Cruiser Mk. II
Cruiser Mk. II
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[Client Values; Actual values in
3,100  Cost |
| 34072 HP Hit Points |
| 14.33/14.56.56/16.7 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Driver
- Radio Operator
- Loader
| 120150 hp Engine Power |
| 40/15 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3538 deg/s Traverse |
| 8.3722.87 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 30/26/3030/26/30 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 |
| 40/65/2349/71/23 mm Penetration |
|
20 r/m ▲
18.62 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Magazine-fed Gun |
|
900 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
381.6 Standard Gun ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
Magazine-fed Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Magazine-fed Gun |
|
0.4 m ▲
0.45 m With 50% Crew: 0.496 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.557 m |
| 1.9 s 2.4 s Aim time |
| 3436 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -15°/+20°-15°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 200240 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 290 m 300 m View Range |
| 350 m 350 m Signal Range |
II
3100
The Cruiser Mk. II is a British tier 2 light tank.
The A10 Cruiser Mk. II was a further development of the A9 modification designed by John Carden. The A10 had enhanced armor and no machinegun turrets. A prototype was built in July 1937 and adopted for service as a heavy cruiser tank. A total of 175 vehicles were ordered between 1938–1939, which were manufactured by September 1940. The vehicles saw combat in France (1940), Greece (1941) and North Africa (1941).
The drop to Tier II removed the Cruiser II's defining gun, the 3.7-inch Howitzer, and left it quite a bit weaker than before. However it still plays and feels like an up-armed and -armored version of the Cruiser I, with similar mobility to its pre-1.9 version.
The Cruiser Mk. II leads to the Cruiser Mk. III, and the Valentine.
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 (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | 40 mm Pom-Pom | 49/71/23 | 45/45/60 | 18.64 | 0.45 | 2.4 | 160 | 20000 | |
| I | QF 2-pdr Mk. IX prototype | 40/65/23 | 45/45/60 | 23.08 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 130 | 0 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Rolls-Royce Phantom | 120 | 20 | 340 | 0 | |
| II | AEC Type 179 | 150 | 20 | 360 | 1200 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A10 Mk. I | 14.5 | 35 | B/2 | 3000 | 330 | |
| II | A10 Mk. II | 16.7 | 38 | B/2 | 3000 | 610 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| III | WS No. 11 | 350 | 40 | 600 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 15 degrees of gun depression with both guns
- Massive ammo capacity, you'll never run out on either gun
- Decent armor can bounce many auto-cannons; very easy to angle
- Surprisingly good turning values on both hull and turret
Cons:
- Below average speed
- Armor doesn't hold up against most other guns
- No longer has the 3.7-inch Howitzer
Performance
Moved down to Tier II in Update 1.9, the Cruiser Mk. II no longer has the dreaded 3.7-inch Howitzer. It instead plays more or less identically to how the Cruiser Mk. I did at Tier II, with reduced DPM and gun handling but improved armor.
The Cruiser II now has two gun choices: the QF 2-pdr Mk. IX prototype and the 40mm Pom-Pom, both of which have their benefits and disadvantages. Armed with the 2-pdr gun the Cruiser II possesses a high rate of fire and decent shell penetration that can pen most same-tier tanks, though it will struggle with more heavily-armored vehicles such as the H35 and many Tier III's. The 2-pdr also boasts better accuracy and aiming speed than the 40mm Pom-Pom.
When armed with the 40mm Pom-Pom the Cruiser II is capable of dealing high burst damage in a short period of time at the expense of less accuracy, somewhat longer aiming time, and a lengthy magazine reload. The gun fires two bursts of two shells each, average total burst damage is 180. It is advised to accompany, or be accompanied by, a teammate who can prevent enemies from flanking you during your reload.
The tank has a top speed of 40kph -- just 3.2 lower than the average for Tier II lights, and comparable to the Ha-Go, MKA, and Panzers I and II. It struggles just a bit to climb hills but it can get to where it needs to go.
