Best British Tank of WW2

No doubt, the Matilda II certainly was a great tank for it's time period. It redefined the Shot-Trap concept, look at that mantlet

 

"German Stuff is freaking sweet!"

 

It was a bitch to knock out the side armour was almost as heavy as the front and it was relatively small so it was easy to hide.

The best British tank for value for money was the archer which mounted a seventeen pounder on a valentine hull with the gun mounted to point over its engine it was an extremly effective tank killer that had a low profile and allowed heavy A/T support to keep up with the infantry.

The valentine itself paticularly in later marks after it recieved a six punder or 75mm qf was a good tank for its time and well thought of by the russians where its use as a light tank meant that the light tank crews got a vechile with similar firepower and armour to a Panzer 3 and unlike most russian tanks in 1942 when they were supplied they came fitted with radios so command and control was a lot easier.

The russians often had a problem in 1941-2 in that they tended only to have a radio in the command tanks and would signal with flags. The problem was this usualy meant the Germans would pick off the command tank first and then deal with the uncoordinated rest wandering around without orders.

My Grandfather (who delivered weapons as an officer in the merchant navy on an armed merchant cruiser) said this radio issue was a problem till late in the war he saw radio's on light tanks supplied in 1943 being pulled out and fitted in . russian heavy tanks. The russians would then report the radios as damaged in transit and demand replacements.

The Centurion was the best tank of the second world war although it saw no action it was used by numerous countries and continues in use in the Israeli and South African service seeing several generations of new tanks being come and go and still remaining in the front line. The Centurion was and is ultimately upgradeable with the capacity for new engines, guns, sights and armour to be fitted with very little trouble the shame is it came too late for service in world war 2 it absorbed every lesson taught by world war 2 but alas to late.

 

The pedant in me is compelled to point out that the Archer isn't a tank, it's an SPG or tank destroyer at best. Bloody vicious, mind.

 

cromwell.lee.

 

I think that the best one was the Firefly.

 

as it seems we are including tanks that did not see combat i think it only fair to put forward the Australian cruiser tank MK3/4 series "sentinel" this was a medium tank project using locally obtainable material, to counter german tanks in the western desert. even though only 66 tanks where built and only some 5 or 6 where the AC4 vehicles it represented an amazing vehicle capable of dealing with any axis tank until late 1944, it had sloped armor averaging 3'5 in and a QF 17pdr gun on a full traverse turret, m3 carriage initially with a prototype being converted to a christie system.
i know i am byased but IMO and only IMO i see it as the best designed allied tank.

 

Most likely, it was something built in America.....

 

Would I shock you all if I said the Covenanter?

 

what about the tanks?that cut off the ity army at beda fomm,they deserve at least a mention.i know they were rubbish,like most uk tanks of ww2,but they helped pput approx 100,000 ity,s in the bag.only my opinion mind you.cheers.

 

I said Covenanter. None saw service.
Covenanter tank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thank goodness for that as well!

 

Well another typical Hawkerace comment, I'd put my vote on the Crusader series

Why? You must be joking hawk! Well, why not? They a bunch of good looking tanks thats why.