MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR)

This page is about the Soviet medium tank MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR). For other versions, see Valentine (Family).

▂МК-IX "Valentine"

▂МК-IX "Valentine"

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

The ▂МК-IX "Valentine" is a premium gift rank II Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.95 "Northern Wind" as a special Valentine's Day vehicle. This is a Lend-Lease Valentine, shipped to the USSR by the British. The tank was made available to purchase in-game with Golden Eagles () for specific mini-events like the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Valentine's Day events.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull60 / 30 / 60

Turret65 / 60 / 65

Crew3 people

Visibility78 %

The armour on the MK-IX "Valentine" is quite mediocre head on, but slightly above par when angled. The maximum base armour thickness of the hull is 60 mm and is laid out flat on the designs, while the sloping portions are of thinner 30 mm armour plates. This gives an average thickness of ~60 mm of armour when facing the MK-IX "Valentine" flat from the front. However if angled, the armour has an effective thickness of 80mm, as such this is heavily advised. The turret is more well protected than the hull, with its front armoured with 65 mm armour plates and sloped with its circular shape, but the cast construction of the gun mantlet can lead to some enemies attacking the gun breech to disable the Valentine's firepower, if they do not aim for the hull directly.

The mediocre armour construction means that there will be multiple types of enemies the MK-IX "Valentine" can encounter that can easily penetrate through the armour, especially if the opponent is firing at a close range and have a good knowledge on the MK-IX "Valentine"'s weak spots. These armour vulnerabilities adds up with the Valentine's fault of not being a particularly fast vehicle. This means any exposure from cover can be a long one that enemies can take the time to line up their next shot towards an armour weak point.

The Valentines biggest advantage when it comes to survival is its small size. Because of this, the majority of enemies will have difficulties hitting the weak spots and penetrating the armour at medium and long ranges. At close range, this advantage is largely nullified and the enemy can easily shoot the exposed 30 mm thick driver's hatches even if the Valentine is angled.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	60 mm (1°) Front plate 30 mm (65-67°) Front glacis 60 mm (24°) Lower glacis	50 mm	17 mm (51-54°) Top 60 mm (1°) Bottom	20 mm (40-89°)
Turret	65 mm (0-73°) Turret front 65 mm (1-61°) Gun mantlet	60 mm (0-1°)	65 mm (2-58°)	20 mm (76-89°)

Notes:

• Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
• Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are all 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB27 / 4 km/h

RB and SB25 / 3 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight17.3 t

Engine power

AB315 hp

RB and SB165 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB18.2 hp/t

RB and SB9.5 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	27	4	17.3	256	315	14.8	18.21
Realistic	25	3		146	165	8.44	9.54

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB745

RB552

SB2 181

Crew training4 800

Experts32 000

Aces210

Research Aces440 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 50 / 70 / 110 %

2 × 124 / 124 / 124 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive 57mm_britain_6pdr_AP_HV_ammo_pack 57mm_britain_6pdr_APC_ammo_pack Adjustment of Fire 57mm_britain_6pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade Artillery Support

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III cannon

Ammunition53 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.2 → 4.0 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 17°

The 57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III is a potent gun at its rank. Although it lacks explosive filler, due to the high penetration of its rounds and the quick reload (especially compared to other Russian tanks), the Valentine will be able to penetrate most enemy tanks from the front. It is advised to bring more ammo than expected as it will take a few shots to completely destroy an enemy. Since the ammo is largely stored in the same place, the exact number of shells brought into battle doesn't matter.

57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	53	-12°/+20°	±180°	N/A	15.23	21.08	25.60	28.31	30.12	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
Realistic					9.52	11.20	13.60	15.04	16.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Shot Mk.5	AP	101	97	82	66	53	43
Shot Mk.5 HV	AP	108	104	87	70	57	46
Shot Mk.8	APC	110	106	89	72	59	48
Shot Mk.9	APCBC	122	118	101	84	70	58
Shell Mk.10	HE	9	9	9	9	9	9

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Shot Mk.5	AP	815	2.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
Shot Mk.5 HV	AP	853	2.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
Shot Mk.8	APC	853	2.87	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.9	APCBC	801	3.23	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
Shell Mk.10	HE	655	2.72	0	0.1	590	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
53	43 (+10)	32 (+21)	21 (+32)	11 (+42)	1 (+52)	No

