SERES

38

JERIES THIRTY EIGHT

INf:AN-TR'f1rAt41CMARK m 'VALENTINE' - (PART 2)

(UK)
(UK)

50p

ABOVE: The second three man turret Valentine produced whilst undergoing trials, showing the extended
turret front. The 30 gal Auxiliary Fuel Tank which nearly doubled the range could be jettisoned from
inside the tank when going into action.

BELLONA MILITARY VEHICLE PRINTS - Series Editor: Hilary Louis Ooyle.

INFANTRY TANK MARK III VALENTINE - Part 2

VALENTINE MK. DI and MK. V - 2 pdr.

VALENTINE MK. VIII and MK. IX - 6 pdr.

Drawings and historical research by D.P. Dyer.

BELLONA PRINTS WHICH SHOULD BE STUDIED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS SERIES:

SERIES 34- VALENTINE I, II, IV, AND VII,
SERIES 31 - BISHOP, SERIES 18 - ARCHER

INFANTRY TANK MK. DI VALENTINE MK. ID/V

In order to overcome the disadvantages of the two man turret as fitted to the earlier marks of Valentine a
three man turret was introduced. A simple expedient was used to give more room within the confines of the
small diameter turret ring. This was to move the trunnions for the 2 pdr. gun forward by 8" and the rear of
the turret backwards by a similar amount forming an overhang . The gun was still fitted with an internal
mantlet, but the turret front was of a different design. By using the space formed within the turret overhang
to contain the wireless set, sufficient room was made behind the 2 pdr. for a seat for the commander.
Above his head was located a circular rotating hatch fitted with a periscope . The hatch cover insisted of
three separate hinged sections so that the commander could use his periscope without having to close up the
hatch completely. This hatch was the only means of entry into and exit from the turret for the three turret
crew members.
2

Because of the additional weight of the elongated turret and extra crew member the thickness of armour
along both sides of the hull was reduced from SO mm to 50 mm. This saved approximately 8 cwt so that
although the new turret weighed considerably more than the original the total weight increase of the vehicle
was kept down to Yo ton.
According to Vickers Limited, the design of a three man turret for the Valentine tank was instigated in
November 1937 and entered production in 1939. If this is the case it is difficult to see why the design for a
two man turret with 2 pdr. gun was ever put into production. Despite strenuous efforts by the author to
either view or obtain copies of supporting documents to ascertain the true facts, the matter is still unresolved
along with various other problems. It could be that the three man turret was part of the original design but
was shelved due to the gun projecting in front of the vehicle. Whilst, in the light of later developments, this
may seem ridiculous it must be remembered that before the War no Country had produced tanks with guns
that projected ahead of the vehicle. This was in case a long gun barrel would be damaged when the tank was
operating amongst trees. In the United States the 37 mm gun fitted to the Light Tank M2A4 was shortened
by six inches for this very reason.
The earliest three man turret Valentine so far identified is T.S6591 which was received at the Mechanical
Warfare Experimental Establishment from Vickers Armstrong Chertsey on 13th April 1942. Stowage
diagrams are dated for 13th July of the same year, all of which tends to help date this mark as only being
produced from early 1942.
There were two versions of the three man turret Valentines, the MK.III which was fitted with the A.E.C.
Diesel engine, and the MK. V which had the alternative G.M.C. Diesel engine. Both of these marks were
externally identical. The hull itself was the same as the MK. II/IV with two long stowage boxes on the
right hand track guard and spare track links carried on the left hand front track guard. Auxiliary 30 gallon
fuel tanks were standard, as were five P.O.W. cans carried at the rear.
Valentines with three man turrets fought in the North African campaign along with MK.II/IV as well as
in various other theatres of operations. Out of the 2 pdr. armed versions of the Valentine, the three man
turret models were the ones selected for conversion to Duplex Drive Swimming Tanks. The majority of
these DO tanks however, were eventually only used for training purposes.
BELOW: An aerial view of the same vehicle illustrated opposite showing details of the turret top. The
Commander's sighting vanes are folded down in front of the ventilation slot.

