Turret of Vickers Model 1936 Light Tank |
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The series of Vickers Commercial Light Tank were similar in design to the British Light Tank Mk III, and were fairly successful on the escort market, being produced in three main models.
Vickers was responsible for producing the Light Tank Mk III, one of a series of fairly similar light tanks produced in the 1930s, ending with the Mk VI. The Vickers Commercial Light Tanks all had the same basic layout as the Mk III. This had four road wheels on each side, with a drive wheel at the front and idler at the rear. The drive wheel and idler were both raised up so the top of the track was almost level. The turret was carried just behind the centre of the tank, offset to the left. The driver was positioned on the left, just in front of the turret. The front of the hull sloped down gently to the nose, broken by an armoured box for the driver’s head.
Model 1933
The first version to be sold was the Model 1933. This used leaf-spring suspension and had a cylindrical turret, carrying a Vickers machine gun. One went to Finland, one to Lithuania and one to Switzerland (and possibly one to Latvia).
Model 1934
The Model 1934 was similar to the Model 1933, but with coil spring suspension. It may have been developed in response to a Swiss order for a single tank with this feature alongside their Model 1933. It sold in larger numbers to Argentina, while the biggest order, for 42 examples, went to Belgium. These tanks were given a high conical turret and armed in Belgium with a 13.2mm Hotchkiss machine gun. They served as the Char Leger de Reconnaissance Vickers-Carden-Loyd Mod.1934 T.15, and saw combat during the fighting in 1940.
Model 1936
The Model 1936 was similar to the Model 1934, but with a hexagonal turret, still armed with a single machine gun. Sizable orders were placed by China, Lithuania and Latvia a and smaller order by the Netherlands. The most famous batch were part of an order for the Netherlands East Indies, because 48 of these tanks were taken over by the War Office in 1939 and entered British Service as the Light Tank Mk IIIB (although they were better known as the ‘Dutchman’). They were used as training vehicles throughout the war.
Model 1937
The Model 1937 was similar to the Model 1936 but with a larger six sided turret that could carry a 40mm QF anti-tank gun. Six tanks with this gun were ordered by Latvia as part of an order for the Model 1936. It could also take a 20mm Oerlikon gun.
Stats (Model 1936)
Production:
Hull Length: 11ft 10 3/4in
Hull Width: 6ft 2 1/4in
Height: 6ft 2 1/4in
Crew: 2
Weight: 3.8 tons
Engine: 90hp Meadwons EST 6-cylinder water cooled
Max Speed: 40mph
Max Range:
Armament: One machine gun
Armour: 7-9mm
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]
Vickers Model 1936 Light Tank from the front 
Vickers Model 1936 Light Tank from the front-left