Cruiser Mk. I
Cruiser Mk. I
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[Client Values; Actual values in
0  Cost |
| 25551 HP Hit Points |
| 12.75/13.55.74/13.5 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Gunner
- Driver
- Radio Operator
- Loader
| 120120 hp Engine Power |
| 35/12 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3535 deg/s Traverse |
| 9.4120.91 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 14/12/1414/12/14 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
0/1200/15
30/800/15 Shell Cost |
| 45/45/6045/45/60 HP Damage |
| 40/65/2335/58/23 mm Penetration |
|
16.67 r/m ▲
17.92 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Magazine-fed Gun |
|
750.15 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
386.1 Standard Gun ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
Magazine-fed Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Magazine-fed Gun |
|
0.48 m ▲
0.52 m With 50% Crew: 0.595 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.644 m |
| 2.5 s 2.5 s Aim time |
| 3232 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -15°/+20°-15°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 120180 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 280 m 280 m View Range |
| 250 m 250 m Signal Range |
I
0
The Cruiser Mk. I is a British tier 1 light tank.
The first cruiser tank in the British arsenal. Development was started in 1934 by Vickers. A total of 125 vehicles were mass-produced from 1936 through 1937.
The first tank in the British tech tree as of 1.9, this combat tank is still a slow, lightly-armored, well-armed machine.
The Cruiser Mk. I leads to the Cruiser Mk. II.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | QF 2-pdr Mk. IX prototype | 40/65/23 | 45/45/60 | 16.67 | 0.48 | 2.5 | 130 | 0 | |
| II | 40 mm Pom-Pom prototype | 35/58/23 | 45/45/60 | 17.94 | 0.52 | 2.5 | 160 | 3000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Rolls-Royce Phantom | 120 | 20 | 340 | 0 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A9 Mk. I | 13.5 | 35 | B/2 | 3000 | 0 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| II | WS No. 14 | 250 | 40 | 0 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 180 damage clip potential with Pom-Pom prototype
- 15 degrees of gun depression
Cons:
- Slow
- Poor aim time, accuracy, and DPM with both guns
Performance
Despite being knocked down a tier, not much has changed for the Cruiser I. Everything has been scaled down to match its new tier, and it plays similarly to how it did in 1.8.
This tank is rather slow, with a top speed of only 35 km/h, and it is certainly not agile either. Combined with its weak armor, you will die quickly if caught in the open. While the stock gun is a standard Tier 1 single-shot gun, the tank improves quite a bit when you unlock the Pom-Pom prototype. With a clip potential of 180, you can two-clip every same-tier tank assuming all shots land, something that is otherwise only possible with the T1 Cunningham's top gun. In addition, while your armor is still nothing noteworthy and is unlikely to bounce anything, it fits much better with the other Tier 1 tanks.
Early Research
- As a Tier 1 vehicle, the 40mm Pom-Pom prototype gun is the only module available for research.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Cruiser, Mk I (A9) was a British cruiser tank of the interwar period. It was the first cruiser tank: a fast tank designed to bypass the main enemy lines and engage the enemy's lines of communication, along with enemy tanks. TheCruiser Mk II was a heavier armoured adaptation of the Mark I developed at much the same time.
Development history
In 1936 the British War Office designated two different kinds of tanks for future development: heavily armoured infantry tanksto be used in close co-operation with infantry during attacks, and fast mobile cruiser tanks designed to make forays deep into enemy territory. In 1934 Sir John Carden of Vickers-Armstrong was asked to provide a "reasonably cheap tank" as a replacement for some of the mediums then in use. The pilot model of his design was finished in 1936 and given the designation A9E1. It incorporated the best features of the earlier Mk III Light Tank, and was powered by a commercial petrol engine. However, this was still in the time of the Great depression and the tank had a number of cost-cutting measures applied. It was the first British tank to have a centrally located turret and to have powered traverse. The system was by Nash & Thompson and similar to that being introduced on the Vickers Wellington bomber aircraft. The armour was light with a maximum of 14 mm thickness, many armour faces were vertical, and there were numerous shot traps but it could achieve 25 mph and carried the new high velocity 2pdr gun.
The driver's compartment and the fighting compartments were not separated. As well as the turret armament, which consisted of a QF 2-pounder (40 mm) gun and a coaxial Vickers machine gun, there were two small turrets either side of the driver's compartment, each sporting one more machine-gun. Both these smaller turrets were permanently manned, which gave the tank a total crew of 6 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and two machine-gunners).The A9E1 was tested against other designs and -although lacking in some areas - in 1937 it was accepted as an interim design until a Christie suspension cruiser tank could be delivered. An order was placed for 125. Seventy-five were built byHarland and Wolff, and the other 50 were built by Vickers. Originally a Rolls-Royce car engine was used, but this proved underpowered and was replaced by an AEC bus engine.
The later Valentine Infantry tank essentially used the same lower hull and suspension, though with considerably more armour. The A9 weighed 12 tons, was 5.8 metres long, 2.65 metres high, 2.5 metres wide, and had a top speed of 25 mph on road and 15 mph off. Its maximum road range was 150 miles. The ammunition load was 100 2-pounder rounds and a total of 3,000 rounds for the three Vickers machine guns.
Combat history
The Mark I cruiser began to be delivered in January 1939. The Cruiser was an effective tank in the French, Greek and early North African campaigns. The 2 pdr gun was lethal against the early Italian tanks encountered during the North African campaign and could hold its own against Rommel's early Panzer IIs and IIIs. The A9's 2-pounder gun could also breach the 20 – 30 mm of protective steel on later opponents such as the Panzer III ausf D and the Panzer IVausf D variants. It was effective until the Germans introduced the more thickly armoured Panzer IV ausf E variant to the desert in Spring 1941. However, the minimal armour made the A9 an easy kill for most Axis anti-tank weapons. Also problematic was the lack of High Explosive shells for the 2 pdr gun and even worse the lack of AP for the 95 mm gun on the Close Support version. Another issue was that the areas around the front machine gun turrets created a frontal surface that was more vulnerable to enemy fire than it would have been had it been a flat plate, let alone a sloped glacis. The mechanical unreliability of the Cruiser was also a disadvantage. In particular, tracks were easily slewed causing difficulties.
Variants
Mark I (A9)’’
- Used by the 1st Armoured Division in the Battle of France (1940). Used by the 2nd and 7th Armoured Divisions in North Africa until 1941.
Mark I CS
- Had a 3.7 inch (94 mm) /L15 breech-loaded mortar instead of the 2-pounder gun. 40 rounds, mostly smoke, were carried.
Historical Gallery
Historical Accuracy Errata
Historical 3.7-inch Howitzer is missing. This variant was known as the Cruiser Mk I CS (Close Support).
- The 40 mm Pom-Pom gun configuration is fake.
