Specific power of the tank valentine top round up yes. Tanks "VALENTINE" in units of the Red Army. Design and modifications

At the beginning of 1938, the British War Office offered Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. take part in the production of the Mk II infantry tank or develop a combat vehicle of its own design according to similar tactical and technical requirements. Such an alternative in the proposal was not accidental: starting from the First World War (the diversified concern Vickers was engaged in tank building and created several very successful models during the interwar period. In the second half of the 30s, it was the developer and main manufacturer of the Mk 1 Matilda I (A11) infantry tank ) and cruising tanks Mk I (A9) and Mk II (A10). The company's chief designer Leslie Little tried to combine elements of these vehicles into one project. The task was not easy - it was necessary to maintain powerful armor, the same as that of the A11 infantry tank , using the engine-transmission unit and chassis of cruising tanks, designed by S. Horstman and Captain Rocky from Slow Motion Suspension Co. Ltd. This could only be achieved by reducing the dimensions of the tank.

Supplement to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

Description of design

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Description of design

LAYOUT The tank is classic with a rear-mounted transmission.

The control department occupied the front of the vehicle. It contained the driver's seat, controls, control panels, two six-volt batteries, a socket for starting the engine and charging batteries from external source current, a bell for signaling the driver from the stern of the tank, TPU, internal lighting devices.

The fighting compartment was located in the middle part of the tank. Above it, on a ball bearing, was a turret, to which was attached a floor with ammunition and seats for crew members that rotated with it. In front of the tower, in the mask, weapons were installed; in the rear part, in a niche, there was a radio station and there was an opening for air flow. In the center of the fighting compartment, under the floor of the turret, the VKU was located.

The engine compartment contained an engine with power, lubrication, cooling and electrical units. To the left of the engine were the main fuel tank and a constant pressure fuel tank, to the right - oil filter and two batteries.

The transmission compartment contained a cooling system filler tank, two radiators, a main clutch, a gearbox, two side clutches and an oil tank.

Main feature the design of the CASE and TOWER was the lack of frames for their assembly. The armor plates were processed according to appropriate templates so that they were mutually locked during assembly. Then they were fastened to each other using bolts, rivets and dowels. Tolerances for fitting various parts did not exceed 0.01 inches (0.254 mm). On early production tanks the turret sides were composite, but later they were replaced with a cast ring part.

To accommodate the driver, there were two hatches in the roof of the control compartment, the covers of which were automatically locked from the inside with latches. Opening the hatches was facilitated by the use of a torsion spring mechanism. In the open position, the hatch covers were secured with valves. Under the driver's seat, in the bottom of the hull, there was a manhole for emergency exit of the crew from the tank.

In the middle of the frontal armor plate there was a driver's inspection hatch, and on the sides there were two Mk IV periscope observation devices.

In the turret roof of the Valentine I, II, IV, VI and VII tanks there was a landing hatch with a double-leaf cover, two periscopes similar to the periscopes in the control compartment, two antenna inputs (one for working in place, the other when moving), a pin for an anti-aircraft installation and an arrow-pointer (opposite the right periscope) for orientation when firing from a cannon and machine gun. Two side hatches in the turret (the Valentine I has one hatch on the starboard side), closed with armored doors, were intended for firing from personal weapons and for flag signaling. The mirror on the left door, when opened, made it possible to observe the stern and the movement of cars coming from behind.

1 - driver's seat; 2 - clutch pedal; 3 - left control panel; 4 - periscopes; 5 - forehead protector; 6 - driver's inspection hatch; 7 - inspection hatch block (in the lowered position); 8-levers of side clutches; 9-right control panel; 10 - gear shift lever; 11 - accelerator pedal; 12 - auxiliary brake pedal

The turret roof of the Valentine III and V tanks had a round hatch with a rotating shoulder strap and a three-leaf lid. A Mk IV observation device was installed in the front flap. The second such device was located in front of the roof above the loader’s position.

The turret roof of the Valentine VIII, IX and X tanks had two rectangular hatches with double-leaf covers, three Mk IV observation devices and a fan cowl.

To rotate the turret, tanks of all modifications were equipped with a rotating mechanism with manual and electric drive.

The roof of the engine compartment was closed with removable blinds, which were locked with locks from the fighting compartment. To facilitate access to the units located in the engine compartment, its inclined armor plates were made folding and mounted on hinges. The rear part of the engine compartment was covered with a transverse armor plate; it had a hatch for access to the radiator filler neck.

The transmission compartment had inclined opening louvers on top and a stern hatch door.

The bottom of the hull was assembled from several large armor plates. To service the tank, there were corresponding hatches in the bottom.

WEAPONS. Tanks of the Valentine I - VII modifications were equipped with a 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk IX gun with a 52-caliber barrel length.

The gun consisted of a barrel, a semi-automatic bolt, a cradle, a recoil device, trigger mechanism, sleeve catcher and shoulder rest. The weight of the barrel without the bolt is 130.2 kg. The normal rollback length is 265 mm.

Vertical pointing angles ranging from +20° to -15° were attached to the cannon and coaxial machine gun using a shoulder rest, which was attached to the left cheek of the cartridge case bracket and could be adjusted in accordance with the height of the gunner.

