Difference between revisions of "A13 Mk II"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
 +
[[File:GarageImage_A13 Mk II.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{break}}
 +
The '''Mark IV A13 Mk II''' is a Rank I British light tank with a battle rating of 1.3. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. Featuring the [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder|QF 2-pounder]] as main armament coupled with good mobility, this vehicle is a typical light tank and plays as such.
 +
 
 +
This tank is a good representative of later rank 2-3 british tanks: good mobility, flat and thin frontal armour, bad reverse speed and minimal post-penetration damage.
 +
 
 +
''Driving''
 +
Even though the A13 has good mobility, it sometimes feels weird: it looses speed on turns, does not accelerates quite as fast as it's overpowered engine(38.19 HP/ton, stock) should provide it and hill climbing feels hard. All of these flaws come from the gearbox, which has bad and uneven ratios, resulting in a kick when changing speed. Knowing that, you should always keep an eye on the "gear" counter top-left of your screen (activate it in the option menu) since it provides you crucial information on how your tank will react to your commands. With a bit of practice, one should swiftly masters these peculiarities.
 +
 
 +
''Shooting''
 +
Since the [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder|QF 2-pounder]] is used on most tanks of Rank 1, it's important to know it well. This cannon has a major disavantage at distances since it's bullet loose around 20mm of penetration for each 500m it travels, which is a lot. As if this was not enough, it has poor accuracy, even with Adjustement of fire, hence, one should target large components (crewmens, engine, transmission), of the ennemy or, as distance increases (500m or more), the general center of the foe. Firing it, you will easily notice it's last but not least flaw: it does almost no post-penetration damage, which means you will need to snipe crew members one by one. Combine this difficulty with a bit of distance and this task can prove tricky pretty quick, sometimes leaving the ennemy enough time to resplenish it's crew before you finish it off.
 +
 
 +
On the other hand, this cannon has 5 major advantages: reload speed, close-quarter penetration, a primitive stabilizing system, LOTS of ammo and awesome gun depression. It's fast reload speed allows it to compensate it's poor accurcy: misssed a shot ? why not take another even before you can reposition ! Close quarter penetration, one of the best at it's tier, is also a plus: your ennemies will only block you shot if you happen to hit a steep-angled plate of armour. This tank has good mobility ? nice !, it can fire on the move too, at low speeds and on relatively flat road though but still, it is much more precise than the comparable [[BT-7 mod. 1937|BT-7]]  with its [[45 mm 20-K|20-K]]. Last but not least, small bullets means more bullets: the A13 can bring up to 87 bullets into the game, much more than you need to knock out 3-4 tanks, which means you can try to suppress an ennemy and keep it into cover by constantly firing near it (at this rank, this tactic can prove effective against new players). Finaly, its good gun depression enables it to fire over hills, peeking only it's small turret, shooting and disapearing swiftly. Use these features cunningly.
 +
 
 +
''Others''
 +
Since the addition of smoke in War Thunder, light tanks have it easier. Use your forward-lauching smoke to create a wall of smoke in a strategic place. It can be used to cover your allies, when capturing a point, flanking in a street (urban environnement),
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
  
−
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 14 mm ''Front plate'' <br> 14 mm (0-62°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 14 mm (64°) ''Lower glacis'' || 7 mm || 14 mm (0-62°) || 14 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 14 mm (0-15°) ''Turret front'' <br> 14 mm (1-63°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 (40°) + 14 mm (21°) || 14 (21-30°) + 14 mm (2°) || 14 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 14 mm || 14 mm
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
+
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''-->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
 +
|-
 +
! Weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Add-on Armour<br>weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan="2" | 14.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 53 (AB)
 +
|-
 +
|48 (RB/SB)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|527
 +
|649
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|301
 +
|340
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|36.34
 +
|44.76
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|20.76
 +
|23.45
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
 +
{{main|Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}
  
