The Cruiser Tank A13, redesignated Cruiser Tank Mark III from June 1940, was in reality the first true ‘cruiser’ design. Its predecessors that rather optimistically bore the cruiser designation were the A9 (Cruiser Mark I), originally designed as a low-cost medium tank that was rather too slow for the cruiser specification and the A10 (Cruiser Mark II) that was intended as an infantry support version of the A9 with better armour but even slower.
The A13 achieved the required performance by using a suspension system derived from the designs of American inventor J. Walter Christie, subsequently used in all British cruiser tanks until the arrival of the Centurion in 1945. The original concept of the cruiser tank was that speed would be its main protection, so frontal armour of only 14mm was fitted, it was soon realised that this was inadequate so a total of just sixty-six vehicles was produced between April and December 1939 before production switched to the better-protected A13 Mark II (Cruiser Tank Mark IV). The Cruiser Tank Mark III only ever saw action in France in 1940 with the 1st Armoured Division.
When the German Army launched their assault in the west on 10th May 1940, 1st Armoured Division was still in Britain. Hastily dispatched before it was fully equipped, the division began to arrive in France through Cherbourg from 20th May, by which time the leading elements of the German Panzers were already arriving at the coast near Abbeville to the north, thus preventing the division from joining up with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was itself soon to be retreating to Dunkirk. The division had a theoretical establishment of 340 cruiser tanks in two armoured brigades, the 2nd with three armoured cavalry regiments and the 3rd with three Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) battalions (cavalry regiments and RTR battalions were organised and equipped identically.) In practice only 150 cruisers of all types were received, issued as available; some of the tanks were embarked with such haste that they had not been fitted with armament, which was shipped with the tanks to be fitted on arrival. Each tank regiment/battalion had a motley collection of A9, A10 and A13 cruiser types, but the Mark III Cruisers were only issued to the three RTR battalions. The numerical shortfall was partially made up by 134 less than adequate Mark VI Light Tanks. In addition, there was supposed to be a support group comprising two motorised infantry battalions, two field artillery regiments and a composite anti-tank/anti-aircraft regiment. However, the field artillery had already been sent ahead to join the BEF in October 1939, while the infantry along with 3rd RTR, that included some of the Mark III Cruisers, were diverted to defend the port of Calais.
Unsurprisingly, this “travesty of a division”, as its commanding officer described it, suffered badly in action, losing most of its tanks employed inappropriately in frontal assaults under French control. Following the Franco-German armistice on 23rd June, the division was evacuated back to Britain through Brest and Cherbourg, abandoning most of the few tanks that remained. In Calais 3rd RTR had fared no better, losing its tanks in an attempt to break out of the surrounded port towards Gravelines in the Dunkirk perimeter.
A total of 38 Cruiser Mark IIIs was listed as lost in France and by the end of 1940 only six were available to the rebuilt 1st Armoured Division.
Unlike the Cruisers Marks I, II, IV and IVA, all of which saw action in the North African Theatre, the Mark III did not see operational use again; a few survivors were modified to near Cruiser Mark IV standard and in fact the sole surviving A13 of any mark, now in the Tank Museum, Bovington, UK, is such a vehicle.
THE KIT
Early Second World War British tanks were poorly served in 1:35 scale until 2008 when Bronco issued the first in their series of A13 Cruiser Tank kits – the Cruiser Tank Mark III – followed by Marks IV and IVA, plus the inevitable German ‘beutepanzer’. Having always liked the look of these early cruisers, I eventually bought all of them except the captured German example. After sitting in my stash for too long the first to hit the workbench was the Mark III. But now confession time – the model ultimately completed here is not from the Bronco Mark III kit, but the Mark IV, using the decals and instructions from the Mark III.
I made a start on the Mark III kit but put it to one side in frustration, having got into all sorts of difficulties with the hull alignment and photoetched brass amongst other things. Then I discovered the problem with the engine deck that is documented in several kit reviews – giving me the perfect excuse for giving up on it! Bronco’s Mark IV kit (CB35027) is basically their Mark III (CB35025) with some extra parts plus a re-tooled engine deck amongst other corrections that I will come to later. This provided a second chance to complete a Cruiser Tank Mark III, this time armed with the knowledge of my mistakes first time around as well as a more accurate kit.
After the review criticisms it received for the Mark III kit, Bronco made corrections that feature in the later releases, it may well be that these have also been implemented in the Mark III that has been recently re-released, although I cannot confirm this.
THE BUILD
I basically followed the kit instructions except for my usual practice of adding the most delicate parts (of which there are a few) as late in the build as possible. Also, I prefer to paint the wheels and tracks separately so they go on last.