The Valentine VIII and IX tanks were equipped with 6-pounder (57 mm) Mk III and Mk V guns, and the Valentine X with Mk V guns.

The Mk III 6-pounder gun, with a 42.9 caliber barrel, was developed from the Mk II towed anti-tank gun. The shutter is vertical wedge, semi-automatic copy type. Weight of the gun is 326.88 kg.

Vertical guidance in the range from -8° to +17° was carried out using a shoulder rest and two “pistol” handles, on which the electric triggers of the gun and coaxial machine gun were located.

The 6-pounder Mk V gun had a 50-caliber barrel length and a high muzzle velocity. Its vertical guidance was carried out using a screw-type lifting mechanism.

War vehicles The Valentine XI was armed with a 75 mm Mk V cannon with a 36.5 caliber barrel. Wedge shutter, semi-automatic. Rate of fire up to 20 rds/min. Weight of the gun is 314 kg. Vertical guidance from - 12.5° to +20° using a screw-type lifting mechanism. Electric trigger - foot.

The Valentines of all modifications (with the exception of VIII and IX) were equipped with a coaxial (autonomous on the Valentine X and XI) 7.92-mm BESA machine gun, and on the Valentine VII - a 7.62-mm coaxial Browning M1919A4 machine gun.

Some vehicles were mounted on a special bracket on the roof of the tower anti-aircraft gun Lakeman for the 7.7 mm Bren infantry machine gun.

The Valentine I - VII had a 2-inch (50.8 mm) mortar for firing smoke mines in the turret, to the right of the machine gun in a separate mantlet (in the Red Army, fragmentation mines from a 50 mm company mortar were also used for firing mortars Soviet made). Mortar weight 7.6 kg. Maximum range smoke mine throwing - 137 m, fragmentation mine - 415 m. Vertical firing angle - from +5° to +37°; horizontal - 360° (set by rotating the tank turret).

On tanks of variants VIII - XI, two smoke grenade launchers of 101.6 mm caliber were mounted on the right side of the turret on a special bracket.

The No. 24B Mk I telescopic sight was used to fire the 2-pounder cannon and coaxial machine gun; for firing from 6-pounder guns - telescopic sights No. 39 Mk I or No. 33 Mk II; from a 75 mm cannon - No. 50x3L Mk I.

The ammunition load of tanks with a 2-pounder gun included 60 - 62 rounds of armor-piercing shells, 3,150 rounds of 7.92 mm caliber (14 belts) or 3,500 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber (Valentine VII), 600 rounds of 7.7 mm caliber and 18 smoke mines of 50.8 mm caliber.

The ammunition load of the Valentine VIII and IX tanks with a 6-pounder gun consisted of 53 rounds of armor-piercing shells and 600 rounds of 7.7 mm caliber, the Valentine X - of 44 rounds, 3150 rounds of 7.92 mm caliber and 600 rounds of 7.7 mm caliber.

The Valentine XI tank's ammunition load included 46 75-mm rounds with armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells, 3150 rounds of 7.92 mm caliber and 600 rounds of 7.7 mm caliber.

ENGINE. The Valentine I modification tank was equipped with a 6-cylinder, four-stroke, in-line carburetor AEC A189 liquid-cooled engine with a power of 135 hp. at 1900 rpm.

On combat vehicles of all other modifications, two types were used power plant: with AEC A190 engine and GMC engine.

The AES A190 engine is a 6-cylinder, four-stroke, non-compressor diesel engine with a Ricardo Comet III vortex combustion chamber, in-line, with a power of 131 hp. at 1800 rpm. Cylinder diameter - 120 mm. Piston stroke - 142 mm. Engine displacement - 9650 cm3. Dry engine weight - 700 kg.

1 - embrasure for installing a BESA machine gun in a mask; 2 - gun barrel; 3 - machine gun barrel; 4 - machine gun armor; 5 - mask installation; 6 - telescopic sight; 7 - lifting mechanism; 8 - shoulder rest; 9 - trigger handle of the BESA machine gun; 10 - gun trigger handle; 11- sleeve collector; 12 - gun lock; 13 - recoil device

The lubrication system is combined, with a dry sump. Oil pump type - gear, three-section. The working capacity of the lubrication system is 36 l.

Cooling system - liquid, forced, with thermostat. Two tubular radiators were installed above the gearbox. The hinged mounting of the radiators made it possible to access the transmission compartment units. Cooling system capacity - 41 l.

The engine was started by an electric starter, with air preheated by electric heating plugs. To facilitate starting at low temperatures, the engine was equipped with a device for injecting ether into the suction pipe.

Engine GMC 6-71 model 6004, 6-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke high-speed diesel with supercharger, jet spray, liquid cooling, power 130 hp. at 2000 rpm. Cylinder diameter - 108 mm. Piston stroke -127 mm. Engine displacement - 6970 cm3. Dry engine weight - 725 kg.

Fuel - diesel. Fuel tank capacity - 165 l. The lubrication and cooling systems are similar to the AEC A190 engine.

