Valentine Mk I

Me and the g/f just finished building and painting an Italieri 1/72 scale model of a Valentine Mk I (My god, it took ages!). Now, of the decals and paint jobs suggested in the instructions, three are fine; two in the North Africa campaign, and one in Russia. However, the last one is for the British 6th Armoured Division in June 1944, and this has me confused.

As far as I know, the Valentine didn't see service much past 1942, and certainly not in North-Western Europe. This leads me to believe the Italieri instructions are in error - but are they? Were Valentines used post-1942, and were they used in the 6th Armoured Division?

 

You might like this;
Valentine tank: Encyclopedia - Valentine tank

Actually, if my memory serves me rightly there are photographs of Amphibious DD Valentines in 1944, I will have to get the photo.
And another one of a Valentine supporting some infantry on D-Day too.
I know where the book is but it is obscured by some mess so I will have to get it at a later date.

 

Valentine continued to serve as control and OP tanks in 17pdr SPG valentine Royal artillery rgts. Some even survived in this form into Post War years.

A few Valentine DDs both 2pdr and 6pdr were used in Italy. The odd one or two
may have been used during the Schelt expedition and the Rhine Crossing but only as tenders.

Valentine Bridgelayer were part of Cruiser tank Rgts.

The Russians used Valentine tanks until the end of WW2.

Several Btns were used in the Eygptian Army .

 

Valentine served right through to the end of the war from it's first inception, production only ending in 1944, in '43 it still formed c.25% of British/Commonwealth Tank production (even though much of that production was diverted East.)

Outside of specialist variants built on the chassis, ones still in service in Europe from 44-45 in more conventional form are quite likely to be mark XI's, though I wouldn't exclude the possibility of earlier types still knocking about, a fair few were used as Battery commander's vehicles & OP Conversions for RA SPATG units and Archers.
The illustration may even be of a training vehicle?
6th Armoured were in Italy, I'm rubbish at organisation but they definitely had Valentines in Tunisia and I can easily see a fair few carrying on service past the issue of Shermans.

Edit: Cross-posted with Steve above... 'what he said' basically .

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Actually I went off to find the photo of the Valentine X marked as "Churchill tank in a flood that I think was posted sometime ago.

 

The one mis-captioned as a Churchill near Kranenburg?

Might have been a thread on WW2 Talk mate.

 

Thanks you've probably got some idea how many tank pics I see in an average week?

There is a story in Tank Tracks by Peter Beale about a pair of officers in the Reichwald forest in February 1945, speaking to each other at cross road when a tank charged down the ride and past them, disapppearing into the forest, one officer turned to the other astonished and said "a Valentine I didn't know we still used them"

With regard to Britsih Valentines used in support of Infantry, it is possible for OP and Control tanks to give limited support to infantry as many were still fully armed, contary to the popular belief only a limited number in Battery and HQs had the gun removed and extra wireless fitted. Forward Artillery observation vehicles often had to defend themselves and importantly put down smoke.

Steve

 

I almost gut buried alive in books finding these, so it better be appreciated!
(In case you did not know, DD Valentines. The captions say 1944 in Britian and Normandy. However for some reason I doubt that)

Oh, and by the way, sorry for upside down image!

 

That really is wonderful Joe, thanks - very helpful of you. When I figure out how, I'll post some pics of my Valentine for 'comparison'!

 

Well, we are all here to help.
However, I wouldn't trust the captions 100%.

And I hope I didn't make you strain your neck too much!

 

I wouldn't trust the caption at all, they were originally intended for Sherman's eventual role but the DD Valentines didn't go abroad, unless you count the odd foray into Poole Harbour & other local waters.

Some may have made it once converted back to gun-tanks but they weren't sent as swimmers, only deployed as training/trials vehicles.
Nice restored example that visits Beltring:


Cheers,
Adam.

 

VP, that second picture of mine does look like a combat situation, and it does look like it has DD skirts.

 

The top one's are indeed DDs, but from the hard-standing I'd guess it was one of the Gosport or Dorset exercises. What's the book Joe? need to rotate 2nd pic.

Here you go, this chap says B squadron 14th/18th Hussars on training:
Sgt Barnes - photos B squad

Cheers,
Adam.

 

2nd pic?
Right way up (sorry, 5 year old with chicken pox gave me 1 hours sleep last night couldn't see an upside down pic properly at all ).

A Sherman, surely...

 

If that's a Sherman then my blood is tomato ketchup...


...have I caught the great Von Poop out?

 

I'll try and post a pic of my Valentine in a minute, but I need some quick help. I've painted the whole tank and added the decals, but the tank commander needs to be painted. What colour were tank crew's uniforms generally? It's only a 1/72 kit so it probably only needs one colour, but at the moment it's making the tank look rather messy.

 

Skinny, a Khaki drab'll 'do' for Uniforms, though some kit and pixie suits are in a more sandy colour.
Try a search on IWM for 'tankman', some nice colour shots.
Imperial War Museum Collections Online Database

You're puzzling me now Joe, what on earth makes you think that's not a Sherman? If the guy behind it was next to a valentine, even crouching he'd probably be able to see the engine deck...

 

Ah, wonderful! Cheers for that, I'll have a bash at it after dinner.

 

The turret doesn't look very Shermany.

 

Is it Heinz or HP

It is a Sherman the four stack of the apron, the Sherman semi-circular hatch, the commander sight vane on the turret The tracks are cuff type.

Steve