Valiant tank
Encyclopedia
The Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38) was a British
tank design of the Second World War that only reached the prototype stage. The design was so infamously bad that the sole example was retained by the School of Tank Technology post-war as a dire lesson to its students.
The design brief of December 1943 called for three prototypes of a small, heavily armoured tank for the Far East. Speed across open country was less important, as was performance against armour. At first Vickers
were involved, but they soon passed it to Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon
, then finally Ruston & Hornsby, who built the single boilerplate prototype in 1944. Vickers' original intention may have been to use parts of their Valentine
where possible, but this did not survive the production choices of the other manufacturers, nor was the running gear of the far lighter Valentine compatible with the needs of such heavy armour. The largest point of commonality was the choice of engine, the 210 bhp General Motors 6004 two-stroke diesel, as used in later marks of Valentine.
, of large cast armour pieces bolted together. Suspension was by six equally-sized wheels on each side, with independent wishbone suspension units for each, rather than bogies. Concern was expressed as to the fragility of these units in combat, but Valiant was never taken seriously off-road to test them. Drive was to the rear, from a single 210 bhp diesel. This low power limited the tank to a predicted top speed of 12 mph, although this was still acceptable to both the infantry tank
and assault tank concepts.
models, the turret was to accept either the 6 pdr
or the 75 mm
, whilst still having space for a turret crew of 3 (commander, gunner, loader). This was achieved at the cost of a large heavy turret with near-vertical faces and a massive cast front face with distinctively prominent bolts. The mantlet was internal and a weak point against accurate fire at close range. Another weakness of the up-gunned Valentine was avoided by retaining a co-axial machine-gun, although the single driver position didn't allow for a bow machine gun.
, in May 1945. The first day gave minor problems and was abandoned after a mere 13 miles of easy on-road driving. However the driver was already exhausted by this time: finding that the steering levers needed his full weight to actuate and the seat, footbrake and gearlever all carried risk of physical injury in using them. The Officer in Charge decided to abandon the trials there and then as it was impossible and unsafe to continue and, "in his view the entire project should be closed". And so it was.
The Heavy Valiant was a substantially different vehicle, merely using the turret (although up-armoured) and driver's compartment of Valiant on a hull derived from the A33 Excelsior and its T1 suspension, but with armour of 9 (hull front) and 10 inches (turret) thickness. Weight was now estimated at 42 tons, which is comparable with the original Excelsior despite almost doubling the armour thickness, and so this must have been a much smaller tank. Power was doubled to cope with the weight, using the new and compact 400 bhp Rolls Royce Meteorite engine (a cut-down V8 Meteor) and an improved transmission. The mistake of the Valentine was to be repeated, where the turret was up-gunned to the 95mm howitzer
of the Centaur IV at the cost of forcing the commander to take over the loader's task in a two-man turret. There is a record of a prototype having gone to the ranges at Lulworth Cove
for trials in January 1945, but no other record of what it looked like.
The Valiant can now be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tank design of the Second World War that only reached the prototype stage. The design was so infamously bad that the sole example was retained by the School of Tank Technology post-war as a dire lesson to its students.
Origins
The A38 Valiant began as a candidate for an assault tank, with the thickest armour on the lowest possible weight for use in the Far East. It was to be similar in intention to the A33 Excelsior, but far lighter than its 40 tons. As the Valiant managed the same 114mm frontal armour with only 27 tons, it managed to achieve its primary goal, but only by making unacceptable compromises elsewhere. At a time when British tank design was already at its nadir, this "terrible price for the weight concession" coupled with the wartime exigency of passing tank design work to any heavy-engineering firm despite a lack of AFV design experience, led to what is probably the worst British tank of the war.The design brief of December 1943 called for three prototypes of a small, heavily armoured tank for the Far East. Speed across open country was less important, as was performance against armour. At first Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
were involved, but they soon passed it to Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon
Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a railway locomotive and carriage builder, founded in Birmingham, England and, for most of its existence, located at nearby Smethwick, with the factory was divided by the boundary between the two places...