Starting the engine is an electric starter. To facilitate starting at low temperatures, the engine was equipped with a device for heating the air coming from the supercharger.

In cases where the driver was incapacitated while the tank was moving or there was an urgent need to immediately stop the engine, the commander could stop the air supply to the engine by pressing the emergency engine shutdown control button.

TRANSMISSION. Depending on the type of engine, two types of transmissions were used on Valentine tanks.

The transmission of tanks with AEC engines included: a single-disc main dry clutch J-151, a four-way, five-speed (5+1) Meadows type 22 gearbox, a bevel transverse gear, multi-plate dry side clutches and double planetary final drives.

The transmission of tanks with GMC engines was distinguished by the presence of a dry single-disc main clutch M-6004 and a mechanical three-way five-speed (5+1) synchronized Spicer synchromech gearbox. A feature of the transmission on tanks with GMC engines was that the engine, main clutch, gearbox and bevel gear housing were installed on a common base as one unit and secured at five points.

All Valentine models were equipped with shoe-type brakes, with the brake drums located on the outside of the drive wheels.

CHASSIS in relation to one side, it consisted of six rubberized road wheels (two with a diameter of 610 mm and four with a diameter of 495 mm), a rear drive wheel (lantern engagement in the middle of the track), a guide wheel with a crank-type tensioning mechanism, and three support rollers. The suspension is blocked, balanced with a spiral spring spring and a hydraulic shock absorber. Each track included 103 cast tracks with a width of 356 mm, and a track pitch of 112 mm.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT the tank consisted of batteries, generator, voltage regulator, starter, generator and electric drive motor of the tower rotation mechanism, control panel, internal and external lighting devices.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. The tank was equipped with two types of radio stations: No. 11, which included the TANNOY intercom system, and No. 19, with its own own system internal communication. Radio station No. 19 had a range of 15 km on short waves (in VHF mode - 1.5 km).

1 - 6-pounder Mk V gun; 2 - observation devices; 3 - hatch for firing personal weapons; 4 - radio station No. 19; 5 - GMC engine; 6 - fan; 7 - radiator; 8 - fuel tank; 9 - gearbox; 10 - main clutch; II - fighting compartment floor; 12 - driver’s seat; 13 - gun vertical guidance mechanism

Good day everyone and welcome to the site! Today our focus is on the strong and at the same time interesting car, UK third level tank destroyer is Valentine AT guide.

As you can understand from the name and appearance, this unit was designed on the basis of a light British tank, which in our game is at level 4 - this is Valentine. Based on this, some conclusions can already be drawn about our self-propelled gun, however, it is worth considering Valentine AT WoT as much detail as possible, especially if you want to enjoy playing it.

TTX Valentine AT

According to a long-established tradition, I will start with the fact that our British vehicle has a good PT-3 by the standards, but a weak safety margin compared to other equipment of our level, as well as a mediocre viewing radius of 320 meters.

If we talk about what Valentine AT specifications bookings, everything is very ambiguous. Due to the fact that we got the hull from the aforementioned tank, we can boast of very good hull armor all around, which not every classmate can penetrate, and we are very reliably protected from 99% of machine gun-type guns.

However, the problem is that British Valentine AT tank has a very cardboard cabin that is easily penetrated by everyone you meet. So a rhetorical question arises - why shoot at the solid hull if you can shoot at the wheelhouse?

In addition to a solid base, the tank has another good advantage - camouflage. The fact is that she has a low silhouette, and it is thanks to this fact that her stealth factor is really high. However, when taking a position, remember that our body is long, that is, it must be hidden carefully.

Together with good reservation relative, we got his mobility characteristics, and they are not reassuring. How could you understand Valentine AT tank received a very low maximum speed, frankly poor dynamics, but quite decent maneuverability, although, last fact calms down weakly.

gun

Armament of our self-propelled anti-tank installation deserves special attention simply because we are given two guns to choose from, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.

First of all, I would like to draw your attention to what we have Valentine AT gun caliber 94 millimeters, that is, a high explosive. Of course, its advantage is its huge alpha strike, with which you can “one-shot” even level 4 vehicles.

But then we are faced with the first serious drawback - with this gun Valentine AT WoT receives very weak penetration, that is, even classmates will not always be able to inflict full damage, not to mention more mature equipment.

The second disadvantage of a high explosive is its poor accuracy. In this configuration British Valentine AT tank becomes the owner of a gigantic spread, terrible stabilization and long convergence. But what’s even worse is that the shells fly along a very upward trajectory, their flight time is very long, that is, it’s really difficult to shoot ahead.

Now let’s turn our attention to a regular cannon, with not the highest, but still very impressive for the third level, one-time damage and a high rate of fire, thanks to which Valentine AT World of Tanks can consistently deal approximately 1600 damage per minute, which is a good result.

Especially in this configuration we are pleased high performance armor penetration, thanks to which you can confidently inflict damage on almost every enemy you meet, and you can even play against fives without using gold.

Accuracy Valentine AT tank with such weapons he also gets a very enviable price. Our dispersion is comfortable, the aiming time is fast, and only stabilization remains useless.

