The vehicle shared the A.13 designation with the fairly similar Cruiser Tank Mark III (A.13 Mk I), of which it was an improved version of. Source: The Cruiser Tank Mark IV (A.13 Mk II)Īs its name indicates, the Cruiser Mark IV was the fourth adopted model of the series of British Cruiser tanks, designed around high mobility at the cost of armor protection. Despite being captured in small numbers only, the Mark IV would have the dubious honor of participating in the German invasion of the Soviet Union in a flamethrower tank battalion’s ranks. Of these, a number of Mark IV Cruiser tanks are notable as these were, for a short time, actually employed by the Wehrmacht during Operation Barbarossa, albeit with poor results.Ī Kreuzer-Panzerkampfwagen Mk IV 744(e) beside a German truck during Operation Barbarossa. A considerable number of armored vehicles was left behind by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as it evacuated France in June 1940. ![]() However, it is often swept under the rug that Germany captured and reused some British equipment too. Prior to 1941, the vehicles captured in the greatest numbers and used most intensively were French tanks, due to the fall of the country and its large tank force to Germany in May-June 1940. ![]() These vehicles are known as Beutepanzers. During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht made very intensive and extensive use of captured armor to fulfill a wide array of roles, from security vehicles to hulls used to create tank destroyers and self-propelled guns. ![]() The old proverb is often true of modern warfare as well.
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