−
=== Additional armament ===
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
−
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm OQF 2-pounder]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="3" | 87 || -15°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
 +
|-
 +
! style="width:4em" |Mode
 +
! style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| 3.64 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== Ammunition =====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10m
 +
! 100m
 +
! 500m
 +
! 1000m
 +
! 1500m
 +
! 2000m
 +
|-
 +
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 80 || 79 || 61 || 46 || 32 || 21
 +
|-
 +
| Shot Mk.1 APCBC/T || APCBC || 74 || 72 || 64 || 58 || 48 || 43
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
 +
''in m:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
 +
''in mm:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 +
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 +
|-
 +
! 0%
 +
! 50%
 +
! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 853 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
 +
|-
 +
| Shot Mk.1 APCBC/T || APCBC || 853 || 1.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 +
'''Last updated: 1.77.2.128'''
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_A13MkI.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the A13 Mk I.]]
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |14th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |15th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |16th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
|| '''87''' || 78&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 75&nbsp;''(+12)'' || 72&nbsp;''(+15)'' || 69&nbsp;''(+18)'' || 66&nbsp;''(+21)'' || 62&nbsp;''(+25)'' || 60&nbsp;''(+27)'' || 56&nbsp;''(+31)'' || 51&nbsp;''(+36)'' || 47&nbsp;''(+40)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+44)'' || 41&nbsp;''(+46)'' || 36&nbsp;''(+51)'' || 31&nbsp;''(+56)'' || 16&nbsp;''(+71)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+86)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
Center hull empty: 41&nbsp;''(+46)''
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
−
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''-->
 +
{{main|Vickers (7.7 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[Vickers (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Vickers]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 3,500 (250) || 390 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in the battles ==
 
== Usage in the battles ==
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''-->
 +
This vehicle's role it that of a light tank in the truest sense, sporting an acceptable gun, great mobility and virtually no armour to speak of. The main difference from the Mk II to the Mk I is that the former has a better turret protection, adding 0,8 tons of steel without hindering mobility.
 +
 
 +
This tank has a very active playstyle and should not be used in the front lines. Instead, use your mobility to your advantage: Spot, flank and provide artillery support for your teammates, blind your enemies with well-placed smokes screens in key avenues. Make sure to only target secluded enemies in flanking tactics so you can take full advantage of the element of surprise and outflank your opponent. Never expose yourself for too long because even anti-aircraft guns are a potential threat to your unangled armour. The QF-2 pounder has an awfull long range accuracy so you must get close to your ennemies to actually land a shot where you expect. Load up this agile (but reluctant) cat with ammo and flank your enemies with a constant flow of bullets.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
−
 
 
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
*Better turret armour than it's predecessor
 +
*Good gun for its rank.
 +
*Fast.
 +
*Slim target.
 +
*Has a "lock", which is a primitive form of stabilisation.
 +
*Brings lots of ammo.
 +
*Has forward-launching smoke launchers!
 +
*Coaxial MG
 +
*Good HP/ton ratio
 +
*Decent turret sewing rate
 +
*-15° gun depression
 +
*4 crewmen
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
*Thin armour.
 +
*The gun is too small for it's own good.
 +
*Barely any response from the engine.
 +
*Looses speed when turning
 +
*Wiggles when trying to turn on 5th gear.
 +
*Regular MGs can penetrate side armour.
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''-->
 +
===Development===
 +
The British development on their cruiser tanks advanced greatly with the implementation of the Christie suspension system, which they acquired from an American firm. The tank underwent a development program under the name ''Cruiser Mk III (A13)'' and the first accepted variant for the military was the ''[[Mark IV A13 Mk.I|A13 Mk.I]]''. The Mk.I featured 15 mm of armour, a 2-pounder cannon, and a Vickers machine gun as its coaxial armament. An order of 65 of these tanks were asked for in 1939 at the Nuffield Mechanization & Auto Limited, but only 30 were made before the a decision was made to upgrade the existing model with more armour and different armament.
 +
 
 +
The redesigned cruiser tank, the ''' A13 Mk.II, Cruiser Tank Mk IV''', had a new armour thickness of 30 mm and additional sloping armour was put onto the sides and rear of the turret. The Vickers machine gun used as the coaxial armament was also replaced by the BESA machine gun, a licensed Czech ZB-53 machine gun, due to issues with the Vickers gun. Around 225 to 665 A13 Mk.II tanks were produced from 1940 until late 1941.
 +
 
 +
===Combat Usage===
 +
The A13 first saw combat in the Battle of France under the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. The A13 encountered many trouble during its employment, the crew have little to no training with the new tanks due to their rushed adoption into service, the tanks were in poor condition and some were even missing parts. The A13s were used in the 1st Armoured Division, but many were either destroyed by the superior German armoured forces or abandoned at Calais during the evacuation of Allied troops at Dunkirk, which forced the units to leave behind their heavier equipment.
 +
 
