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Britain
Cruiser Mk IV (A13 Mk II)
Ordnance classification - A13

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The Cruiser Mk IV was designed in 1937, manufactured by Nuffield Mechanisations & Aero, Limited and was in use from 1938 to 1941.

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Photo of Cruiser Mk IV (A13 Mk II)

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1938 - 1941
Ordnance classificationA13
Quantity Produced225
Weight14.75 tonne
Crew4
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length6.08 mtr
Width2.56 mtr
Height2.62 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed30 mph
Max Cross Country Speed16 mph
Range Road90 miles
Range Cross Country36 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacity120 gal
Horse Power340 hp
Power/Weight23 hp/tonne
General Information
The Cruiser Mk IV was designed in 1937, manufactured by Nuffield Mechanisations & Aero, Limited and was in use from 1938 to 1941.

The vehicle was powered by Nuffield 'Liberty' petrol powerplant producing 340 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 30 mph with a range of about 90 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 16 mph and a range of about 36 miles.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 2pdr which could penetrate 67 mm of flat plate at 200 metres

This was the first British tank to use the Christie type of suspension

Armour Details
Turret
Front14mm@20°(15mm)
Side12mm@20°(13mm)
Rear14mm@20°(15mm)
Top4mm@90°(4mm)
Superstructure
Front14mm@45°(20mm)
Side10mm@(10mm)
Rear10mm@(10mm)
Top5mm@90°(5mm)
Hull
Front14mm@30°(16mm)
Side10mm@(10mm)
Rear10mm@(10mm)
Top5mm@90°(5mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 20 mm - Minimum 5 mm



Weapon Details
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BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm
(Machine Gun)
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photo of BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm from Wikipedia
History
Developed by BSA from the Czechoslovak ZB vz.53 heavy machine gun which used the German 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition. It was mostly used as the main armament of the Light Tank Mk VIC and Armoured cars such as the Humber Mk I to Mk III.

This 7.92mm gun was used in the armoured divisions as their supply lines were separated from the infantry who used .303 bullets. Once the British started capturing German ammunition this could be immediately used in these tank machine guns.
Manufactured1939 - 1966
Calibre7.92mm
LengthL/93
Rate of Fire450 rpm
Number of Rounds 3750
 
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
Cartridge SA, 7.92
(AP Standard Small Arms)
7.92mm 0.011Kg 785M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 11mm @ 1000mtr/0°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.16 0.37 1.1
Penetration(mm@30°) 10 8 5
Penetration(mm@0°) 12 10 6
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98


 
Cartridge SA, 7.92
(BALL Standard Small Arms)
7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.15
Penetration(mm@30°) 2
Penetration(mm@0°) 3
Hit Probability(%) 98


Weapon Details
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Ordnance Q.F. 2pdr
(Anti Tank Gun)
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photo of Ordnance Q.F. 2pdr from Wikipedia
History
Used both as an Anti Tank gun and as a Tank gun the 2pdr was first used in Belgium in 1939. The majority of the British guns were captured by the Germans at Dunkirk. However the 2pdr manufacture was continued but was slowly replaced by the 6pdr from 1942.
Manufactured1936 - 1944
Calibre40mm
LengthL/50
Rate of Fire22 rpm
Number of Rounds 87
 
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
AP/T Mk I
(AP Armor Piercing)
40mm 1.08Kg 792M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 53mm@455m
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.56 1.26 2.17 3.37 5.06 7.58
Penetration(mm@30°) 64 58 51 41 33 25 19 13
Penetration(mm@0°) 74 67 59 48 39 30 22 16
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 93 60 25 6 2



HE/T Mk II after 1942
(HE High Explosive)
40mm 0.86Kg 792M/Sec 0.085Kg explosive
Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.56 1.26 2.17 3.37 5.06 7.59
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.56 1.26 2.17 3.37 5.06 7.59
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 93 60 25 6 2
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill1 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill3 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill9 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr0 mm
An explosion within 1 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 9 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties.
The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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