Based on the Matilda II, this is the (A-12) Infantry Tank Mark II.A. Matilda II Mk II CS, also known as the Matilda IV CS and it was a British infantry tank. While it may have seemed more logical for an infantry support vehicle to have an howitzer like the first Sturmgeschütz III or Panzerkampfwagen IV but according to British doctrine the Matilda II would support the infantry by eliminating armoured vehicles with the 2 pounder gun which was the best anti-tank weapon at the time, but lacked HE rounds at all. Fortunately, switching out the gun for a three inch howitzer as was done on the Crusader tanks was easy and provided a specialist vehicle ideal for dealing with fortifications and soft targets. The vehicles functioned often as command vehicles too.
Australia & New Zealand[]
This variant had its most use in Australian formations, where entire squadrons could consist of them. It first saw combat in Southeast Asia during the Huon Peninsula Campaign in October 1943 in Papua New Guinea. All 33 of the Matilda tanks that New Zealand recieved were of this type, as they lacked a vehicle with a three inch howitzer or something similar. The Valentine was their main infantry tank and since they wanted to keep the amount of different vehicles down as much as possible they managed to modify some of these tanks with three inch howitzer so that the Matilda tanks could be sent to Australia instead.
Canada[]
The 1st Army Tank Brigade of Canada were the first to recieve this tank outside the British army. They would be used during the Italian campaign until replaced by the M4 Sherman tank.
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