Valentine tank

Tank, Infantry, Valentine, Mk I - XI
Valentine II at Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia
Type	Infantry tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1940–45
Used by	British Army, Red Army
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Vickers-Armstrongs
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Vickers-Armstrongs and others
Produced	1940–44
Number built	8,275 (6,855 built in UK and 1,420 in Canada)
Specifications
Weight	about 16 long tons (16-17 tonnes)
Length	hull: 17 feet 9 inches (5.41 m)
Width	8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m)
Height	7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m)
Crew	Mk I,II, IV, VI - XI: 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) Mk III, V: 4 (+ loader)
Armour	8-65 mm
Main armament	Mk I-VII: QF 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk VIII-X: QF 6-pounder (57 mm) Mk XI: QF 75 mm
Secondary armament	Mk I-VII, X, XI: 7.92 mm BESA machine gun
Engine	Mk I: AEC A189 petrol Mk II, III, VI: AEC A190 diesel Mk IV, V, VII-XI: GMC 6004 diesel 131–210 hp (97–157 kW)
Suspension	coil sprung three-wheel bogies
Operational range	90 mi (140 km)
Speed	15 miles per hour (24 km/h)

The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in 11 different marks plus various purpose-built variants, accounting for approximately a quarter of wartime British tank production. Over its lifetime it went from a riveted construction to entirely welded, and from a petrol powerplant to a two stroke diesel engine produced by GMC which was less likely to catch fire. It was supplied to the USSR and built under license in Canada. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be both strong and reliable.

Name

There are several proposed explanations for the name Valentine. According to the most popular one the design was presented to the War Office on St. Valentine's Day, 14 February 1940, although some sources say that the design was submitted on 10 February. According to another version the tank was called Valentine in honour of Sir John Valentine Carden, the man who led the development of the A10 and many other Vickers vehicles, who had died three years before. Another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & (Newcastle-upon) Tyne. The "most prosaic" is that it was just an inhouse codeword of Vickers with no other significance.

History

Based on the A10 Cruiser tank, the Valentine was privately designed by Vickers-Armstrongs (hence its lack of a General Staff "A" designation) and was submitted to the War Office on 10 February 1938. The development team tried to match the lower weight of a cruiser tank - allowing the suspension and transmission parts of the A10 heavy cruiser to be used - with the greater armour of an infantry tank. The result is a very compact vehicle with a cramped interior and two-man turret. Its armour was weaker than the Infantry Tank II Matilda but, due to a weaker engine, the lighter tank had the same top speed; however, the new design was easier to produce and much less expensive.

The War Office was initially deterred by the size of the turret since they considered a turret crew of three necessary to free the vehicle commander from direct involvement in operating the gun. Concerned by the situation in Europe, however, it finally approved the design in April 1939. The vehicle reached trials in May 1940, which coincided with the loss of much of Britain's materiel in France during the evacuation at Dunkirk. The trials were successful and the vehicle was rushed into production as Infantry Tank III Valentine; no pilot models were required as much of the mechanics had been proven on the A10, and it entered service from July 1940.

The first Valentines used a petrol engine with conventional steering. The Mark II used a diesel version of the engine and the Mark IV a GMC diesel; these were the majority of those used in the desert campaigns. Improved tracks were added and the No. 19 Wireless replaced the No. 11.

The Valentine remained in production until April 1944, becoming Britain's most-produced tank during the war with 6,855 units manufactured in the UK (by Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon), and a further 1,420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2,394 of the British models being sent and 1,388 of the Canadian Pacific built models, and the remaining 30 being kept for training.

Combat history

A Valentine in North Africa, carrying infantry from a Scottish regiment

The tank first served in Operation Crusader in the North African desert, when it began to replace the Matilda Tank. It was extensively used in the North African Campaign, earning a reputation as a reliable and well-protected vehicle. The Valentine shared the common weakness of the British tanks of the period: its 2-pounder gun lacked high-explosive (anti-personnel) capability, and soon became outdated as an anti-tank weapon too. The small size of the turret and of the turret ring made mounting larger guns a difficult task. Although versions with the 6-pounder and then with the Ordnance QF 75 mm gun were developed, by the time they were available in significant numbers better tanks had reached the battlefield. Another weakness was the small crew compartment and the turret for only two men. A larger turret with a loader position added was used in some of the 2-pounder versions, but the position had to be removed again in variants with larger guns.

