The Infantry Tank Mark II, better known as the Matilda, is a British infantry tank of the Second World War. [1] The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machine gun armed, two-man A11 Infantry Tank Mark I.

The Matilda Mark II, or rather "Matilda II" (to avoid confusion with the sub-mark versions), or "Matilda Senior", was a 60,000 lbs machine, armed with the new QF 40 mm (1.57 in) gun, one of the many derivatives of the licence-built Bofors, which had an excellent rate of fire.

Jan 11, 2011 · Known officially as the Infantry Tank Mark II, and less formally as the Matilda Senior or Matilda 2, this 27-ton tank wreaked havoc among the Italian forces in the deserts of Egypt in late 1940.

Aug 15, 2018 · Officially called the Infantry Tank Mark II, the Matilda II was a British tank from the Second World War. Also known as Matilda Senior or Waltzing Matilda, it was famous for the havoc it wreaked among Italian forces in the North African Campaign of 1940.

The Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II (sometimes referred to as Matilda senior or simply an 'I' tank) was a British Infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12.

The Matilda II first saw action at the Battle of Arras in 1940 and was the only British tank used throughout the Second World War. In North Africa their thick armour earned them the nickname ‘Queen of the Desert.’

Aug 6, 2017 · Along with the Churchill III, Tetrarch, Valentine and Universal Carrier, the famous ‘Queen of the Desert’ Matilda II soon found itself in the USSR, provided by Britain. Between 1941 and 1943, some 1084 Matildas were shipped to the Soviet Union.

As the best British tank in service in 1940 was the Infantry Tank Mk II, Matilda, which was almost immune to German and Italian anti-tank and tank guns then in use. The Matildas are the spearheads of the British armour in the successful Libyan campaign in late 1940.

The Matilda Infantry Tank Mk II (A12) was the most capable British tank of 1940, but was slow to produce, could only carry a 2pdr gun, and was thus soon obsolete.

Mar 13, 2019 · A12 Infantry Tank Mark II and, in particular, the name Matilda is most famous for its achievements in early Western Desert tank battles. Against the inferior tanks of Italy in Libya in 1940 the Matilda tanks were nigh on indestructible.