Valentine XI
The Valentine XI was the last production version of the Valentine tank, and was armed with the new British 75mm tank gun. It was similar to the Mk X, which was the first version to be built from new with the 6-pounder anti-tank gun.
The Mk XI was powered by a 165hp G.M.C. 6-71 diesel engine. It carried the 75mm gun and a coaxial 7.92mm Besa machine gun. The turret had originally been introduced on the Mk III and Mk V to allow space for a third crew member. When the 6-pounder gun was installed there was only space for two men, and the same was true on the Mk XI. The larger shells also took up more space, but instead of reducing the number of main gun shells carried the decision was made to reduce the amount of machine gun ammo. The Mk X had carried 46 6-pounder shells and 3,150 machine gun rounds. The Mk XI carried 45 75mm rounds and only 1,574 machine gun rounds.
The Valentine XI used the same splash plates around the turret ring as the Mk X.
The Mk XI was of welded construction and introduced the cast nose first used on the Canadian Mk VI and Mk VII.
The Valentine XI was in production late in 1943.
Names
Valentine XI
Stats
Hull Length: 6m 34.5cm/ 20ft 10in
Hull Width: 2m 63cm/ 8ft 7.5in
Height: 2m 27cm/ 7ft 5.5in
Crew: 3
Weight: 18,000kg/ 17.7 tons
Engine: 165hp GMC 6-71 Model 6004
Max Speed on road: 24km/h/ 15mph
Max Speed off road: 18km/h / 11mph
Max Range: 225km/ 140 miles
Armament: QF 75mm Mk V, 7.92mm Besa 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. [
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How to cite this article:
Rickard, J (29 June 2015), Valentine XI , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_valentine_XI.html