In addition, it is worth noting that in terms of vertical and horizontal aiming angles, both guns are the same. Both the high explosive and the conventional gun have a poor negative gun declination angle of 5 degrees, but at the same time the UGN Tank destroyer Valentine AT remained quite good, the total angle is 30 degrees.

Regarding which gun you should choose, I can say one thing - the high explosive is more suitable for those who expect fun from the game and are not aimed at serious results. But if you want to influence the outcome of the battle, leading your team to victory, Valentine AT WoT It’s better to install a conventional weapon, it will give you stability and confidence in your actions.

Advantages and disadvantages

In order to fully reveal the potential of the machine, and in our case it is far from small, it is important not only to know its characteristics, but it is much more important to understand the main advantages and disadvantages Valentine AT World of Tanks. Now we will highlight these nuances separately, but taking into account the fact that a second gun is installed on board, and not a high explosive.
Pros:
Good all-round hull armor;
High camouflage coefficient;
Good speed chassis rotation;
High rate of fire and DPM;
Excellent penetration rates;
Decent accuracy (scatter and convergence);
Comfortable horizontal aiming angles.
Minuses:
Small margin of safety;
Mediocre viewing range;
Very cardboard and open cabin;
Poor mobility (maximum speed and dynamics);
Terrible stabilization;
Uncomfortable vertical aiming angles.

Equipment for Valentine AT

The situation with purchasing and installing additional modules is quite simple, because we have very little choice. In addition, all three points that you will now see will be suitable regardless of which gun you have chosen, that is, on tank Valentine AT equipment the following is put:
1. – this option will not only make it possible to deal damage more effectively, but you will also be able to notice less problems with stabilization if you have to rotate your body.
2. is a wonderful module that makes even hopelessly blind cars sighted; in our case, the increase in visibility will be really significant.
3. – combines perfectly with the previous point and significantly increases your stealth while stationary, which is equivalent to increasing your survivability.

Crew training

Every tanker in World of Tanks knows that the process of selecting skills is an even more important nuance, and also a painstaking one. In our case, everything is further complicated by the fact that the crew consists of only three people, but you shouldn’t get lost, for Tank destroyer Valentine AT perks It is better to study in this order:
Commander (gunner, radio operator) –, , , .
Driver mechanic - , , , .
Loader – , , , .

Equipment for Valentine AT

However, fortunately, the process of purchasing consumables, which you also cannot do without in battle, looks much simpler. As a standard, if you don’t have enough silver, you should opt for a set of , , . But in cases where everything is in order with reserves of game currency, it is better to carry Valentine AT gear as , , . Regarding the latter, you can replace the fire extinguisher with one, because this device rarely burns.

Tactics for playing Valentine AT

It is logical that when going into battle on this self-propelled gun, you must think through your strategy of behavior and actions. Of course, despite the security of our hull, we cannot hope for armor, which means that for Valentine AT tactics is to fight at long distances, using your excellent camouflage.

Besides, it doesn't hurt to remember what we have serious problems with mobility, therefore, Valentine AT WoT can deservedly be considered a one-way machine. This means that you need to choose this direction wisely, and if you are not confident in your team, do not rush to move far from your own base.

As for your actions, everything is pretty standard. British Valentine AT tank, like many other self-propelled guns, should take a position in the bushes on the second line, play from camouflage and inflict damage on an allied or its own light.

The difficulty is how to take the position correctly. Besides that PT-SAU Valentine AT World of Tanks should stand behind the bushes, think about at least one escape route. But besides this, there is always a risk that someone will discover you. In this case, you need shelter nearby that will protect you from artillery and incoming damage from ground vehicles.

Otherwise, the player in whose hands he ended up Valentine AT tank, must closely monitor the mini-map, under no circumstances allow yourself to be caroused and be very careful. The machine in our hands is indeed very strong, you just have to make the most of its advantages and neutralize its disadvantages.