There is no premium UK light tank that can serve as a perfect crew trainer for the Cruiser II.
Early Research
- First, research the 40 mm Pom-Pom for a nice boost to penetration and DPM.
- Research the AEC Type 179 engine next.
- Research the second turret for a slight boost to aim time, DPM, and view range.
- Finally, research the A10 Mk. II suspension.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Development history
The A10 was developed by Sir John Carden of Vickers in 1934 by adaptation of his A9 design. The A10 specification called for armor of up to one inch standard (the A9 was 14mm); a speed of 10 mph was acceptable. The two sub-turrets present on the A9 were removed, and extra armor bolted onto that already present on the front and sides of the hull, along with all faces of the turret, providing approximately twice the armor in most areas. The A10 was two tonnes heavier than the A9, but used the same 150 bhp engine, and as a consequence the tank's top speed was cut from 25 to 16 mph.
The turret armament consisted of a QF 2-pounder (40mm) gun and a coaxial .303 Vickers machine gun. For the production version there was a 7.92mm BESA machine gun mounted in the hull in a barbette to the right of the driver. This was added to give extra firepower but at the expense of simplicity -- the Vickers and the BESA using different ammunition. The tank had a total crew of five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, and hull machine gunner), and there was no separation between the driver's compartment and the fighting compartments.
The prototype ("Tank, Experimental A10E1") was completed in 1936, a few months after the A9 prototype. Carden had died in an air crash in 1935 and development was slower than expected. In 1937 the A10 was dropped as an infantry support tank but in 1938 it was decided to produce it as a "heavy cruiser". The A10 was accepted for service -- initially as "Tank, Cruiser, Heavy Mk I" and then "Tank, Cruiser A10 Mk 1" and finally "Tank, Cruiser Mk II". Production was ordered in July 1938. Total production was 175 vehicles including the 30 CS versions (see below), 45 were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, 45 by Metropolitan-Cammell, and 10 by Vickers. In late 1939 another order was placed with Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, this time it was a larger order of 75 vehicles. It entered service in December 1939, but was something of an oddity -- it had been intended to sacrifice speed for armor like an Infantry tank, but was still relatively poorly armored, and was, as a result, not effective.
Combat history
A number of Mark II's were part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France in the early stages of World War II. Their cross country performance was recorded as poor, but they were still used later in North Africa at the defense of Tobruk in 1941, where reliability and suspension performance in the desert conditions was praised. Sixty worn out examples were taken to Greece by the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and, although they performed well against the German tanks, over 90% were lost due to mechanical breakdowns as opposed to enemy action (mainly tracks).
Variants
Cruiser Mk II (A10 Mk I)
Classified as a 'heavy cruiser' and 31 were sent to France with the 1st Armored Division, but performed poorly in the following campaign. Also served in the North African Campaign until late in 1941.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IIA (A10 Mk IA)
The coaxial Vickers machine guns were replaced with BESA machine guns. Armored radio housing added.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IIA CS (A10 Mk IA CS)
Had a 3.7" (94mm) howitzer in the turret instead of the 2-pdr. The standard ammunition load was 40 rounds smoke and a few HE shells. The CS denotes Close Support. This weapon was derived from a World War I field howitzer. It was not related to the 3-inch howitzer used in later British tanks in World War II, which was itself replaced by a 95mm howitzer in the later versions of the Churchill infantry tanks and all CS versions of the Centaur and Cromwell cruiser tanks. British doctrine was that the CS tank was to provide smoke cover in advances or retreats and hence many more smoke rounds were carried than HE.
Historical Gallery
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Historical Accuracy Errata
- The 40mm Pom-Pom gun configuration is fake. The Pom-Pom was an anti-aircraft naval gun
- Historical smoke shells for the 3.7-inch howitzer are missing
- Smoke dischargers are visible on the turret's right side but there is no option to use them
