Vickers Carden Loyd Light Tank Model 1936

Vickers Carden Loyd Light Tank Model 1936, a photo by relex109.com on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Built for export to the Dutch East Indies
Following the First World War and experiments such as the Mechanised Force in England, tanks were seen as desirable weapons by many nations. Britain, in particular was seen as a leading nation in terms of tank design and use. Those nations that could not afford to create their own tanks had to buy from abroad and they were often looking for something light and relatively cheap. Light tanks, of the type used by the British Army were seen as ideal.

By law tanks supplied for export could not be fitted with equipment designed by British Government organisations, but this still left Vickers a lot of leeway. Light tanks similar to our exhibit were sold all around the world, to Argentina, Belgium, China and Finland among others. Some customers specified different weapons or radio equipment. Some adopted the style of camouflage shown on our exhibit while others had the tanks painted to conform with their normal practice. The precise number of light tanks sold abroad is not clear but it must have provided a substantial amount of income for Vickers in the thirties.

Our exhibit was one of a batch of tanks being build for the KNIL, the army of the Dutch East Indies, when war was declared in 1939. These were immediately taken over by the government and issued to the British Army as training tanks. They were given the official designation Light Tank Mark IIIB but were always known to the army as 'Dutchmen'. Recently photographs have come to light which show that two of these tanks, bearing British Army registration numbers, ended up in German hands. They appear to have been from a batch of three or four machines supplied to Greece at the time of the German Invasion.

Forty eight of these tanks were acquired from Vickers-Armstrongs and issued with War Department numbers T16658 to T16706.
Other Numbers

NumberType
3052Original Accession
1952.1014Original Entry
Main utility type

Light
Country of Use

U.K. (1936)

Production
Object Production

RoleAttributionDatePlaceNotes
Manufactured1936Vickers Armstrongs Ltd.United Kingdom
Era

Inter War
Nationality

British

Location
Current Location

BOVTM - B18B - Inter War Hall

Physical
Features

Part NameDescriptionNotes
Tracks/WheelsFull Tracked
Armament - Main Weapon TypeMachine Gun - .303 (76mm) Vickers Machine Gun
EngineMeadows, 6 cylinder, water cooled
Transmission5 Forward, 1 Reverse
SuspensionCoil spring
Dimensions

Part NameDimensionValueUnitPrecisionNotes
CrewNumber2
OverallWeight3.8tons
Speed - RoadMaximum65kph
FuelTypePetrol
Main GunCalibre.303in
Engine OutputPower90bhp@ 2800 rpm
FuelVolume104ltr
RangeRadius180km
Armour Thickness - HullMaximum9mm
OverallHeight1.9m
OverallLength3.6m
OverallWidth1.9m

Info From www.tankmuseum.org/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSS_=_IXMENU_%3dVehi...