Based on the Carden-Loyd Tankette from the 20's and developed in the 30's, the Light Tank Mark VI was a British light tank. It was the sixth version and week only minor respects from its predecessor, the Mark V. The type was very mobile and fast, even on difficult terrain. This made it widely used in the 30's throughout the entire British Empire. Between 1936 and 1940, the vehicle was in production and in total there are 1682 vehicles made.
Although the unit was also used in the first years of the Second World War, it quickly became apparent that it was pretty useless. The tank was used by the British Expeditionary Force in northern France and Western Belgium, in North Africa and against the Italians in Greece. The armor was not thick enough and so it was soon pierced. The machine also had little use on the battlefield. The Vickers Light Tank was in fact intended for reconnaissance missions, but a lack of equipment forced the British to put him on the battlefield, with catastrophic consequences. Three main variants are be designed. The Light Tank Mark VIA, Light Tank Mark VIB and Light Tank Mark VIC. There are also Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft variants, we have two SPAAG variants: the Light Tank AA Mk I and the Light Tank AA Mk V.
Light Tank Mk VIB[]
Light Tank Mk VIB | |
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General Historical Information | |
Place of origin | Great Britain |
Category | Light Tank |
Debut in FHSW | Debut in FH mod |
Speed | 56 km/h |
Armour | 14 mm to 4 mm |
Main armament | Vickers .50 machine gun |
Coaxial weapon | Vickers .303 machine gun |
General Ingame Information | |
Used by | Great Britain Australia Canada |
Crew in‑game | 1 |
Ammunition | 12.7 x 81 mm |
Historical Picture | |
The Light Tank Mark VIB is our first variant of the Light Tank Mark VI ingame. The Mk VIB was mechanically identical to the Mk VIA but with a few minor differences to make production simpler, including a one-piece armoured louvre over the radiator instead of a two-piece louvre, and a plain circular cupola instead of the faceted type. It contains a 12.7 cm Vickers machinegun as main weapon. The secondary weapon was a .303 in Vickers machine gun and it is one of the few vehicles ingame with this World War One machinegun. Around 1025 were produced and it is the most produced version.
Light Tank Mk VIC[]
The second variant and the third variant historically of the Light Tank Mk VI, is the Light Tank Mk VIC. The Light Tank Mk VIC, which was the last in the MK VI series, had the commanders cupola removed and had wider bogies and three carburettors to improve engine performance; it was also more powerfully armed than the other models, replacing the .303 and .50 Vickers machine guns with co-axial 15-mm and 7.92 mm Besa machine guns. Only a few have been produced, a number of 130 vehicles.
Light Tank AA Mk I[]
Light Tank AA Mk I | |
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General Historical Information | |
Place of origin | Great Britain |
Category | Self-propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun |
Speed | 56 km/h |
Armour | 14 mm to 4 mm |
Main armament | 4x 7.92 mm Besa Mk. III |
General Ingame Information | |
Used by | Great Britain |
Crew in‑game | 1 |
Historical Picture | |
One of Britain's answers to the Stukas in the desert is the light ack-ack tank. This model is equipped with a quad-7.92mm Besa or a twin 15mm Besa heavy MG AA mount. They are mounted in a turret, both tank and turret being extremely flexible and mobile. These ack-ack tanks are sometimes placed at regular intervals in convoys of motor transport, so that enemy planes attacking the convoy get a warm reception. Because of this new turret, the traverse was now done by hand, which severely limited its speed and the effectiveness of the entire solution. The crew was only two. Production of this model is unknown and ceased by 1941.
It had an improved version, Mk II, with a fully powered traverse, wider and more accessible turret, and better quality sights. Another version of a 2-pdr armed tank with an open top turret, remains a paper project.
Light Tank AA Mk V[]
In 1940 experiments were carried out with the construction of anti-aircraft tank.
For the experiments were chosen two Vickers Light Tank Mk.V. One was fitted with a Boulton-Paul turret with the with four machine guns intended for the bombers. Initial tests conducted with a complete "glazing," which was later removed and replaced by a folding armored plates. The second tank, which is represented in the picture, was armed with two heavy 15 mm Besa machine gun. The vehicles did not exceed the test phase.
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