Valentine tank

Tank, Infantry, Valentine, Mk I–XI
Valentine II at Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia
Type	Infantry tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1940–60
Used by	British Army, Red Army, New Zealand Army
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Vickers-Armstrongs
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Vickers-Armstrongs and others
Produced	1940–44
Number built	8,275 (6,855 built in UK and 1,420 in Canada)
Specifications
Weight	about 16 long tons (16–17 tonnes)
Length	hull: 17 ft 9 in (5.41 m)
Width	8 ft 7.5 in (2.629 m)
Height	7 ft 5.5 in (2.273 m)
Crew	Mk I,II, IV, VI–XI: 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) Mk III, V: 4 (+ loader)
Armour	8–65 mm
Main armament	Mk I–VII: QF 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk VIII–X: QF 6-pounder (57 mm) Mk XI: QF 75 mm Mk IIICS QF 3-inch (76 mm)
Secondary armament	Mk I–VII, X, XI: 7.92 mm BESA machine-gun with 3,150 rounds
Engine	Mk I: AEC A189 9.6 litre petrol Mk II, III, VI: AEC A190 diesel Mk IV, V, VII–XI: GMC 6004 diesel 131–210 hp (97–157 kW)
Power/weight	12.4 hp (9.2 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Meadows Type 22 (5 speed and reverse)
Suspension	coil sprung three-wheel bogies "Slow Motion"
Fuel capacity	36 gallons internal
Operational range	90 mi (140 km) on roads
Speed	15 mph (24 km/h) on roads
Steering system	clutch and brake

The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in eleven marks, plus various specialised variants, accounting for approximately a quarter of wartime British tank production. The many variants included riveted and welded construction, petrol and diesel engines and a progressive increase in armament. It was supplied in large numbers to the USSR and built under licence in Canada. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be both strong and reliable.

There are several proposed explanations for the name Valentine. According to the most popular one, the design was presented to the War Office on St. Valentine's Day, 14 February 1940, although some sources say that the design was submitted on Valentine's Day 1938 or 10 February 1938. White notes that "incidentally" Valentine was the middle name of Sir John V. Carden, the man who was responsible for many tank designs including that of the Valentine's predecessors, the A10 and A11. Another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & (Newcastle-upon) Tyne. The "most prosaic" explanation according to David Fletcher is that it was just an in-house codeword of Vickers with no other significance.

The Valentine started as a proposal based on Vickers' experience with the A9, A10 specification cruiser tanks and the A11 (Infantry Tank Mk I). As a private design by Vickers-Armstrongs, it did not receive a General Staff "A" designation; it was submitted to the War Office on 10 February 1938. The development team tried to match the lower weight of a cruiser tank, allowing the suspension and transmission parts of the A10 heavy cruiser to be used, with the greater armour of an infantry tank. Working to a specification for a 60 mm (2.4 in) armour basis (the same as the A.11) but with a 2-pounder gun in a two-man turret (the A.11 was armed only with a heavy machine gun), a lower silhouette and as light as possible, resulted in a very compact vehicle with a cramped interior. Compared to the earlier Infantry Tank Mk II "Matilda", the Valentine had somewhat weaker armour and almost the same top speed. By using components already proven on the A9 and A10, the new design was easier to produce and much less expensive.