By 1944 the Valentine had been almost completely replaced in front-line units of the European Theatre by the Infantry Tank IV Churchill and the US-made Sherman. In the Pacific the tank was employed in limited numbers at least until May 1945. It was used in New Zealand service, some with the main armament replaced by the 3 inch howitzer taken from Australian Matilda CS tanks,^{[citation needed]} on the Solomons in 1943.

In Soviet service the Valentine was used from the Battle of Moscow until the end of the war. Although criticized for its low speed and weak gun, the Valentine was liked due to its small size, reliability, and generally good armour protection.

Variants

Development path of Valentine tank

Valentine I (Tank, Infantry, Mk III)

(350 units produced)

The first model of the Valentine, it was not sent out due to problems from rushed production. The tank had riveted hull, was powered by AEC A189 135 hp petrol engine and equipped with a 2 pdr. gun and a coaxial Besa machine gun. Its two-man turret forced the commander to also act as the gun-loader.

Valentine II.

Valentine II (Tank, Infantry, Mk III*)

(700)

This model used AEC A190 131 hp diesel engine. In order to increase its range, an auxiliary external fuel tank was installed to the left of the engine compartment.

Valentine III. Note a different turret.

Valentine III

A larger turret was installed, allowing the addition of a dedicated loader to ease the duties of the commander. The side armour was reduced from 60 mm to 50 mm to save weight.

Valentine IV

A Mark II using an American 138 hp GMC 6004 diesel engine and US-made transmission. Though it had slightly shorter range, it was quieter and more reliable.

Valentine V

Valentine III with the GMC 6004 diesel engine and US-made transmission.

Valentine VI

Canadian-built version of IV. It used some Canadian and American mechanical parts. Late production vehicles had cast glacis detail. First few produced with a 7.92 mm Besa coaxial machinegun, soon replaced by a 0.30 inch Browning coaxial machinegun.

Valentine VII

Another Canadian version, it was essentially the VI with internal changes and a different radio set.

Valentine VIIA

Mark VII with jettisonable fuel tanks, new studded tracks, and protected headlights.

Valentine IX

A V upgraded to the 6 pdr gun. Similar armour reduction as the VIII. On late production units an upgraded, 165 hp version of the GMC 6004 diesel was installed, somewhat improving mobility.

Valentine X

A new turret design and 165 hp engine. A Besa coaxial machinegun was fitted again. Welded construction.

Valentine XI

An X upgraded with the OQF 75 mm gun and 210 hp version of the GMC 6004 diesel. Welded construction. Only served as a command tank.

Valentine DD

Valentine Mk V, IX and Mk XI, made amphibious by the use of Nicholas Straussler's Duplex Drive. Used by crews training for the M4 Sherman DD tanks of the Normandy Landings.

Valentine OP / Command

Observation Post and command version with extra radios. To give more space inside, the gun was replaced with a dummy.

Valentine CDL

A continuation of the Canal Defence Light experiments. The conventional turret was replaced with one containing a searchlight.

Valentine Scorpion II

Mine exploder, turretless with flail attachment. Never used operationally.

Valentine AMRA Mk Ib

Mine exploder with Armoured Mine Roller Attachment. Never used operationally.

Valentine Snake

Mine exploder, using Snake mine clearing equipment. Few used operationally.

Valentine Bridgelayer

An armoured bridgelaying vehicle; a turretless Mk II fitted with 34 ft x 9.5 ft Class 30 scissors bridge. Several dozen were produced, some of them supplied to the USSR.

Valentine with 6pdr anti-tank mounting

Experimental vehicle built by Vickers-Armstrong to examine the possibility of producing a simple tank destroyer by mounting the 6pdr in its field carriage on the hull in place of the turret. Trials only, 1942.