Tanks "VALENTINE" in units of the Red Army

Not so long ago, when mentioning any equipment sent to the USSR under Lend-Lease, the authors always noted the insignificance of foreign supplies in comparison with domestic production, as well as the extremely poor quality and archaic design of these samples. Now that the fight against bourgeois counterfeiters has successfully ended with the victory of the latter, it is possible to more or less objectively analyze the advantages and disadvantages of individual samples armored vehicles Anglo-American production, used in significant quantities in units of the Red Army. This article will focus on the English light tank MK.III "Valentine", which became the most popular British armored vehicle used on the Soviet-German front, as well as in battles in the Far East.
MK.III "Valentine" (according to the documents of the Red Army "Valentin" or "Valentina") was developed by the company " " in 1938. Like "Matilda", he belonged to infantry tanks, however, in terms of mass - 16 tons - it was rather light. True, the thickness of the Valentine's armor was 60-65 mm, and the armament (depending on the modification) consisted of a 40-mm, 57-mm or 75-mm cannon. On "Valentine I" they used a carburetor AEC with 135 hp, which was replaced in subsequent modifications by AEC and GMC diesel engines with a power of 131, 138 and 165 hp. tank speed was 34 km/h.
By Soviet standards, "Valentines" had an archaic design - armor plates were attached to the corners using rivets. Armor elements were installed mainly almost vertically, without rational angles of inclination. However, “rational” booking was not always used on German cars- this approach significantly reduced the working internal volume of the tank, which affected the performance of the crew. But all English cars were equipped with radio (radio station No. 19), and also had a diesel engine, which made them easier to operate together with Soviet models.
"Valentines" were produced from 1940 to the beginning of 1945 in 11 modifications, differing mainly in armament and engine type. A total of 8,275 tanks were manufactured by three English and two Canadian firms (6,855 in England and 1,420 in Canada). 2394 British and 1388 Canadian Valentines were sent to Soviet (3782 in total), of which 3332 vehicles reached Russia. The Valentines were supplied to the USSR in seven modifications:
"Valentine II" - with a 42-mm cannon, AEC diesel engine, 131 hp. and an additional external fuel tank;
"Valentine III" - with a three-man turret and a crew of four;
"Valentine IV" - "Valentine II" with a GMC diesel engine of 138 hp;
"Valentine V" - "Valentine III" with a GMC diesel engine of 138 hp;
"Valentine VII" - a Canadian version of the "Valentine IV" with a one-piece frontal hull part and a coaxial 7.62 mm Browning machine gun (instead of the 7.92 mm BESA machine gun installed on English-made Valentines);
"Valentine IX" - "Valentine V" with a 57-mm cannon with a barrel length of 45 or 42 calibers, mounted in a two-man turret without a coaxial machine gun;
"Valentine X" - "Valentine IX" with a 57-mm cannon with a barrel length of 45 or 42 calibers (most likely a typo. Further in the text - 52 calibers. A.A.), coaxial with a machine gun and a GMC engine with a power of 165 liters .With.
In addition to the main modifications of the "Valentine", in 1944 the Red Army also received the Mk.III "Valentine-Bridgelaer" - in Soviet terminology "Mk.ZM". Perhaps the Canadian version of the Valentine (modification VII) was even more reliable and technically advanced than its English predecessor. Canadian Valentines were supplied to the Red Army from 1942 to 1944, with the bulk of deliveries occurring in 1943. The most popular modifications in the Red Army were the Valentine IV and its Canadian equivalent, the Valentine VII, as well as the main variant of the final period of the war, the Valentine IX. Moreover, in Soviet Union IX was supplied predominantly with an artillery system having a barrel length of 52 calibers, while the British Army used models with a barrel length of 45 calibers. "XI" with a 75 mm cannon was not supplied to the USSR.
It should be noted that the designation system for British armored vehicles was quite complex and cumbersome. First, the index assigned to the tank by the War Department was indicated (Mk.II, Mk.III, Mk.IV, etc.), then the name of the vehicle ("Valentine", "Matilda", "Churchill", etc.) and indicated by it (in Roman numerals). Thus, the full designation of the tank could look like this; Mk.III "Valentine IX", Mk.IV "Churchill III", etc. To avoid confusion, we will use the designations of British tanks adopted in the Red Army during the war: a name indicating the modification, for example: “Valentine IV”, “Valentine IX”, etc., or without indicating the modification, for example: Mk. III "Valentine".
During the four years of war, foreign-made armored vehicles received various units, subdivisions | divisions and units of the armored forces of the Red Army. Therefore, there were many reports on their operational and combat characteristics. Moreover, the assessment of the same vehicle by mid- and senior-level commanders often did not coincide with the opinion of the tank crew. This is understandable, the command was primarily concerned with the tactical characteristics of the equipment - armament, speed on the march, power reserve, etc. - and for the crew, ease of operation, placement of units and the possibility of quick repairs, as well as other parameters of everyday and of a technical nature. The combination of these two points of view largely determined the presented model of armored vehicles.
In addition, the foreign one was designed with a higher culture of production and operation in mind. In many ways, it was the technical illiteracy of the crews and the lack of units necessary for maintenance that became the reasons for the failure of allied equipment. However, the “gap” of the gap was not so great, and our tankers very soon became accustomed to foreign vehicles, modifying many of them to suit the specifics of operation on the Soviet-German front.
The first "Valentines" appeared in units of our active army at the end of November 1941, although in small numbers. At the same time, only part of the 145 Matildas, 216 Valentines and 330 Station Wagons received was used. So, on the Western Front on January 1, 1942, “Valentines” were part of the 146th (2-T-34, 10-T-60, 4-Mk.Sh), 23rd (1-T-34, 5 Mk. .III) and 20th (1-T-34, 1-T-26, 1-T-, 60, 2-Mk.Sh, 1-BA-20) tank brigades operating in battle formations 16, 49 and 3rd Army, as well as as part of the 112th TD (1-KV, 8-T-26, 6-Mk.Sh and 10-T-34), attached to the 50th Army. The 171st separate tank battalion, also equipped with Valentines (10-T-60, 12-Mk.II, 9-Mk.III), fought on the Northwestern Front (4th Contact Army).
