Matilda II Mk.II (A-12) Infantry Tank Mark II.A. Matilda II Mk II
General Historical Information
Place of origin
Great Britain
Manufacturer
Mechanization Board and Messrs Vulcan
Produced In
1937–1943
Category
Infantry Close Support Tank
Debut in FHSW
Debut in FH Mod
Speed
26 km/h
Armour
Main armament
40 mm QF Ordnance 2pdr 97 rounds
Coaxial weapon
7.92 mm Besa machine gun 150x 17 rounds
General Ingame Information
Used by
Great Britain France Australia Canada Soviet Union
Crew in‑game
1
Historical Picture
The Matilda II or Infantry Tank Mk II was British heavy tank. They were used by the British Army in France and North Africa until gradually replaced by the Valentine, M3 Lee, the M3 Grant and the Sherman tanks in 1942. It was not replaced by the Australian Army that kept them as their main tank in operations even in 1945, which made this tank the only British tank to be used throughout the whole war. The Matilda was very popular due to its heavy armour protection which rendered it immune from all Italian tanks in North Africa as well as many of the German anti-tank weapons available early in the war. The Matilda’s 2 pounder gun would soon be obsolete, but it had sufficient armour penetration capability to deal with the flimsy Italian tanks encountered in North Africa. Although designated as an infantry tank, the 2 pounder gun could not fire high-explosive shells which might have been useful in defeating enemy infantry positions. A succesful major upgunning effort resulted in the Matilda III CS housing a 76.2mm Howitzer. The difference between Matilda I and II is replacement of the Vickers machinegun with a Besa machinegun, the Matilda II does have the Vickers on the map Sand Storm. The Soviets had Matilda II tanks by the battle of Moscow. Its tough armor was appreciated but its tracks were unsuited for their winter conditions and the effectivness of the 2 pounder against the enemy tanks diminished through the years. A project to mount the ZIS-5 gun mounted in the KV-1S was done on a single tank. There was little room for a larger gun so the gun mantlet was redesigned and which stuck out further from the turret.
The Matilda II was a well armored tank but had limited firepower. The Matilda was already know as one of the best armored tanks on the battlefield in the early war years. German tanks exempt the Tiger, and Panzer IV with the long 75mm guns and some tank destroyers, had it hard to destroy Matilda tanks. Matilda tanks on the other hand had it hard to destroy German tanks like the Panzer IV and they could not destroy a Tiger. Combining the Matilda chassis with the powerful 6 Pounder was a possible the solution on this problem. So a prototype was made. It was an modified Matilda II Mk.III chassis with a larger turret ring so that the turret could be replaced with a A27M Cromwell turret. Only one was produced. Though, you should spot two vehicles at Sand Storm.
Radio Controlled Matilda Black Prince[]
Radio Controlled Matilda Black Prince
General Historical Information
Place of origin
Great Britain
Category
Radio Controlled Demolition Tank
Debut in FHSW
v0.5
Speed
26 km/h
Main armament
Demolition Charge
General Ingame Information
Used by
Great Britain
A radio controlled Matilda Black Prince can also be found in FHSW with demolition charge. You take control of it from a table radio. They are hidden under an camouflage in the mainbase.
A Radio-controlled prototype was produced in 1941 using A12E2 with Wilson transmission. Planned uses included use as a mobile target, for drawing fire and so reveal hidden anti-tank guns, or for demolition missions. Planned order for 60 cancelled as it would require conversion of Rackham clutch transmission to the Wilson type.
We have spot this tank not on the test field map, but you should spot two vehicles at Sand Storm.
Did You Know That?
The power of the explosion of Goliath tracked mines and radio-controlled Matilda Black Prince demolition tanks is twice as high as 500 kg bombs, so if detonated, even Tiger can't escape instant death.