Cruiser Mk. II
Revision as of 14:26, 4 December 2012 | Revision as of 14:30, 4 December 2012 | |||
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image:A10 Cruiser Mark II 1.jpg{{!}}The A10 Cruiser Mark II, Front View | image:A10 Cruiser Mark II 1.jpg{{!}}The A10 Cruiser Mark II, Front View | |||
image:A10 Cruiser Mark II 2.jpg{{!}}The A10 Cruiser Mark II, Side View | image:A10 Cruiser Mark II 2.jpg{{!}}The A10 Cruiser Mark II, Side View | |||
+ | image:A10 Cruiser Mark II 2.jpg{{!}}The A10 Cruiser Mark II, Side View | |||
+ | image:British_Cruiser_Tank_MkIIA_CS_(close_support).jpg{{!}}A10 MkIA CS at Bovington Tank Museum | |||
+ | image:A_British_Cruiser_Mk_II_disabled_by_having_lost_a_track_(seen_lower_right)_in_Greece,_1941.jpg{{!}}Greece, 1941 | |||
|Ref_references= | |Ref_references= |
Revision as of 14:30, 4 December 2012
Cruiser Mk. II
Mouse over "
[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 |
r/m ▲
20 r/m Standard Gun ▲
18.62 Rate of Fire Magazine-fed Gun |
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
900 Standard Gun ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
Magazine-fed Gun
▲
381.6 Damage Per Minute Magazine-fed Gun |
m ▲
0.4 m With 50% Crew: 0.496 m ▲
0.45 Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.557 m |
s 1.9 s 2.4 Aim time |
3436 deg/s Turret Traverse |
360° Gun Arc |
-15°/+20°-15°/+20° Elevation Arc |
200240 rounds Ammo Capacity |
2020 % Chance of Fire |
m 290 m 300 View Range |
m 350 m 350 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).
At the first glance, this tank appears quite similar to its predecessor, sporting mostly the same appearance and only a minor armor upgrade. It is one of the slowest Tier 3 tanks, as it gains some weight but keeps the Cruiser Mk. I's engine. The big difference to its predecessor and most other tanks is the 3,7-inch Howitzer which can kill most enemies with one shot. This combination of slowness and huge howitzer is comparable to the KV-2 and results in a quite similar play style.
The Cruiser Mk. II leads to the Cruiser Mk. III, and the Valentine.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
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 |
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 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Can use the devastating 3,7-inch Howitzer
Cons:
- Low accuracy with Pom Pom and Howitzer
- Slow like low tier French tanks
- Poor armor
- Low health
Performance
This tank excels in close combat, where it can one-shot kill most enemies it encounters. Don't try to fight in an open combat area, you will lose due to the howitzers low accuracy and extremely (even for a howitzer) low shell velocity. The enemy will literally be able to dodge your shells. You should always go for an urban area where you can force your enemies in close combat situations. You also should stay near your teammates, as you are quite vulnerable during the long reload time. Keep in mind that your aim time is much longer than your opponents' so that you will usually take a few shots before killing an enemy.
If you don't like close combat or howitzer play style, you should stay with the stock gun. Even if it's not as superior in Tier 3 as it was in Tier 2, it's still competitive.
Early Research
- The 40 mm Pom Pom gun, the AEC Type 179 engine, and the WS No. 9 radio carry over from the Cruiser Mk. I. Install the engine immediately. The others you may install if you wish.
- Research the upgraded suspension first.
- Next research the second turret.
- Now you can research the 3.7-inch Howitzer.
- Go from there.
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 armour of up to 1 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 armour bolted onto that already present on the front and sides of the hull, along with all faces of the turret, providing approximately twice the armour 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 mph 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 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, 10 byVickers. In late 1939 another order was placed with Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, this time it was a larger order of 75 vehicles. - entering service in December 1939, but was something of an oddity - it had been intended to sacrifice speed for armour like an Infantry tank, but was still relatively poorly armoured, and was, as a result, not effective.
Combat history
A number of Mark IIs 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 defence ofTobruk 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 Armoured Division, but performed poorly in the following campaign. Also served in the North African Campaignuntil late in 1941.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IIA (A10 Mk IA)
The coaxial Vickers machine guns were replaced with BESA machine guns. Armoured radio housing added.
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IIA CS (A10 Mk IA CS)
Had a 3.7" (94 mm) 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 3in 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