The Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I (A11) was a British
infantry tank of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Despite being slow, cramped and armed with only a single
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
, the Matilda I had some success in the
Battle of France in 1940, owing to its heavy
armour which was proof against the standard German
anti-tank guns. However, it was essentially useless in an attacking sense, as its weak armament made it toothless in combat against enemy armour, and the tank was obsolete before it even came into service.
The Battle of France was the only time the Matilda I saw combat.
The tank was cheaply built as the British government wanted each of the tanks to be built on a very restricted budget in the build-up to the Second World War.
It is not to be confused with the later (more successful) model
Tank, Infantry Mk II (A12), also known as the "Matilda II", which took over the "Matilda" name after the Matilda I was withdrawn from combat service in 1940. They were completely separate designs.
Development history
![IWM-F-2141-Matilda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/IWM-F-2141-Matilda.jpg)
The development of the design by
Sir John Carden
Sir John Valentine Carden, 6th Baronet MBE (6 February 1892 – 10 December 1935) was an English tank and vehicle designer. He was the sixth baronet of Templemore, County Tipperary, from 1931.
Work
Born in London, Carden was a talented, self ...
at
Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd began in 1935. The General Staff specification required a cheap tank, requiring the use of already commercially available components. It resulted in a small two-man vehicle with a low hull and a small cast
turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* Mi ...
. The turret was fitted with a single heavy machine gun, either a
.303 .303 may refer to:
* .303 British, a rifle cartridge
* .303 Savage, a rifle cartridge
* Lee–Enfield
The Lee–Enfield or Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the B ...
(7.7 mm) calibre
Vickers machine gun
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...
or the larger (12.7 mm)
Vickers .50 machine gun. Designed for quick delivery as well as low cost, the A11 used many stock parts from other vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, a
Fordson
Fordson was a brand name of tractors and trucks. It was used on a range of mass-produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son Inc from 1917 to 1920, by Ford Motor Company (U.S.) and Ford Motor Company Ltd (U.K.) from 1920 to ...
gearbox, a steering mechanism similar to the one used in
Vickers light tanks and suspension adapted from the Mk IV Dragon
artillery tractor
An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked.
Traction
There are two ...
, that was based on the
Vickers 6-Ton Tank Model E.
The hull and turret were well protected against contemporary anti-tank weapons but the tracks and running gear were exposed and more vulnerable than on tanks that had protected tracks. The lack of a gun with anti-tank capability severely limited its utility on the battlefield. Besides operating the machine gun, the commander had to direct the driver and operate the radio. There being no room in the turret for the radio, it was placed in the hull; the commander had to duck down inside and lie almost prone to operate it. The driver's position was equally cramped and the turret could not be traversed forward while the driver's hatch was open. The top speed of 8 mph (13 km/h) was thought to be sufficient for supporting an infantry advance.
Essentially, the tank was a
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
tank designed twenty years after its conclusion.
Those who designed the tank were influenced by the mistaken belief that combat in a new war would be the same as in World War I, in which tanks were utilised for breaking through strong, static defensive positions.
As a result, the tank was obsolete both in design and in its intended purpose.
General
Hugh Elles
Lieutenant General Sir Hugh Jamieson Elles (27 May 1880 – 11 July 1945) was a British officer and the first commander of the newly formed Tank Corps during the First World War.
Early life
Born in British India on 27 May 1880, Hugh Jamieson E ...
, the
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...
, is credited with giving the tank the name Matilda "due to the vehicle's diminutive size and duck-like shape and gait." However, the codename "Matilda" for the project was created for Vickers at the time of drawing up the specification in 1935. The "Tank, Infantry, Mark I" name was an
Army Council decision of June 1940.
Production history
The first order of sixty Matilda tanks was placed in April 1937, followed by an order for a further sixty ten days later and another 19 were ordered in January 1939. The tank remained in production until August 1940, with a total of one hundred and forty produced, including the prototype. Some were equipped with the heavier
.50 inch Vickers machine gun instead of the
.303 .303 may refer to:
* .303 British, a rifle cartridge
* .303 Savage, a rifle cartridge
* Lee–Enfield
The Lee–Enfield or Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the B ...
inch Vickers machine gun.