German documents of the 4th Panzer Group note the fact of the first use of British tanks "Type 3" (Mk.III "Valentine" - Author's note) against 2 tank division November 25, 1941 in the Peshki area. The document stated: "For the first time German soldiers faced with the fact of real assistance from England, which Russian propaganda had been shouting about for so long. British tanks are much worse than Soviet ones. The crews, who were captured by German soldiers, scold "the old tin boxes that the British foisted on them."
Judging by this report, it can be assumed that the crews of the Valentines had a very limited training period and had little knowledge of English materiel. In the units of the 5th Army, which covered the Mozhaisk direction, the first unit to receive “foreign tanks” was the 136th separate tank battalion (tb). The battalion completed its formation on December 1, 1941, having ten T-34, ten T-60, nine Valentine and three Matilda tanks (British tanks were received in Gorky on November 10, 1941, tankers were trained directly at front). By December 10, during crew training, five Valentines, two Matildas, one T-34 and four T-60s were damaged. After putting the equipment in order, on December 15, 1911, 136th detachment. was assigned to the 329th Infantry Division (SD). Then, together with the 20th Tank Brigade, he took part in the counter-offensive near Moscow.
On January 15, 1942, the battalion command compiled a “Brief Report on the Actions. Mk.Sh” - apparently, documents assessing the Allied equipment:
“The experience of using Valentines has shown:
1. Cross-country ability of tanks winter conditions good, provides movement on soft snow 50-60 cm thick. Ground traction is good, but spurs are needed when there is icy conditions.
2. The weapon worked flawlessly, but there were cases of the gun not firing enough (the first five or six shots), apparently due to thickening of the lubricant. Weapons are very demanding in terms of lubrication and maintenance.
3. Observation through instruments and slits is good.
4. The motor group worked well up to 150-200 hours, then a decrease in engine power is observed.
5. Good quality armor.
Personnel crews underwent special training and had satisfactory command of tanks. The command and technical staff of the tanks had little knowledge. A great inconvenience was created by the crews’ ignorance of the elements of preparing tanks for winter. As a result of the lack of necessary heating, cars had difficulty starting in the cold and therefore remained hot all the time, which led to a large consumption of motor resources. In a battle with German tanks (December 20, 1941), three Valentines received the following damage: one had its turret jammed by a 37-mm shell, the gun of another was jammed, the third received five hits on the side from a distance of 200-250 meters. In this battle, the "Valentines" knocked out two medium German tank T-3.
In general, the Mk.Sh is a good combat vehicle with powerful weapons, good maneuverability, and is capable of operating against enemy personnel, fortifications and tanks.
Negative sides:
1. Poor adhesion of the tracks to the ground.
2. Greater vulnerability of the suspension bogies - if one roller fails, it cannot move. There are no high-explosive fragmentation shells for the gun."
Apparently, the latter circumstance was the reason for the order of the State Defense Committee to rearm the Valentine with a domestic artillery system. This task and tight deadlines were carried out at plant No. 92 design department under the leadership of Grabin. In December 1941, within two weeks, one Valen-Tayne was armed with a 45-mm tank gun and a DT machine gun. This car received the factory index ZIS-95. At the end of December the tank was sent to Moscow, but further prototype things didn't work out.
A large number of Valentine tanks took part in the battle for the Caucasus. In general, the North Caucasus Front in the period 1942-1943 had a very significant “share” of Anglo-American tanks - up to 70% of total number cars This situation was explained primarily by the proximity of the front to the Iranian supply channel for the Red Army with equipment and weapons, as well as the convenience of transporting tanks along the Volga that arrived at the northern ports of the USSR.
Of the armored units of the North Caucasus Front, the 5th Guards Tank Brigade was considered the most eminent and experienced. Fighting In the Caucasus, the brigade began on September 26, 1942, covering the Grozny direction to the Malgobek, Ozernaya area (at that time the brigade had 40 Valentines, three T-34s and one BT-7). On September 29, the brigade counterattacked German units in the Alkhanch-urt valley. In this battle, the crew of Captain Shenelkov's Guard in his "Valentine" destroyed five tanks, one self-propelled gun, a truck and 25 soldiers. 15 Over the next few days, fighting in this area continued. In total, during the fighting in the Malgobek area, the brigade destroyed 38 tanks (of which 20 were burned), one self-propelled gun, 24 guns, six mortars, one six-barreled mortar, and up to 1,800 enemy soldiers. The brigade's losses were two T-34s, 33 Valentines (eight of them burned out, the rest were evacuated and restored), 268 people were killed and wounded.
Returning to the use of the Valentine tank on the Soviet-German front, we can say that our commanders found the right solution - they began to use these tanks in a comprehensive manner, together with Soviet technology. In the first echelon (according to documents from 1942) there were KV and Matilda CS tanks. (with a 76.2 mm howitzer), in the second echelon there are T-34s, and in the third echelon “Valentine” and T-70. This tactic very often yielded positive results. An example of this is the reconnaissance in force of the fire system of the German defensive zone in the North Caucasus - the Blue Line.
For the attack, forces from the 56th Army were brought in: the 5th Guards Tank Brigade (as of August 1, 1943 it had 13 M4A2, 24 Valentine, 12 T-34) and the 14th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment (16 KV- 1C), as well as the battalion of the 417th Infantry Division.
Exactly at six o'clock in the morning on August 6, 1943, a Katyusha salvo was fired at the village of Gorno-Vesely (Object of attack), and immediately behind the barrage of fire, three KV-1S rushed forward, followed by three Valentines under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant G. P. Polosina. The infantry moved behind the slippers. Next, it is not without interest to cite the memories of battle participant G.P. Polosin:
“Maneuvering among shell explosions (a thirty-minute artillery barrage, of course, did not completely suppress the enemy’s fire system), my “Valentine” unexpectedly found itself literally in front of the houses of the farm. What luck! But what about other tanks?..
I looked around through the viewing slits. I saw that two more "Englishmen" of my platoon - Poloznikov's and Voronkov's vehicles - were walking slightly behind. But heavy HFs are not visible. Maybe they fell behind or were taken to the side: The infantry, of course, had been cut off from the tanks even earlier...
