M.C. diesel engine as the Mk IV. The first sixteen tanks used the 7.92mm Besa machine gun, but the rest of the production run used the Browning .30in machine gun instead.

The main visual difference between British and Canadian production was the use of a cast hull nose on the Canadian tanks, in place of the bolted nose used on British tanks.

The Mk VI also had modifications to make it more suitable for arctic service.

The Mk VI entered production late in 1941.

A total of 1,420 Valentines were built in Canada, with all but 32 going to the Soviet Union.

Names
Valentine VI
Infantry Tank Mk III***

Stats
Hull Length: 5m 41cm/ 17ft 9in
Hull Width: 2m 63cm/ 8ft 7.5in
Height: 2m 27cm/ 7ft 5.5in
Crew: 3
Weight: 16,500kg/  16.3 tons
Engine: 138hp GMC 6-71 Model 6004
Max Speed on road: 24km/h/ 15mph
Max Speed off road: 18km/h / 11mph
Max Range: 176km/ 109 miles
Armament: QF 2-pounder Mk IX, 7.92mm Besa or M1919A4 7.62mm Browning machine gun

Armour
Turret front: 65mm
Turret sides: 60mm
Nose: 60mm at 21 degrees
Glacis plate: 30mm at 68 degrees
Hull sides: 60mm vertical

Valentine Infantry Tank 1938-45, Bruce Oliver Newsome. Looks at the most numerous British tank of the Second World War, but one that only saw limited combat service, mainly in North Africa. Notable for the amount of information packed into a series of tables, including specifications and identifying features of the many versions of the Valentine, as well as the interesting material on the interior of the tank, how it was driven, and on the many special variants such as the Archer self -propelled gun, which carried its main gun pointing backwards. [read full review]
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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (4 June 2015), Valentine VI, Infantry Tank Mk III*** , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_valentine_VI.html

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