, then finally Ruston & Hornsby, who built the single boilerplate prototype in 1944. Vickers' original intention may have been to use parts of their Valentine
Valentine tank
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...
where possible, but this did not survive the production choices of the other manufacturers, nor was the running gear of the far lighter Valentine compatible with the needs of such heavy armour. The largest point of commonality was the choice of engine, the 210 bhp General Motors 6004 two-stroke diesel, as used in later marks of Valentine.
General construction
Construction was like the MatildaMatilda tank
The Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12....
, of large cast armour pieces bolted together. Suspension was by six equally-sized wheels on each side, with independent wishbone suspension units for each, rather than bogies. Concern was expressed as to the fragility of these units in combat, but Valiant was never taken seriously off-road to test them. Drive was to the rear, from a single 210 bhp diesel. This low power limited the tank to a predicted top speed of 12 mph, although this was still acceptable to both the infantry tank
Infantry tank
The infantry tank was a concept developed by the British and French in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack. To achieve this they were generally heavily armoured compared to the cruiser tanks, to allow them to operate in...
and assault tank concepts.
Armament
Following from the later Valentine VIII & XIValentine tank
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...
models, the turret was to accept either the 6 pdr
Ordnance QF 6 pounder
The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6 pounder, was a British 57 mm gun, their primary anti-tank gun during the middle of World War II, as well as the main armament for a number of armoured fighting vehicles...
or the 75 mm
Ordnance QF 75 mm
The Ordnance QF 75 mm, abbreviated to OQF 75 mm, was a British tank-gun of the Second World War. It was used instead of the Ordnance QF 6 pounder , an anti-tank gun, to give better performance against infantry targets in a similar fashion to the 75 mm gun fitted to the American...
, whilst still having space for a turret crew of 3 (commander, gunner, loader). This was achieved at the cost of a large heavy turret with near-vertical faces and a massive cast front face with distinctively prominent bolts. The mantlet was internal and a weak point against accurate fire at close range. Another weakness of the up-gunned Valentine was avoided by retaining a co-axial machine-gun, although the single driver position didn't allow for a bow machine gun.
On trial
Valiant's moment of glory was a trial of its suspension by the Fighting Vehicle Proving Establishment at ChertseyChertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
, in May 1945. The first day gave minor problems and was abandoned after a mere 13 miles of easy on-road driving. However the driver was already exhausted by this time: finding that the steering levers needed his full weight to actuate and the seat, footbrake and gearlever all carried risk of physical injury in using them. The Officer in Charge decided to abandon the trials there and then as it was impossible and unsafe to continue and, "in his view the entire project should be closed". And so it was.
Variants
A Valiant II was mentioned in late 1943, but little more was heard of it. In February 1944 there was more detailed discussion of a Heavy Valiant, which may have been the same and has been reported as such in some sources.The Heavy Valiant was a substantially different vehicle, merely using the turret (although up-armoured) and driver's compartment of Valiant on a hull derived from the A33 Excelsior and its T1 suspension, but with armour of 9 (hull front) and 10 inches (turret) thickness. Weight was now estimated at 42 tons, which is comparable with the original Excelsior despite almost doubling the armour thickness, and so this must have been a much smaller tank. Power was doubled to cope with the weight, using the new and compact 400 bhp Rolls Royce Meteorite engine (a cut-down V8 Meteor) and an improved transmission. The mistake of the Valentine was to be repeated, where the turret was up-gunned to the 95mm howitzer
Ordnance QF 95 mm Howitzer
The Ordnance QF 95-mm Howitzer was a British Howitzer built in two versions during the Second World War. The Tank Howitzer version was accepted for service use, but an Infantry Howitzer version was not accepted for service use.-Design and development:...
of the Centaur IV at the cost of forcing the commander to take over the loader's task in a two-man turret. There is a record of a prototype having gone to the ranges at Lulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a tourist location with over 1 million visitors a year...
for trials in January 1945, but no other record of what it looked like.
Survival post-war
The sole Valiant was retained by the School of Tank Technology, where students were treated to an inspection of it at the end of their course and invited to find fault. "One hopes they started early in the morning."The Valiant can now be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum
Bovington Tank Museum
The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the United Kingdom that traces the history of the tank. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the second-largest collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the world.The Musée des Blindés in France...
.