Talk:Mk VI light tank

Operational History - no mention of how hopelessly outclassed they were?

It's one thing to read "the Imperial General Staff considered the tank to be superior to any light tank produced by other nations" and "the Mark VI was used by the British Army to perform imperial policing duties [], a role for which it and the other Vickers-Armstrongs light tanks were found to be well suited"

That's "well suited" in the General Staff's (clueless) opinion and so it's okay.

But then the section goes on to list where the tanks were used, concluding "Being widely used by the British Army, the tank participated in several other important battles."

Wait what? No mention of how completely outclassed they were against German armor, at all? Reading the main Light Tank article we at least get "The British withdrew their light tank designs from their armoured divisions early in the war". No wonder! CapnZapp (talk) 13:00, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure of what the intention of these remarks is. There is a vast difference between "policing duties" and taking on a PzKpfw IV. The Mk VI was really in a similar category to the German PzKpfw I. Both were of very limited value in a major battle. They tended to be used for scouting duties and were never intended to take on tanks. Further to that, there are passages in theVI article which demonstrate that it was not entirely successful, even against the Italians. It was essentially a reflection of tank doctrine in the days before Guderian etc. turned it on its head. The Mk IV was intended as something of a cavalry tank - to seek out and probe contact. As such, it was not intended to engage in a major battle. Infantry tanks such as the Matilda, were a different philosophy again. When used in concert with the Matilda, it was moderately useful. Flanker235 (talk) 14:03, 10 December 2016 (UTC)

The Vickers Light tanks used in France and the Western Desert were intended for reconnaissance duties in the same manner as the later CVR(T) Scorpion and Scimitar range of vehicles. The Vickers was fast and in many ways ideal for this purpose. If it had been meant to take on enemy armour it would have been fitted with the 2 pdr, as the later Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch and the Daimler Armoured Car were.

The British light tanks were fitted with wireless (radio) and their sole purpose was to drive out in front of friendly forces and then to report back any contact with the enemy while the vehicle itself retreated to avoid having to actually fight. That's why they were required to be fast vehicles, which the Vickers range of vehicles were. The later CVR(T) range of vehicles would do 60 mph on a road and the track pins were fitted with polythene bushings to eliminate the track noise so they were also unusually quiet.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.149.173.127 (talk) 09:51, 31 January 2019 (UTC)

Just Polythene? (which has problems with creep under load) Or something like PEEK or filled Nylon? Andy Dingley (talk) 13:13, 31 January 2019 (UTC)

IIRC, it was polythene, but it may have been teflon, I'm not sure (it was a long time ago), although I don't know how often the bushings needed to be replaced. Tracks are inherently disposable items anyway, as they wear until even after adjusting they are eventually unable to be kept on the sprockets without throwing. I do know that one of the most noticeable things about the CVR(T) range was the almost total lack of normal track noise. It was this lack of track noise, and the high speed of the CVR(T) range that was to eventually make the related CVR(W) effectively redundant - the CVR(W) range had been originally ordered because a wheeled vehicle is usually both faster and quieter on the road than a tracked one, which is useful for a reconnaissance vehicle, however the CVR(T) range - which had been ordered because of its superior off-road mobility to the CVR(W) - subsequently proved to be just as fast and quiet with the added advantage of much better off-road mobility.

The squeaking and clanking noise of a conventional track on a dry road surface travels far, especially at night, and instantly advertises 'military vehicle', or more specifically 'tank'. The normal wheeled sound of an armoured car OTOH is easier to mistake for a civilian heavy vehicle, useful when travelling through possibly hostile built up areas when you do not wish to advertise your presence, nor to have the building's occupants possibly getting out of their beds to see what's happening. It was for this reason the British Army preferred a wheeled vehicle for some reconnaissance tasks, however the low noise and high road speed of the CVR(T) range made this preference effectively obsolete.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.149.173.127 (talk) 14:01, 31 January 2019 (UTC)

Survivors

I'm aware of surviving tanks at IMW duxford and bovington. Anywhere else?©Geni (talk) 16:46, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

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