Destroying enemy machine-gun emplacements and bunkers along the way, our tanks reached the ravine. We stopped here. I gave the order over the radio:
-Don't shoot without my order! Take care of the shells. It is still unknown how long it will take... And then we will have to fight our way to our own people...
The tank commanders answered briefly:
-Understood.
Then he tried to contact the guard company commander, Senior Lieutenant Maksimov. And I couldn't. The airwaves were filled to the limit with hysterical teams on German. Apparently, the Nazis were seriously concerned about the unexpected breakthrough of Russian tanks in this sector of their defense.
But our position was also unenviable. It just so happened that they were separated from the main group conducting reconnaissance in force, and their fuel was running out, they were alone behind enemy lines, who, however, had not yet fully understood the situation, but this was a matter of time.
Having crushed a German anti-tank gun along the way, our tank jumped out of the ravine onto open space and saw a strange picture. There were Germans on Voronkov’s car, which was 30-40 meters to the right. They mistook the Valentines for their equipment, banged their butts on the armor and did not understand why the tankers did not get out. After waiting until there were up to a dozen Germans, I ordered a machine gun to hit them. Then, firing smoke grenade launchers (this is where these weapons, which were only on British tanks) and, having installed a smoke screen, the vehicles returned through the ravine to the location of their troops. The battle was still going on near Gorno-Vesely. The HFs were shot down. One of them stood without a tower. Another a little further from him buried his gun in the ground. At its right, spread out caterpillar, two tankers fired their pistols away from the advancing Germans. Having dispersed the enemy infantry with cannon and machine gun fire, we dragged both wounded men into our Valentine. It immediately became clear that having failed to penetrate the armor of the KV anti-tank artillery, the Germans used guided mines against them."
During this short raid behind enemy lines, a platoon of guard senior lieutenant G.P. Polosin destroyed five anti-tank guns, crushed five bunkers, 12 machine guns, and shot up to a hundred Nazis. But most importantly, with his unexpected attack from the rear he forced the enemy to fully open his fire system. Which, in fact, was what was needed.
It remains to add that all crew members of Polosin’s platoon were awarded government awards for this. Personally, Georgy Pavlovich Polosin received the Order of the Red Star.
In the 196th Tank Brigade (30th Army of the Kalinin Front), which participated in the capture of the city of Rzhev, in August 1942, steel plates were welded onto each of the tracks of the Valentine tanks, increasing the track area. Shod in such “bast shoes”, the car did not fall through the snow and did not get stuck in the marshy soil of central Russia. Mk.III were actively used in positional battles on the Western and Kalinin fronts until the beginning of 1944. Cavalrymen were very fond of the Valentine for its mobility and maneuverability. Until the end of the war, the Valentine IV and its further development, the Valentine IX and X, remained the main tank of the cavalry corps. The cavalrymen noted the lack of high-explosive fragmentation shells for the cannon as the main drawback. And one more thing: it was not recommended to make sharp turns on the Valentine, since this would bend the sloth’s crank and cause the caterpillar to jump off.
By the end of the war, modifications of the Valentine IX and X (along with the American Sherman) remained the only types of tanks that the USSR continued to request for delivery to the Red Army. For example, on June 22, 1944, the 5th Guards Tank Army (3rd Belorussian Front) had 39 Valentine IX tanks, and the 3rd Cavalry Corps had 30 Valentine III tanks. These vehicles ended their military career in the Far East in August-September 1945. The 1st Far Eastern Front included 20 Mk.III Valentine-Bridgelayer bridge tanks, the 2nd Far Eastern Front included 41 "Valentine III and IX" (267th Tank Regiment) and another 40 "Valentine IV" were in the ranks of the cavalry -mechanized group of the Transbaikal Front.
Attached to tank brigades by armies 15 and 16, tank-bridge companies (10 Mk.IIIM each) marched together with tanks, but were not used, since tanks and self-propelled guns overcame small rivers and streams themselves, and large obstacles (over 8 m) were not could be provided with Mk.IIIM.
Canadian tanks "Valentine IV" in Soviet terminology were also designated as "Mk.III", so it is quite difficult to determine which are actually English and which are Canadian vehicles. Several Valentine VII vehicles took part in the liberation of Crimea. In 19 Perekopsky tank corps There was the 91st separate motorcycle battalion, which had a Valentine VII bottom, ten BA-64s, ten Universal armored personnel carriers and 23 motorcycles.
However, this does not in the least diminish the Canadian share of supplies to the USSR. After all, almost half of the Valentines delivered were Canadian-made. These tanks, along with British products, took part in many operations of the Great Patriotic War.
One example of the use of Canadian vehicles was the battle of the 139th tank regiment of the 68th mechanized brigade of the 5th mechanized corps of the 5th army to capture locality Maiden Field in November 1943. 139 TP (68 infantry brigade, 8 Mk, 5th Army) entered operational subordination to the 5th Army on November 15, 1943. With 20 T-34 tanks and 18 Valentine VII tanks, the regiment was fully equipped and was not used in battle until November 20. After the preparation of the material unit for battle was completed, on November 20, 1943, in cooperation with the 57th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment, armed with KV and T-34 vehicles, and the infantry of the 110th Guards Rifle Division, the tanks of the 139th Tank Division went forward. ,the attack was carried out on high speeds(up to 25 km/h) with a landing force of machine gunners (up to 100 people) and with those attached to tanks anti-tank guns. 30 people took part in this operation Soviet tanks. The enemy did not expect such a massive rapid attack and was unable to provide effective resistance to the advancing units. When the first line of defense was broken, the infantry dismounted and, unhooking their guns, began to occupy enemy positions, preparing to repel a possible counterattack. The remaining units of the 110th Guards Infantry Division were brought into the breakthrough. However, the German counterattack did not take place; the German command was so stunned by the Soviet breakthrough that it was unable to organize resistance within 24 hours. During this day, our troops marched 20 km into the depths of the German defense and captured Devichye Pole, losing 4 tanks (KV,