 +
After the disaster at France, the A13 were still used to support the war. Some were sent to Greece to support their defense against Germany in the Battle of Greece, but a majority were sent to North Africa as part of the Western Desert Campaign near Libya under the 7th Armoured Division. Compared to the time in France, the A13s in North Africa fared much better, ironing out most of its initial defects, and was even more suited to the environment than other tank designs. The A13 was popular with the crew for its high speed, reliability, and a powerful 2-pounder cannon that could engage a majority of Axis tanks in 1941. However, there was an insufficient number of A13s available for use, so tank units were mixed with the faster cruiser tanks and slower infantry tanks, which caused tactical and logistical difficulties trying to accommodate all of the tanks. Another deficiency with the tank and every other British tank with the 2-pounder was the lack of high-explosive shell issued to the tankers, which made them vulnerable to anti-tank guns, which caused a majority of British tank losses in the North African Campaign. Still, the A13 fared very well with its armour and armament until the late 1941 where better armoured [[Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G|Panzer IVs]] began to appear on the battlefield.
 +
 
 +
Due to its growing obsolesce on the battlefield, the A13 was replaced in 1941 by the better armoured [[Crusader Mk.II|A15 Crusader tank]].
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
 
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|mjacUnmi2iY|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: A13 Cruiser}}
  
 
== Read also ==
 
== Read also ==
Line 51: Line 282:
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Britain light tanks}}

Revision as of 18:27, 22 November 2018

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
A13 Mk II
uk_a_13_mk2.png
A13 Mk II
Britain flag.png Britain
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
1.3 1.3 1.3
Class:
Research:2 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:700 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage A13 Mk II.jpg


The Mark IV A13 Mk II is a Rank I British light tank with a battle rating of 1.3. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour". Featuring the QF 2-pounder as main armament coupled with good mobility, this vehicle is a typical light tank and plays as such.

This tank is a good representative of later rank 2-3 british tanks: good mobility, flat and thin frontal armour, bad reverse speed and minimal post-penetration damage.

Driving Even though the A13 has good mobility, it sometimes feels weird: it looses speed on turns, does not accelerates quite as fast as it's overpowered engine(38.19 HP/ton, stock) should provide it and hill climbing feels hard. All of these flaws come from the gearbox, which has bad and uneven ratios, resulting in a kick when changing speed. Knowing that, you should always keep an eye on the "gear" counter top-left of your screen (activate it in the option menu) since it provides you crucial information on how your tank will react to your commands. With a bit of practice, one should swiftly masters these peculiarities.

Shooting Since the QF 2-pounder is used on most tanks of Rank 1, it's important to know it well. This cannon has a major disavantage at distances since it's bullet loose around 20mm of penetration for each 500m it travels, which is a lot. As if this was not enough, it has poor accuracy, even with Adjustement of fire, hence, one should target large components (crewmens, engine, transmission), of the ennemy or, as distance increases (500m or more), the general center of the foe. Firing it, you will easily notice it's last but not least flaw: it does almost no post-penetration damage, which means you will need to snipe crew members one by one. Combine this difficulty with a bit of distance and this task can prove tricky pretty quick, sometimes leaving the ennemy enough time to resplenish it's crew before you finish it off.

On the other hand, this cannon has 5 major advantages: reload speed, close-quarter penetration, a primitive stabilizing system, LOTS of ammo and awesome gun depression. It's fast reload speed allows it to compensate it's poor accurcy: misssed a shot ? why not take another even before you can reposition ! Close quarter penetration, one of the best at it's tier, is also a plus: your ennemies will only block you shot if you happen to hit a steep-angled plate of armour. This tank has good mobility ? nice !, it can fire on the move too, at low speeds and on relatively flat road though but still, it is much more precise than the comparable BT-7 with its 20-K. Last but not least, small bullets means more bullets: the A13 can bring up to 87 bullets into the game, much more than you need to knock out 3-4 tanks, which means you can try to suppress an ennemy and keep it into cover by constantly firing near it (at this rank, this tactic can prove effective against new players). Finaly, its good gun depression enables it to fire over hills, peeking only it's small turret, shooting and disapearing swiftly. Use these features cunningly.

Others Since the addition of smoke in War Thunder, light tanks have it easier. Use your forward-lauching smoke to create a wall of smoke in a strategic place. It can be used to cover your allies, when capturing a point, flanking in a street (urban environnement),

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 14 mm Front plate
14 mm (0-62°) Front glacis
14 mm (64°) Lower glacis 		7 mm 14 mm (0-62°) 14 mm
Turret 14 mm (0-15°) Turret front
14 mm (1-63°) Gun mantlet 		14 (40°) + 14 mm (21°) 14 (21-30°) + 14 mm (2°) 14 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 14 mm 14 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armour
weight (tons) 		Max speed (km/h)
14.5 N/A 53 (AB)
48 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 527 649
Realistic/Simulator 301 340
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 36.34 44.76
Realistic/Simulator 20.76 23.45

