A.12 Matilda III, Carro da Fanteria Inglese Mk.II

Recensione del Modello Airfix in Scala 1:76

Matilda carri fanteria were used by the armata britannica in Francia e North Africa until gradually replaced by carri armati M3 Lee/Grant e M4 Sherman in 1942. The Australian Army also deployed carri armati Matilda in the fanteria support role. The Matilda was very popular due to its heavy armour protection which rendered it immune from all carri armati italiani nel Nordafrica as well as many delle armi anticarro tedeschi available early in the war. The Matilda’s 2 pdr. gun was already obsolete at the beginning of the war, but it had sufficient armour penetration capability to deal con the flimsy carri armati italiani encountered nel Nordafrica. Although designated as an fanteria tank, the 2 pdr. gun could not fire high-explosive shells which might have been useful in defeating fanteria nemica positions.

Caratteristiche Tecniche

A.12 Matilda III
Tipo: Carro da Fanteria Mk.II
Lunghezza: 5.62 m
Larghezza: 2.59 m
Altezza: 2.44 m
Peso: 27 t
Armamentoo: 2 pdr. Tank Gun con 93 colpi,
co-axial mitragliatrice da 7,92 mm Besa
3 Crew: Capocarro, Guidatore & Gunner
Year: 1939-1942

Initially, la Wehrmacht had to rely on support from Luftwaffe 8.8 cm FlaK (cannone contraerei) units, heavy artiglieria units firing over open sights, o tank-hunter detachments using the new cannone anticarro da 5 cm PaK 38, to stop a carro armato Matilda. During the 1940 campaign, Pz.Kpfw. IV support tanks e StuG. III assault guns used hollow-charge anti-concrete shells to defeat Matilda tanks.

Armi Anticarro Tedeschi
Armour Penetration Capabilities at 100 metres	A.P.	A.P.C.R.
7.92 mm Panzerbüchse 38/39	34 mm	-
2 cm L.55 Kampfwagenkanone 30/38	40 mm	52 mm
3.7 cm L.45 KwK 35 & PaK 35/36	65 mm	79 mm
7.5 cm L.24 StuK 37 & Kampfwagenkanone 37	57 mm	76 mm
Tungsten cored A.P.C.R. (Armour Piercing Composite Rigid) rounds had better penetration capabilities than regular A.P. (Armour Piercing (Manganese steel solid shot)) rounds, but they were significantly more expensive to produce. Tungsten was scarce, e German supplies of it ran out in 1944. None of the above armi penetrated the Matilda’s armour of 78 mm all-round. Those listed below could defeat the Matilda, but the more effective of these armi were static, ground mounted anti-tank guns. As a result, the Matilda dominated the desert tank battles e Rommel had to adopt a defensive tactical posture to counter this threat.
2 cm L.112.5 FlaK 30/38	81 mm	106 mm
2.8 cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41	94 mm (A.P.S.V.)
5 cm L.42 Kampfwagenkanone 38	69 mm	115 mm
5 cm L.60 PaK 38 & KwK 39	99 mm	141 mm
7.5 cm L.48 KwK 39 & PaK 39	144 mm	172 mm
7.5 cm L.46 PaK 40	149 mm	176 mm
8.8 cm L.71 FlaK 35/36	247 mm	311 mm

When Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 con the long 7.5 cm L/43 gun was introduced in giugno 1942, the Matildas no longer dominated the desert tank battles. Using an A.P.C.R. shell, the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 had an estimated 34% chance of defeating a Matilda at 500 metres, compared to a 26% probability of the Matilda defeating it. Spare track links were fitted to provide Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 con additional frontal armour which reduced the Matilda’s rate of success even further. In combat, the Matilda would have to approach to within 100 metri of a Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 to gain a slight advantage, whereas the panzer commander could use the better speed e mobility of his vehicle to maintain the tactical advantage at 500 metri range.

In addition to its limited armour penetration capability, the Matilda’s 2 pdr gun was not designed to fire high-explosive shells which could have defeated positions anti-tank e mitragliatrice nemici. The Matilda was a designated fanteria tank, unable to support friendly troops con direct high-explosive fire against entrenched enemy position. The A.12.C.S. (Close Support) conversion of the Matilda II fulfilled this role more effectively, but at the cost of increased logistical requirements, ed a more complicated tactical deployment of these specialist veicoli. By comparison, carri armati con a multi-purpose gun carried armour piercing e high-explosive ammunition which enabled them to engage any possible ground target effectively.

The Matilda tank also suffered from being underpowered by due 86 BHP truck engines, giving the Matilda III a top speed of only 12 MPH. Because of their low cruising speed, carri armati Matilda were carried to the battlefield by tank transporters. The carri armati M3 Lee/Grant e M4 Sherman which eventually replaced the Matilda traded the heavy armour protection for higher speed e greater maneuverability.

Valutazione

Scale model con much raised detail.
Excellent choice of subject, a key vehicle ed a very attractive model.
Few parts, easy to assemble. Track assembly is easier than on most other tank models.
High quality kit. Parts fit well e there is minimal flash.
Compatibile con Fujimi, Matchbox, Nitto, e VAC-U-CAST.
The model was unavailable for some time, but Humbrol released it again in 1997.

Soft plastic tank tracks should be painted on both sides to retard a chemical reaction which is known to dissolve them eventually.

Utilizzo Storico

Armata britannica, North Africa 1940-1942
Australian Army, New Guinea 1942
Armata sovietica, 1941-1943

Conversione

A.12 Matilda II, Corpo di Spedizione Britannico (B.E.F.), Francia 1940. The vehicle was equipped con the Vickers 0.303 Inch water cooled mitragliatrice in an armoured housing. The Vickers housing may be modelled using small plastic o metal tubing.
A.12.C.D.L. (Canal Defense Light) conversion kit available from VAC-U-CAST.
A.12.C.S. (Close Support) equipped con a 94 mm L/18 Field Gun e the Vickers MG. Metal o plastic tubing may be used for the conversion. The field gun’s barrel is shorter than that of the 2 pdr gun, it should only be 75% of the length of the original barrel supplied con the kit. All A.12.C.S. conversions were based on the A.12 Matilda II, not the Matilda III version.
Australian Army field conversions of the Matilda included flamethrowing vehicles, popularly know as Frogs, e bridgelayers con makeshift o prefabricated bridges. Australian Matildas participated in amphibious landings.
Pz.Jäg. A.12, Normandia 1944. Carri armati Matilda captured in the 1940 campaign were later converted to Panzerjäger (tank hunters), e these veicoli took part in the defense of the Atlantic Wall. The Pz.Jäg. A.12 had the torretta removed ed a German 5 cm L/60 PaK 38 mounted instead. A photo of a Pz.Jäg. A.12 taken in maggio of 1944 shows its "T" registration number britannico, presumably because it was still in the original B.E.F. camouflage scheme. The Airfix Panzerabwehrkanone PaK 40 may be used for this conversion, it looks identical to the PaK 38.

Matilda carri fanteria played an important role in the early campaigns della seconda guerra mondiale, Francia 1940 e the guerra desertica 1940-1942. Without the Matilda, the involvement britannico in these campaigns cannot be simulated accurately. Carri incrociatori A10 ed A13 would be another important addition to the early war range, enabling the wargamer to simulate this period in history.

Andy Reid

Airfix Modellismo

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Per ulteriori informazioni, per favore contatta la redazione di Rivista Military Miniatures nel Miniatures Forum.

Soldatini Britannici della Seconda Guerra Mondiale

– Pubblicato: 1996 – Aggiornato: 17.06.2008
© 1996-2012 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Germania. Tutti diritti reservati.