A13 Cruiser Mk IVA (Desert)

British Cruiser tanks were designed, as their naval title implied, to be able to maneuver around the battlefield, operating completely independent of the infantry, who had their own tanks to support them.

With their speed, Cruiser Squadrons could quickly react to opportunities present in battle and punch through gaps in the enemy’s lines. In many ways their tactical doctrine represented the glory days of the British heavy cavalry, and hence their design emphasized speed over armor.

These decisions meant that British tankers bravely went into battle knowing that they were fighting better armored opponents. Initially A9 Cruiser tanks built before the war made up the bulk of the armored regiments, but newer A10 and A13 Cruiser tanks eventually replaced them. The A13 Mk IVA was one of these replacements.

The A13 Mk IVA was in essence a uparmored version of the A13 Cruiser Mk II. The A13 Mk IV enjoyed a maximum of 30mm of armor without any drop in performance despite the weight of the tank increasing by my than 1,200lbs. This was due to the outstanding power-to-weight ratio of the basic design.

Much of the extra armor was added to the nose, glacis and turret front of the vehicle. It also featured the distinctive V-shaped armor plate on the side of the turret which provided the spaced armor effect that was utilized in many later German designs.

The Mk IVA designation was give to the later production vehicles which had the Vickers co-axial machine-gun replaced by a Besa version. There was also a CS version produced; the 2pdr gun was replaced by a 3.7” mortar.