Cruiser Mark III | |
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![]() Abandoned Cruiser Mark III in Calais, France | |
Type | Cruiser tank |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1938–1941 |
Used by | British Army |
Wars | Second World War |
Production history | |
Designer | Morris Commercial Cars[1] |
Designed | 1936–1937 |
Manufacturer | Nuffield Mechanisations & Aero, Limited |
Produced | 1938–1939 |
No. built | 65 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 14 Long tons (14.2 tonnes) |
Length | 19 ft 8 in (6.0 m)[2] |
Width | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)[1] |
Height | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)[1] |
Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
Armour | 6–14 mm |
Main armament | QF 2-pounder gun 87 rounds |
Secondary armament | .303 Vickers machine gun 3,750 rounds |
Engine | Nuffield Liberty V12 petrol 340 hp (250 kW) |
Suspension | Christie |
Operational range | 90 mi (140 km)[1] |
Maximum speed | 30 mph (48 km/h)[1] |
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, also known by its General Staff specification number A13 Mark I, was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system, which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance; previous cruiser tank models had used triple wheeled bogie suspension.