Valentine Flamethrowers

Two Valentine tanks were modified to carry flamethrowers. These were tested by the Petroleum Warfare Department to determine which system was best for a tank-mounted flame projector. One used a projector ignited by cordite charges and one used a projector operated by gas pressure. The flamethrower fuel was carried in a trailer and the flame projector was mounted on the hull front. Trials started in 1942 and it showed that the gas-operated system was better. From this test installation was developed the Crocodile equipment for the Churchill Crocodile flamethrower used in the North West Europe campaign in 1944-45.

Valentine 7.92in flame mortar

Experimental vehicle with turret replaced by fixed heavy mortar intended to fire 25 lb TNT incendiary shells to demolish concrete emplacements. Trials only by Petroleum Warfare Dept, 1943-45. Effective range was 400 yards (maximum range 2,000 yards).

• Specialist and Experimental Variants
• 

  Valentine flamethrower (gas-operated equipment)

• 

  Valentine flamethrower (cordite-operated equipment)

• 

  Flame mortar fitted to Valentine tank chassis, firing phosphorus bombs

• 

  Valentine DD tank with screen lowered, 1944

• 

  Valentine with AMRA

• 

  Valentine Scorpion

Operators

• Australia
• Canada built 1420 tanks, 30 were left in Canada for training purposes the rest were sent to the Soviet Union
• New Zealand
• Portugal
• Romania four Mk III (captured from the Red Army) were used for testing and anti-tank training
• Soviet Union through Lend-Lease received 2394 British built and 1390 Canadian built tanks
• United Kingdom

Vehicles based on chassis

• SP 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer
• Carrier, Valentine, 25pdr gun Mk I, Bishop
• Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38)

Surviving tanks

Tank no 838 at the Canadian War Museum

Valentine Bridgelayer (without bridge) Overloon War Museum, 1987

Around 40 Valentine tanks, and vehicles based on the Valentine chassis, survive. Tanks in running condition are at the Bovington Tank Museum, and in private hands in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Other examples are displayed at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in the UK; the Royal Military Museum in Brussels, Belgium; the Musée des Blindés, Saumur, France and the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia. In the United States, the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation and the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles both own Valentines. Other examples are at the South African National Museum of Military History and the Indian Armoured Corps Museum in Ahmednagar Fort, Ahmednagar.

A number of Valentine hulls are in private ownership in Australia. These were sent there after the war for use as agricultural vehicles.

Two Canadian-built Valentines survive. 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 Telepino (Telepyne, Ukraine), during a Soviet counter-offensive on January 25, 1944. In 1990 a 74-year old villager helped locate the tank, and it was recovered and offered as a Glasnost-era gift to Canada. It was presented to the Canadian War Museum by independent Ukraine in 1992, and stands on display in the LeBreton Gallery. An additional Valentine Built by Canadian Pacific resides at the Base Borden Museum in Barrie, On.

A notable survivor is the only intact DD Valentine, this has been restored to running condition and is in private ownership in the United Kingdom. A number of DD Valentines that sank during training still lie off the British coast; several have been located and are regularly visited by recreational divers. This includes two in the Moray Firth in Scotland and two that lie 3.5 miles (5.6 km) out of Poole Bay in Dorset. These tanks lie 100 metres apart in 15 metres (49 ft) of water. A further tank is known to lie in around 10 metres of water in Bracklesham Bay, south of Chichester in West Sussex; the hull and turret are clearly recognizable as it sits on a gravel mound.

See also

• Vickers Tank Periscope MK.IV

References

• M. Baryatinskiy - Valentine Infantry Tank, Modelist-Konstruktor, Bronekollektsiya 05-2002 (М. Барятинский - Пехотный танк Валентайн, Моделист-Конструктор, Бронеколлекция 05-2002).
• Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis - British and American Tanks of World War Two 2004.
• Fletcher, David - The Great Tank Scandal: British Armour in the Second World War Part 1 1989 HMSO
• Fletcher, David - Universal Tank: British Armour in the Second World War Part 2 1989 HMSO

External links

• Valentine production and performance data
• WWII Vehicles website about the Valentine
• OnWar (Valentine II)
• Valentines in New Zealand, Pacific Islands
• Photo galleries at ww2photo.mimerswell.com: Valentine, Specialist variants

	British Commonwealth armoured fighting vehicles of World War II

British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II