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The creation of Valentines tanks destined for use by the Soviet Union was a part of a campaign known as Aid to Russia Fund, headed by Clementine Churchill and heavily supported by the Communist Party of Great Britain.
- Genesis: A Cruiser with Increased Protection
- Development
- Design
- Production: The Mk.I
- The Mk.II
- The Mark III and The Three-Man Turret
- Mark.IV and V and Their Us Engines
- The Canadian Valentines: Mark Vi and VII
- The Up-Gunned Valentines: Mark Viii, IX and X
- The Last Valentine: The Elite Mark Xi
The British tank doctrine split tanks into Light Tanks, used for reconnaissance, Cruiser tanks, fast and well armed, meant to act as the cavalry of old, and Infantry tanks, slow and heavy, meant to support the infantry. The A.11 Infantry Tank Mk.Iand A.12 Matilda belonged to the latter category. The development of another Infantry tank, which would...
Basically, the Valentine’s lower part was almost identical to the A.9/A.10 Cruiser tank designs. The engine was also the same, as well as the transmission, drivetrain, steering, tracks, and roadwheels, but the upper hull was lowered, and the specially designed turret was more compact and also lowered. This resulted in a compact, if somewhat cramped...
The general layout was straightforward, with a clear compartmentalization in three sections, the driver, fighting and engine compartments. The transmission was short, directly connected to the drive sprockets at the rear, keeping the hull as low as possible. The driver was located at the front center, along with all the steering levers and clutches...
The Mark I set the tone for the entire series of eleven main variants, with many sub-variants, and a staggering total of 8300 units. The main armament and turret design, as well as the engine and protection, were continuously improved while keeping roughly the same general appearance until 1945. The Mk.I was recognizable by its original two-man tur...
This version appeared in 1941 and twice as many were completed (700 for some sources, but for Osprey publuishing this was 1,511 Mk.II’s were built with 350 being built by Vickers, 494 by Metropolitan Cammell, and 667 being built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company). By June, the “Valentine” designation was made official. This version had...
The Valentine III appeared in late 1941 and was one of the most produced versions of the entire series. The great improvement came with a completely redesigned turret, with a new internal mantlet and an enlarged turret basket, giving the much needed extra room to accommodate a loader to operate the gun, freeing the commander for other tasks. As a c...
The shortage of British-built engines led to the adoption of US-built GMC (General Motors) engines instead for the Valentine. The Mark IV was based on the Mark II, but was equipped with a 138 hp GMC 6004 diesel coupled with an American transmission. Reliability, fewer vibrations and less noise were the results of these process, which were precious ...
Both these versions were derived from the Mark IV and were two-man turret models, but with many modifications. The production line was set up in 1941 and entered full swing in 1942. These vehicles had more US and Canadian built parts, and the Besa coaxial MG was replaced by a Browning cal.303 (after the 15th delivered). The nose glacis was modified...
Since the 2-pounder was found inadequate against the main German tanks of 1942, Vickers engineers worked frantically on a way to adapt the much more massive, long-barrel 6-pounder (57 mm/2.24 in) into the cramped Mark III turret. They succeeded, but at the expense of the coaxial Besa machine-gun. The Mark VIII received the British AEC A190 diesel, ...
In 1944, when this model, only produced in small numbers, appeared, they were only given to unit commanders. The Mk.XI had the Mark III three-man turret, and received the long-barrel ROQF 75 mm (2.95 in) gun, basically a 6-pounder (57 mm/2.24 in) rebored to 75 mm (2.95 in). It was also equipped with the latest and most powerful version of the US GM...
- 3 (commander, driver, gunner)
- AEC A190 diesel, 160 hp
- 17.9 x 8.7 x 7.5 ft (5.41 x 2.62 x 2.27 m)
- 16 long tons (17 short tons)
Valentine Tank Mk VIIA, no. 838, built May 1943, was a Lend-Lease tank shipped to the Soviet Union. It fell through the ice of a boggy river near Telepyne, Ukraine (Russian: Telepino), during a Soviet counter-offensive on 25 January 1944.
- 1938
- yes
- yes
- Vickers-Armstrongs and others
Mar 13, 2016 · The Infantry Tank Mk.III, or Valentine, was the most produced British tank of WWII. However, the British themselves actively used Valentines from 1941 to the first half of 1943. The Soviet Union, who received almost half of these tanks, used them much more actively.
Aug 12, 2003 · The Soviets have tended to denigrate the quality of the tanks sent through Lend-Lease (with the exception of the Sherman) and the overall importance of these supplies. Yet when the British wished to discontinue production of the Valentine, they kept the lines going strictly for the benefit of the Soviets. Why?
Sep 13, 2013 · A Valentine tank that fought in the Battle of Moscow, likely as a part of the 137th ITB. Photograph published in the Red Star newspaper on November 22nd, 1941. Good firepower, especially when the mortar is used with domestic 50 mm rounds, which have a 200-250 meters greater range than English ones.
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This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation; from their first use after World War I, into the interwar period, during World War II, the Cold War and modern era.