Combat history
Matilda I tanks equipped the
4th Battalion and
7th Battalion of the
Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). In September 1939, upon the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the 4th RTR deployed to France with the
British Expeditionary Force. They were joined at the start of May 1940 by 7th RTR and together formed the
1st Army Tank Brigade. Apart from
light tanks assigned to the various British infantry divisions, this was the only British armoured force on the Continent at the start of the
Battle of France on 10 May 1940. The 58 Matilda Is and 16 Matilda IIs spearheaded the
counter-attack
A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...
in the
Battle of Arras on 21 May, temporarily discomfiting the
7th Panzer Division under
Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
. The heavy armour of both types of British tank proved to be resistant to the standard German
37 mm anti-tank gun and the attack was only halted by a gun line hastily formed from
105 mm howitzers and
88 mm anti-aircraft guns, personally directed by Rommel. On the following day, only 26 Matilda Is and two Matilda II tanks were still serviceable.
On 23 May, tanks from 7 RTR fought a rearguard action at
Souchez
Souchez () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is located northwest of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the missing First World War Canadian sol ...
before joining the general withdrawal towards
Dunkirk. The surviving tanks of both battalions were formed into a composite unit, which fought another counter-attack at
La Bassée
La Bassée () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Population
Heraldry
Personalities
La Bassée was the birthplace of the painter and draftsman Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845).
Another native was Ignace François ...
. Only two tanks reached Dunkirk in the closing stages of
Operation Dynamo
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
.
Further south in France, five Matilda Is and a few other tanks which had been in various depots or had arrived as late reinforcements, formed the Divisional Tank Company of the
Beauman Division
The Beauman Division was an improvised formation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the Second World War, which fought in France against the German 4th Army in June 1940, during (Case Red), the final German offensive of the Batt ...
, an improvised formation which had been hastily put together to defend the British logistic bases at
Rouen and
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
. On 8 June, the tanks supported the force, which was mainly infantry, in their unsuccessful defence of the rivers
Andelle and
Béthune
Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.
Geography
Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...
. The division was subsequently evacuated from
Cherbourg during
Operation Aerial
Operation Aerial was the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France from 15 to 25 June 1940 during the Second World War. The evacuation followed the Allied military collapse in the Battle of France against Nazi Germ ...
; although 22 tanks of various types were brought back during these evacuations, there were no infantry tanks among them. A Matilda I was selected by the German Army for evaluation and it was destroyed in the process. After most of the Matilda I tanks were abandoned in France, the Matilda Is left in the United Kingdom were withdrawn for training purposes.
Some recent evidence suggests that Matilda I's captured by the Germans may have seen use as internal security vehicles, probably in Poland.
Survivors
Three surviving Matilda I tanks are preserved at
The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum (previously The Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collection ...
in the United Kingdom. One (HMH 802, identified as "possibly T3447" ) is in running condition; it was recovered from Otterburn gunnery range and restored to running condition, although it is powered by an inauthentic engine and gearbox.
The second vehicle was built in March 1940 and restored to running condition in the 1980s. It is painted to represent ''T8106'' a tank of the
4th Royal Tank Regiment in France in May 1940.
A third Matilda I is a severely damaged wreck that was used as a gunnery range target, and can be found to the north of the Vehicle Conservation Centre.
[Tank Museum accession record]
See also
*
FCM 36
The FCM 36 or ''Char léger Modèle 1936 FCM'', was a light infantry tank that was designed for the French Army prior to World War II. It had a crew of two and was equipped with a short 37 mm main armament and a 7.5 mm coaxial machine g ...
, a similar, French two–man, infantry tank
*
Matilda II
The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11.
The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machi ...
infantry tank
*
List of tanks of the United Kingdom
These are lists of UK tanks to enable cross-referencing between the design names and the service names.
General Staff numbers
This is a list of UK tanks up to the end of the Second World War that received designations starting with the letter ...
*
Tanks in the British Army
This article on military tanks deals with the history and development of tanks of the British Army from their first use in the First World War, the interwar period, during the Second World War, the Cold War and modern era.
Overview
Tanks fir ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
Britain's Matilda Tanksat World War II Tanks and Vehicles / Advanced Squad Leader
Tank Infantry Mark I A11 (E1949.350)Tank Infantry Mark I A11 (E1993.184)
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Infantry tanks
Interwar tanks of the United Kingdom
World War II tanks of the United Kingdom
History of the tank
Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s