Valentine I, Infantry Tank Mk III

The Valentine I, Infantry Tank Mk III, was the only version of the Valentine tank to use a petrol engine, and was armed with the standard 2-pounder gun of early war British tanks.

The Valentine I was powered by a 135hp A.E.C. 6-cylinder gasoline engine, as also used in the A10 heavy cruiser tank. It had a two man turret and was armed with the 2-pounder anti-tank gun and a coaxial 7.92mm Besa machine gun. In the two man turret the commander also acted as the loader.

The Mk I was produced in 1940 and a total of 350 were built. It didn't officially gain the Valentine I designation until June 1941.

Names
Valentine Mk I
Infantry Tank Mk III

Stats
Production:  350
Hull Length: 5m 41cm/ 17ft 9in
Hull Width: 2m 63cm/ 8ft 7.5in
Height: 2m 27cm/ 7ft 5.5in
Crew: 3
Weight: 15,700kg/ 15.4 tons
Engine: 135hp AEC A 159
Max Speed on road: 24km/h/ 15mph
Max Speed off road: 18km/h / 11mph
Max Range: 112km/ 70miles on road
Armament: OQF 2pdr Mk IX, Besa

Armour
Turret front: 65mm
Turret sides: 60mm
Nose: 60mm at 21 degrees
Glacis plate: 30mm at 68 degrees
Hull sides: 60mm vertical

Valentine Infantry Tank 1938-45, Bruce Oliver Newsome. Looks at the most numerous British tank of the Second World War, but one that only saw limited combat service, mainly in North Africa. Notable for the amount of information packed into a series of tables, including specifications and identifying features of the many versions of the Valentine, as well as the interesting material on the interior of the tank, how it was driven, and on the many special variants such as the Archer self -propelled gun, which carried its main gun pointing backwards. [read full review]
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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (7 May 2015), Valentine I, Infantry Tank Mk III, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_valentine_I.html

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