Valentine IX

The Valentine IX was the designation given to Mk Vs that were upgunned to carry a 6-pounder anti-tank gun. The original Mk V had been given a larger three-man turret, but retained the 2-pounder gun. The new turret had enough space to carry the more powerful 6-pounder gun, but only the coaxial machine gun and the third crewman had to be removed. There was also only space for 53 6-pounder shells, compared to 60-62 2-pounder shells in earlier marks.

The Mk VIII used the shorter 6-pounder Mk III (L/43), which had been introduced in order to simplify production. The Mk IX used the full length Mk V (L/50), which was a more effective weapon.

The Mk V was powered by a 138hp G.M.C. 6-71 diesel engine. The Mk IX was given a 165hp G.M.C. 6-71 diesel, for an extra 27hp.

The Mk IX was one of three versions armed with the 6-pounder gun. The Mk VIII was an up-gunned version of the Mk III, while the Mk X was built from new with the 6-pounder.

The Mk IX was used by the 6th Armoured Division during Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa.

A small number of Mk IXs were in use with the 50th RTR during the fighting on the Mareth Line.

Names
Valentine IX

Stats
Production:
Hull Length: 6m 32.5cm/ 20ft 9in
Hull Width: 2m 63cm/ 8ft 7.5in
Height: 2m 27cm/ 7ft 5.5in
Crew: 3
Weight: 17,200kg/ 16.9 tons
Engine: GMC 6-71
Max Speed on road: 24km/h/ 15mph
Max Speed off road: 18km/h / 11mph
Max Range: 225km/ 140 miles
Armament: QF 6-pounder Mk V
Armour:

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 (17 June 2015), Valentine IX , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_valentine_IX.html

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