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LAKEMAN AA

MOUNT

VALENTINE V

GUN

40mm

Ll52

OUICK FIRING

Feb '7 4

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CALIBRE

2pdr ORDNANCE

BREN'303 MACHINE GUN (adapted for drum magazine)

SCALE

BOX 16 BREN MAGAZINES)

GEARBOX SPICER
(MEADOWS ON Mk "I )

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' ' ' GMC
2 ST''''
DIES"
4 STROKE
DIESEL
ON Mk Iii)

STOWAGE

SECTIO N

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IN FAN TRY TA NK Mk.l ll ,

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VALENTINE Mks III & V

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BESA A ND BAG

DEFLECTOR

NOTE:
BOX, FIRST A ID OUTFIT,
& EXTINGUISHER, FIRE
CARRIED IN FRONT L.H.
CORNER.

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i BAG, 2 PDR_ SPENT

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CARTRIDGE CASES

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VALENTINE III & V

STOWAGE SKETCH-INTER IOR-TURRET & HULL, N.S.

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RECOGN ITI ON SIGNALS

STOWED WHERE CONVEN IENT

COMPRESSOR JUN IOR NO,2

BOX BESA 7,92 MM, AMM N,

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CLEANER, BR IST LE,

IN CAPSpONGE, R, H, F, OF HULL

BOX BESA 7,92 MM, AMMN ,

IN FEED TRAY,

CAN, 0 1L , M,G, CAN

GREASE M,G, &

PL UGS, CLEAR ING

BESA M,G,

PER ISCOPE TANK

3 T INS O INTMENT, ANTI-GAS

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53 CARTR IDGES Q,F, 2 PDR"

BOX BESA 7,92 MM, AMMN ,

F LAGS, D I ST INGU ISHI NG
BOX BESA 7.92 MM, AMMN.
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VALENTINE III & V

STOWAGE SKETCH -INTERIOR TURRET & HULL.O.S.

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ABOVE: Frontal view of MK. III or V showing the configuration of the new turret front The 2"
smoke bomb thrower aperture can be seen to the left of the Besa machine gun. (RAC Tank Museum)

BE LOW: Right hand side of the MK. III or V, the subject of all four photos in this booklet. As with
the photo above the Bren gun adapted to fire drums of ammunition is fitted to the Lakeman A.A.
mount but held in the ever readv travelling clips. (RAC Tank Museum)

10

2pdr AP

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75mmAPC

LOADER/W IRELESS

OP ERATOR

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2 pdr

TUR RET PLATFORMS

ROUND

OMMANDER

GUNNER / WIRELESS

GUNNER
WIRELESS

59 ROUNDS
2 pdr (40mm)

COMMANDER
LOADER

OPERATOR

53 ROUNDS 6pdr. (57mm)

COMMANDER/LOADER

Mk. I, II, IV, VI, VII

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1' , "' VJ:f~J ,I

~vr51 ROUNDS 2pdr (40mm)

Mk.lIl. V

5pdrAPC

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AMMUNITION COMPARISON

Mk. VIII, IX,

ABOVE: % front view of T67111 a standard MK. VIII or IX fitted with a 6 pdr. MK. III gun showing

the bulge on the mantlet above the gun to protect the recoil cylinder. (RA C Tank Museum)

INFANTRY TANK MK. III VALENTINE MK. VID/1X

Wth the pressure to obtain tanks armed with the new 6 pdr. anti-tank gun as requested by the War Office
in November 1940 the Valentine was not even considered for upgunning. At first the Cromwell tank was
intended to mount the new gun, but as it was realised that a long time would pass before this would be
available. Because of this delay the Crusader and then later the Infantry MK.IV Churchill were scheduled
for upgunning in March and April 1941 respectively. It was not until August 1941 that the design for a
6 pdr. turret for the Valentine was started. In view of no official instruction having been located to date,
it is now presumed that this was a design undertaken by Vickers Armstrong on their own initiative. This
task was probably initiated via the 'old boy' network in view of the debacle whi ch had occurred with the
Crusader and Churchill turret developments .
In order to fit a 6 pdr. within the confines of the Valentine turret the fourth crew member had to be

dispensed with again and the turret redesigned for the second time. Because of the size of the recoil

cylinder of the 6 pdr. a narrow external mantlet to protect this was de si gned, and the front turret casting

reshaped to accept this giving a pointed form. The sides and rear of the turret remained similar to the

previous three man turret, but the roof plates were altered to give each of the two remaining turret crew

members an entry hatch. This was necessary not for ease of access but in view of them being completely

separated from each other by the recoil guard of the larger 6 pdr. gun. A s the repositioned commander

did not have a rotating hatch he was provided with two periscopes to enable him to look backwards as

well as forwards, and a periscope for the gunner was re-introduced. In an effort to disperse the fumes

of the larger gun, a ventilator fan was installed in the roof of the turret.