Optics

MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR) Optics
Which ones	Default magnification	Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics	x1.85	x3.5
Comparable optics	M4A1

Usage in battles

The MK-IX Valentine fits in a niche battle rating in the Soviet line-up with its own unique traits. Its armour is a considerable improvement from preceding medium tanks like the T-28. The firepower with the 57 mm gun gives penetration values similar to the tank destroyers like the ZiS-30, along with a faster reloading rate, superior gun depression and an enclosed turret with good armour. However, its mobility is a downgrade compared to anything available to the Soviets, even the ~30 ton heavier KV-1 can move faster than the Valentine on the battlefield. As such, finding a place for the Valentine in the Soviet line-up can be tricky.

The Valentine's excelling role is in a methodical march towards its objective, as its mobility precludes any attempt to make a speedy flanking manoeuvre. Teammates are more than likely to reach and capture the point before the Valentine will, but this does not mean the Valentine should not participate in the effort.

One must use the Valentine wisely to not expose it too long in the open when travelling to the objective; make the most of any cover available, which will be easy due to its small size. It is in these periods that the Valentine is most vulnerable to a concealed enemy a distance away taking a shot at the Valentine's armour straight at the front or from the sides. As such, always angle the armour when moving through contested areas since the flat surfaces are presentable weak points for any frontal enemy to attack at, and the guns at this rank are more than likely to penetrate even at slightly angled armour plates. Whether uptiered or downtiered, the main concerning enemy unit are tank destroyers, as their guns have a high chance of penetrating the Valentine's armour no matter how the vehicle is angled.

Once a position is taken however, the Valentine can plant itself securely at the location at suitable firing positions and make use of the fast-firing and potent 57 mm gun to take out any enemy assault units. The green paint on the Valentine can assist in concealment on foliage-rich environment for a good ambush position. Whether from behind cover or a hull-down position, the Valentine can end up victorious in an engagement if it hits with the first shot. However, due to the poor mobility, the Valentine's movement is restricted. This means it is important to make sure the enemy's ability to fire back and/or move is knocked out in the first shot so it is not required to retreat back into cover during the brief reloading period, then out again to fire, especially since that whole manoeuvre can take more time than simply reloading in place while exposing the tank to return fire. The poor mobility also means the Valentine needs to be aware of any flanking vehicles coming up, as the Valentine would not be able to react fast enough to the new threat.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• The 57 mm gun has good stock shells to do significant damages upon penetrating
• Heavily sloped upper glacis can bounce a few shots
• Around 80 mm of effective armour on hull when angled at ~35 degrees
• Low profile allows it to hide behind more obstacles in the battlefield
• Turret is angled and has a complex construction, allowing it to bounce some shots
• Fast reload speed

Cons:

• No machine gun
• Side armour is very weak
• Slow top speed (22 km/h)
• No explosive filler in shells
• Only three tightly sitting crew members (crew can be knocked out very easily)
• Thin top armour makes it vulnerable to air attacks

History

Valentine in the USSR

Some Valentines were sent to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program, most of the Valentines came from Canada's production lines. The Valentines saw use from the time of Battle of Moscow in 1941 all the way until the end of the war, though the Valentines saw use more as a second-line tank due to its relative weakness. It was criticized for its slow speed and weak gun but was liked for its small size, reliability, and armour protection and thus the Soviet Supreme Command continue asking for it and its production to continue until the end of the war.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Should You Buy: MK-IX "Valentine" (USSR) - ConeOfArc

Tank Chats #11 Valentine - The Tank Museum

See also

Other British lend-lease vehicles

• ▂MK-II "Matilda"

External links

• [Wikipedia] Valentine tank
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Valentine, Infantry Tank Mk.III

Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships
Tribal-class	HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class	HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class	IJN Kongo**
Tanks
Light Tanks	VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI	Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII	Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII	Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine	Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT	Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks	Independent****
Export	▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also	Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
	*Previously Armstrong Whitworth
	**Built for Japan
	***Vickers Defence Systems
	****Previously Vickers Limited