Tank Matilda Mk. II (A12)

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MATILDA HISTORY: A BRITISH TAKE ON TANKS After the first world war, tank development was in its infancy stage and many western countries were eager to adopt these land ships into their military tactics. The British were one of the first to develop their own doctrine on tanks and initially brought up the concept of two types of armoured fighting vehicles, namely Cruiser tanks and Infantry tanks. Both classifications play different roles in the army. Cruiser tanks play a scouting role in the battlefield and were often times found as supporting columns for Infantry tanks due to its light weight armour and impressive speed. Infantry tanks are, as its name suggests, used to support infantry units with its heavier thicker armour and much slower speed, protecting the army steadily in front as they advanced. France and Germany also adopted this doctrine entering into World War II. DESIGN: THE EARLY INFANTRY TANK While the Crusader rolled out as one of the most iconic British Cruiser tanks in World War 2, the Matilda became one of the most easily recognisable Infantry tank. The Matilda featured a unique cast cylindrical three-man turret that was mounted on top of a simple blocky hull. Not to be underestimated for its lack of sloped armour, the armour on the Matilda was known to be the heaviest of its era that even German Panzers III and IV both had trouble penetrating it. Its armoured cast turret was feared by its foes and was legendary for a time in 1940 to 1941 that the Matilda rightfully earned the nickname ‘Queen of the Desert’. However, the Matilda held its own set of obvious drawbacks such as the lack of high explosive rounds for its main gun, time consuming maintenance and perhaps its slow speed. COMBAT: SLOW BUT STEADY Although Matildas were deployed as early as in the failed French Campaign of 1940, its most notable contribution was during the North African Campaign of late 1940 to 1942. Fighting in lands separated from the rest of Europe, the Matilda proved highly effective against Italian and German tanks in the North African desert. This was notwithstanding its vulnerability to medium and larger calibre anti-tank guns in battle. Nevertheless considering the rapid manoeuvre of ground warfare (which was practised in the open desert), the Matilda’s lack of high explosive shells, generally unreliable mechanics and low speed, the tank was plagued with very noticeable problems. When the German Afrika Korps landed in North Africa to backup the weaker Italian army, the 88mm anti-aircraft gun was pressed into service against the Matilda, causing heavy British losses in Operation Battleaxe, mid 1941. After that, Operation Crusader followed in late 1941. At this time, ironically Matilda tanks of the 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades were instrumental in the Allied break-out from Tobruk and the capture of the Axis fortress of Bardia. The operation was decided by Infantry tanks after the failure of Cruiser tanks to overcome the Axis armoured forces in desert terrain. As the German army received new tanks with more powerful guns, as well as more powerful anti-tank guns and ammunition in the mid stage of World War 2, the Matilda proved less and less effective. Firing tests conducted by the Afrika Korps showed that the Matilda had became vulnerable to a number of German weapons even at ordinary combat ranges and any effort to up-gun the Matilda was found to be impractical. Still, the Matilda continued to serve in the British army with pride and was the only British tank to remain in service throughout WWII. Interestingly, many foreign forces found interest in Matilda tanks. Such were previously supplied to the Australian and Red Army by way of lend-lease. On the other hand, the German army has captured several Matilda tanks for its own use after Operation Battleaxe. MODEL: MATILDA MK.II (A12) This is a minor update to m_bergman's readily available and magnificent model of the Matilda tank. Here at Garage 434, our Engineer and Mechanic have both made slight additions and rectifications to the hull and turret of m_bergman's Matilda. The latest model on display here is the iconic, fully equipped Matilda Mk.II (A12) that contributed to the Allied success in the North African Campaign. The minor updates to the model are as follows:- HULL: A closed driver's viewport, a complete armour reinforcement on the front of the hull, aligned hammer and shovel on top of the hull to make room for easy turret rotation, and a slightly more accurate hull side (which includes an armour reinforcement and re-shaping at the rear of the hull) [Mud-flaps not installed after assessing photographs taken of the Matilda in the North African Campaign and those well kept in tank museums]. TURRET: An updated gun barrel, updated gun mantlet with armour bumps, a front radio antenna, a front handle, historically accurate top front panels, and the most obvious being the crew's supplies hung at the side of the turret. NOTES: A FURTHER READ This updated Matilda set comes complete with files of the full model combined and also its hull and turret detached for viewing and printing pleasure. The models should already be scaled at 1/100 and we recommend interested tank crews or potential cadets new to the hobby to print out the models through an expert printer for tryout. Like the models we posted? Feel free to support us on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/garage434 for more incoming content. Alternatively, do leave us a comment so that we can update our post to rectify the errors on the Matilda set if any. Like the original model? Go ahead and show your interest by following m_bergman for more tanks and armoured fighting vehicles! The picture used to display the Matilda tank is merely for reference by Garage 434 and is the property of its unnamed owner. All written materials and blueprints for the Matilda mentioned in this post are sourced from Wikipedia, the Tank Encyclopedia, World of Tanks, Google Images, etc. This latest Matilda Mk.II (A12) is a minor remix from m_bergman's very own Matilda set (Do check him out!).