In a further drive to save space the co-axial BESA machine gun was eliminated along with the 2" internally
loaded bomb thrower. This bomb thrower had been developed to fire through the front plate of all pre
ceeding models.of the Valentine. In order to give the 6 pdr. armed Valentines the capability to lay down
smoke, two four inch smoke bomb throwers were now installed outside the turret on the right hand side.
These were fired by electrical means from inaide the turret.
To save the weight 'of the Valentine increasing to an unacceptable level when fitted with the 6 pdr. gun, and
its more weighty ammunition, the side armour of the vehicles was once again reduced. Thus the 60 mm of the
original versions became 50 mm for the three man turret versions and finally 43 mm saving an estimated 5cwt
on the Valentines with 6 pdr . armament.
According to Vickers Limited the 6 pdr . turret for the Valentine entered production in December 1941. If
this claim is correct the Valentine may have been the earliest 6 pdr . armed tank and not tht;! Churchill which
is frequently claimed as such.

12

Two versions of the 6 pdr. armed Valentine, without a co-axial machine gun, were produced, again due to the
type of engine fitted . Those with the A.E.C. Diesel being designated MK.VIII, and those with the G.M.C. diesel
MK. IX. Because of the increasing weight of the tank with its heavier turret, heavier gun, and heavier ammunition,
the power to weight ratio had gradually decreased. To improve the performance it was found possible to uprate
the G.M.C. diesel to 165 bhp and these more powerful engines were fitted to the last 300 MK.IX without any
change in designation .
The earliest 6 pdr. guns fitted to tanks were the 6 pdr. MK.lII. The barrels of these guns appeared short and fat
and were similar to the 6 pdr. MK.lI, towed. Firing ApT (Armour piercing shot with tracer) they had a muzzle
velocity of 2,700 fps. In order to improve the armour piercing,capability of the 6 pdr. to the maximum the
barrel length was increased to 52 calibres which in turn increased the muzzle velocity to 2,950 fps. The designation
for the new gun becoming the 6 pdr. MK.lV,towed, and the MK.V 6 pdr . for tank use. Whilst the guns mounted on
field carriages were fitted with muzzle brakes, these were never fitted to tank guns; tank guns having simple
threaded muzzles which were fitted with counterweights.
A capped shot for use against face hardened armour was introduced in October 1942 (APC -T) followed by armour
piercing capped balistic capped shot (APCBC-T) in January 1943, a compo site rigid shot (APCR-T) in October
1943, and finally Discarding Sabot shot (APDS) at the end of the same year . All of these projectiles improved
the performance of the already very efficient weapon. Firing APCBC shot the 6 pdr. was comparable to the
German 7 .5 cm KwK . 40 L/48 as fitted to late models of the Pz. Kpfw rv and Stu. 9.I1I and made the Valentine
equal to these in terms of fire power at least.
Some of these Valentines were also exported to Russia under Lend-Lease arrangements where they fought along
side the T-34.

BELOW: Frontal view of MK. VIlI or IX. T67111. This vehicle was part of a contract placed with
Vickers Armstrong in May 1941. The bracket projecting to the left of the turret was for the 4"
smoke bomb throwers fitted as from these models. (RAG Tank Museum)

13

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ELEVATION

HANDWHEEL

OPENING

VALENTINE IX

VENTILATION
Mk 11\ GUN IOlternollve 6pdr MkV)

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DRIVERS COMPASS

6pdr

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IAEC 4 STROKE

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6pdr.Mk.111 L/4S

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15 FEET

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METRES

VALENTINE

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Mks V III & IX

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VALENTINE IX

STOWAGE SKETCH-INTER IOR- TURRET & HULL, N.S.

