Infantry Tank Matilda Mk 1

General characteristics
Length	4.9 m
Width	2.3 m
Height	2 m
Weight	11 t
Suspension	sprung bogie
Speed	8 mph 13 km/h km/h road km/h off-road
Range	km
Primary armament	0.303 or 0.5 inch Vickers MG
Secondary armament	none
Maximum armour	? mm
Power plant	70 hp Ford V8 petrol, 70 hp, ( kW)
Crew	2 (commander/gunner, driver)

The A11 Infantry Tank I Matilda was a British tank of World War II. It is not to be confused with the A12 Infantry Tank, also known as the 'Matilda II' but took over the 'Matilda' name after the early part of the war when the first Matilda was withdrawn from combat service. They were of totally different design and did not share components, but did have some similar traits because they were both designed to be Infantry tanks, a type of tank that tended to sacrifice speed and firepower for increased armor protection. Image File history File links Matilda Mk I Infantry Tank This image is protected by British Crown copyright. ... The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International dUnités). ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... Vickers machine gun Type Nationality UK Era WW1 - WW2 History Date of design 1912 Production period 1912- Service duration 1912-1968 Operators War service Specifications Type Calibre 0. ... A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol, in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... General characteristics Length 6. ... The infantry tank was a concept developed by the British in the years leading up to World War II. They were intended to work alongside infantry. ...

General Ellis, watching it maneovre, commented that it 'waddled like a duck'. The name of a popular cartoon duck 'Matilda' was naturally applied. Matilda McDuck is a fictional character of the Scrooge McDuck universe. ...

Designed and produced for quick delivery by Vickers, the A11 used many stock parts from other vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, Fordson gearbox similar to the Vickers light tanks, suspension from an artillery tractor that was based on the their own Six Ton Tank Model E. The Vickers corporation, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment. ... Fordson by Ford Motors is the first model of an agricultural tractor in mass production. ... General characteristics Length 4. ...

Although the hull and turret were well protected against current anti-tank weapons, the tracks and running gear were completely exposed and more vunerable then on tanks that had protected tracks.

Production history

Production: 140

Variants

Some used the heavier 0.5" Vickers machine gun instead of the 0.303".

Combat history

Matilda I (55) and Matilda II tanks fought together in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France. They participated in the defense and counter attack operation at Arras against the invasion by Nazi Germany in May 1940, temporarily discomfiting the 7th Panzer division under Rommel. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British army sent to Belgium in World War I and British Forces in Europe from 1939 - 1940 during World War II. The BEF was established by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Boer War in case Britain ever needed to... In World War II, Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... The Battle of Arras, was an Allied counter-attack to the German blitzkrieg through France during World War II. Background Early on during the Battle of France, German forces managed to repel Allied forces and push them back considerably. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (   listen?) (November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944) was one of the most distinguished German Field Marshals and commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps in World War II. He is also known by his nickname The Desert Fox (Wüstenfuchs,   listen?), for the...

When the BEF returned to the UK, nearly all their armour was left behind. Matilda Mk I's left in the UK were withdrawn for training purposes.