Valentine – British light tank Level IV. Allows you to open two branches of research: artillery through Bishop and tank destroyers through Archer.

Historically, it was one of the most successful and widespread British tanks; in total, more than eight thousand Valentines of various modifications were produced.

Security and armor of Valentine in World of Tanks

The tank stands out for its frontal armor: 60 mm in the hull and 65 mm in the turret. Taking into account the rounded shape of the tower and the specific arrangement of the plates in the hull, we get quite a good result, allowing us to deflect quite a lot of shells from weak low-level guns. The latest armor update only affected British medium tanks. On the other hand, for tanks of the fifth and sixth levels such armor will not be an obstacle. In its maximum configuration, the Valentine tank has 340 survivability units, which partially compensates for the level of protection.

Characteristics of the Valentine tank

The best option is a stock gun. Yes, it has weak penetration by the main projectile and small one-time damage. But at the same time, it has an excellent rate of fire, accuracy and the best damage per minute among all the others. In addition, the stock turret allows the gun to be lowered down by as much as 15 degrees, which seriously helps with terrain utilization. However, even weak penetration is enough against most level 4 enemies, and premium shells can be used against armored targets.

The main characteristics of the Valentine include damage per minute and the ability to install a Tier 5 QF-6-PDR GUN MK gun on the tank. At full research All modules can be replaced with a 75 mm GUN MK. V. With this weapon, the British will be able to conquer Tier 5 tanks, such as the light Crusader, and even some Tier 6 tanks. And among Tier 4 and 3 combat vehicles, such as the British Medium Mark III tank, Valentine will actually dominate.

It is also worth mentioning good mobility indicators due to the installation of the VALENTINE MK VI chassis, which will allow the tank to rotate by 42 degrees per second.

If you still decide to install a top turret, then you need to take into account that although it adds strength points and slightly increases visibility, the vertical aiming angles are reduced and the gun is lowered by 8 degrees. As for the gun, we can recommend the pre-top 75 mm Mk. gun for this turret. V, which has good armor penetration.

Mobility and crew of the British light tank Valentine

Although the Valentine belongs to the class of light tanks, its movement is not very good. Maximum speed is only 24 km/h with a rather weak power density engine. The only thing that makes the situation easier is that the body rotates in place quite quickly, at 42 degrees per second, as we said above. The tower rotates 40 degrees.

The crew of the British tank consists of three people:

1. Commander
2. Driver mechanic
3. Charging

All tankers have unique British nation portraits in World of Tanks. Each of them is dressed in military uniform and has a beret-shaped headdress. For a level 4 tank it is enough to have three crew members. With proper leveling and correctly selected perks, such as " the Brotherhood of War", tankers will be able to show excellent results in battles at medium and close range.

Tactics for playing WOT on a level 4 Valentine tank

Considering that "Valentine" plays on low levels, in the “sandbox”, you don’t need to come up with any complex game tactics. The behavior of allies is almost impossible to predict, so the main thing is to stay close to them. The armor is quite good and allows you to deflect some enemy shots. When playing with a stock gun, you have to load quite a lot of premium shells into the ammunition load in order to be able to fire at armored targets. But the tank does not go into big “minus” for silver, the level is too low.