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6-6PDR.RDS.

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WIRELESS SET. NO. 19

41-'RISMS (SPARE) FOR TANK PERISCOPt::---

BRUSH CLEANING PERISCOPE----:-""""~:=--~
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8 THOMPSON SUB/M.G. 20 RD. MAGAZINES
BINOCULARS
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VALENTINE IX

STOWAGE SKETCH-INTERIOR-TURRET & HULL. O.s.

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PERISCOPE TANK
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CANYARD,COCKING
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Technical Specification for Tank lnfantry M K.I1I, Valentine M K. III, V, VIII, & IX.
Where different to MKS. I, II, IV, & Vi.I , or where not quoted previously.

Crew: MK.I1I & V

Weight, combat
loaded:
G round pressure :
Power to weight
ratio :

4 - Driver, Commander,
Loader, Gunner
Mk.I 15% Tons
Mk.1I 16% Tons
Mk. III & V 16% Ton s
Mk.VIlI & IX 17 .2 Tons
Mk.l1I & V 1 0.51bs sq .inch
Mk.VII & IX 11 .28Ibs.sq . inch
Mk.III & V 7 .7 ton s per HP
Mk.VIII & IX 7 .56 tons per HP
Mk. IX last 3009 .6 tons per HP

Dimensions
Length over gun:

Mk.l1I & V 18' 3"

Mk .VIII & IX 20' 9"
Mk. V 6 pdr .
Mk. VIII & IX 19' 5"
Mk. III 6 pdr.
Mk. I, II & IV 6' 11"
Height over
Mk. III & V 7' 4"
periscope:
Mk. VIII & IX 7' %"
Mk. III & V AEC A 190
Engine:
6 cylinder four stroke
diesel 130 hp water cooled
Mk . VIII & IX GMC 6-71
Model 6004 6 cylinder two
stroke diesel 130 hp
water cooled
Mk . IX la st 300 as above
but 165 hp
Mk . III & VIll Meadows
Transmission:
type 22 clash 5F 1 R
Mk. V & IX Spicer
synchrome sh 5F 1 R clash
top and reverse
Sighting & Vision : Mk . III & V
1 telescopic sight
4 ta nk peri scopes
2 pi stOl port s
Driver's Dire ct vi sion port
Mk. VIII & IX
1 telescopic sight
3 x No.6 peri scopes
2 x NO .3 peri scopes
2 pi stol port s
Driver's direct vision port

Armament:

Ammunition
Stowage:

Fuel capacity :

Armour :

Armour thickness:

Mk. III & V

12 pdr. OQF 4.9 mm k/52
Elevation +20 - 15
17.92 mm Besa MG
coaxial
1,.303 Bren MG AA
Mk . VIII & IX
16 pdr . OQF 57 mm L/45
or Lj52 Elevation
+17 _ 8
1 .303 Bren Mg AA
Mk. I, II, IV.
2 pdr . 60 rds .
7 .92 mm 3150 rds .
(14x225 rds boxes)
.303600 rds (3 x 200
rds boxes) outside turret
Mk . Ill , V
2 pdr. 62 rds.
7 .92 mm 3150 rds
.303600 rds (box outside
turret)
Mk. VIII & IX
6 pdr. 53 rds.
.303600 rds.
Mk. I
56Y, gals petrol
All other marks 36 gals
All marks could be fitted
with .30 gal . auxiliary fuel
tanks externally
Turret Cast homogenous
front, mantlet,
and rear rolled
plate sides and top.
Cast turret in
troduced
canadian veh icles
Hull Rolled Plate
Cast front in
treduced
Canadian vehicles
Construction Early models
bolted and rivetted, welding
introduced later model s.
Side Mk.III, Mk. V -50mm
Mk.VlII, Mk.IX- 43mm

Published by MODEL & ALLIED PUBLICA TlONS LTD. P. O. Box 35, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP 1 1EE

Copyright 1974. Model & Allied Publications Ltd. and D.P. Dyer.

Printed in England by

Technical Print Services Limited,Brentcliffe Avenue, Carlton Road, Nottingham.