A13 Cruiser Mk III
In service 1939 - 1941
The tank that brought Christie suspension to Britain and began the line that ended with the Cromwell and Comet.
Built byNuffield Mechanizations and Aero
Photograph pending. No clearly licensed photograph of this vehicle was found.
Development history
After watching Christie-suspended Soviet BTs, the British bought a Christie hull through Nuffield and built the A13 around it. Long-travel coil-spring suspension and a 340 hp Liberty aero engine gave a cross-country speed no earlier British tank came near. Armour was still only 14 mm, corrected in the A13 Mk II, and the type fought in France and the desert before being replaced. Every British cruiser and cavalry tank to 1945 traces its running gear to this vehicle.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Cruiser Mk III (A13 Mk I)
1939First Christie-suspension British cruiser, 14 mm armour.
Cruiser Mk IV (A13 Mk II)
1939Armour increased to 30 mm with spaced turret cheeks; the version most used in the desert.
Notable actions
- Battle of France
- Western Desert