Cruiser Mk III

Cruiser Mark III
Abandoned Cruiser Mark III in Calais, France
TypeCruiser tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1938–1941
Used byBritish Army
WarsSecond World War
Production history
DesignerMorris Commercial Cars[1]
Designed1936–1937
ManufacturerNuffield Mechanisations & Aero, Limited
Produced1938–1939
No. built65
Specifications
Mass14 Long tons (14.2 tonnes)
Length19 ft 8 in (6.0 m)[2]
Width8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)[1]
Height8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)[1]
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armour6–14 mm
Main
armament
QF 2-pounder gun
87 rounds
Secondary
armament
.303 Vickers machine gun
3,750 rounds
EngineNuffield Liberty V12 petrol
340 hp (250 kW)
SuspensionChristie
Operational
range
90 mi (140 km)[1]
Maximum speed 30 mph (48 km/h)[1]

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, also known by its General Staff specification number A13 Mark I, was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system, which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance; previous cruiser tank models had used triple wheeled bogie suspension.

  1. ^ a b c d e White, p. 45.
  2. ^ "Great Britain's Cruiser Mk III, A13". World War II Vehicles. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2016.