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)
40 mm OQF 2-pounder
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance 		Stabilizer
87 -15°/+20° ±180° Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 9.50 13.20 _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic 9.50 11.20 _.__ _.__ _.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
3.64 _.__ _.__ _.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
Shot Mk.1 AP/T AP 80 79 61 46 32 21
Shot Mk.1 APCBC/T APCBC 74 72 64 58 48 43
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
Shot Mk.1 AP/T AP 853 1.1 N/A N/A N/A -1° 47° 60° 65°
Shot Mk.1 APCBC/T APCBC 853 1.2 N/A N/A N/A +4° 48° 63° 71°
Ammo racks

Last updated: 1.77.2.128

File:Ammoracks A13MkI.png
Ammo racks of the A13 Mk I.
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		8th
rack empty 		9th
rack empty 		10th
rack empty 		11th
rack empty 		12th
rack empty 		13th
rack empty 		14th
rack empty 		15th
rack empty 		16th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
87 78 (+9) 75 (+12) 72 (+15) 69 (+18) 66 (+21) 62 (+25) 60 (+27) 56 (+31) 51 (+36) 47 (+40) 43 (+44) 41 (+46) 36 (+51) 31 (+56) 16 (+71) 1 (+86) No

Center hull empty: 41 (+46)

Machine guns

Main article: Vickers (7.7 mm)
7.7 mm Vickers
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
3,500 (250) 390 N/A N/A

Usage in the battles

This vehicle's role it that of a light tank in the truest sense, sporting an acceptable gun, great mobility and virtually no armour to speak of. The main difference from the Mk II to the Mk I is that the former has a better turret protection, adding 0,8 tons of steel without hindering mobility.

This tank has a very active playstyle and should not be used in the front lines. Instead, use your mobility to your advantage: Spot, flank and provide artillery support for your teammates, blind your enemies with well-placed smokes screens in key avenues. Make sure to only target secluded enemies in flanking tactics so you can take full advantage of the element of surprise and outflank your opponent. Never expose yourself for too long because even anti-aircraft guns are a potential threat to your unangled armour. The QF-2 pounder has an awfull long range accuracy so you must get close to your ennemies to actually land a shot where you expect. Load up this agile (but reluctant) cat with ammo and flank your enemies with a constant flow of bullets.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Better turret armour than it's predecessor
  • Good gun for its rank.
  • Fast.
  • Slim target.
  • Has a "lock", which is a primitive form of stabilisation.
  • Brings lots of ammo.
  • Has forward-launching smoke launchers!
  • Coaxial MG
  • Good HP/ton ratio
  • Decent turret sewing rate
  • -15° gun depression
  • 4 crewmen

Cons:

  • Thin armour.
  • The gun is too small for it's own good.
  • Barely any response from the engine.
  • Looses speed when turning
  • Wiggles when trying to turn on 5th gear.
  • Regular MGs can penetrate side armour.

History

Development

The British development on their cruiser tanks advanced greatly with the implementation of the Christie suspension system, which they acquired from an American firm. The tank underwent a development program under the name Cruiser Mk III (A13) and the first accepted variant for the military was the A13 Mk.I. The Mk.I featured 15 mm of armour, a 2-pounder cannon, and a Vickers machine gun as its coaxial armament. An order of 65 of these tanks were asked for in 1939 at the Nuffield Mechanization & Auto Limited, but only 30 were made before the a decision was made to upgrade the existing model with more armour and different armament.

The redesigned cruiser tank, the A13 Mk.II, Cruiser Tank Mk IV, had a new armour thickness of 30 mm and additional sloping armour was put onto the sides and rear of the turret. The Vickers machine gun used as the coaxial armament was also replaced by the BESA machine gun, a licensed Czech ZB-53 machine gun, due to issues with the Vickers gun. Around 225 to 665 A13 Mk.II tanks were produced from 1940 until late 1941.

Combat Usage

The A13 first saw combat in the Battle of France under the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. The A13 encountered many trouble during its employment, the crew have little to no training with the new tanks due to their rushed adoption into service, the tanks were in poor condition and some were even missing parts. The A13s were used in the 1st Armoured Division, but many were either destroyed by the superior German armoured forces or abandoned at Calais during the evacuation of Allied troops at Dunkirk, which forced the units to leave behind their heavier equipment.

After the disaster at France, the A13 were still used to support the war. Some were sent to Greece to support their defense against Germany in the Battle of Greece, but a majority were sent to North Africa as part of the Western Desert Campaign near Libya under the 7th Armoured Division. Compared to the time in France, the A13s in North Africa fared much better, ironing out most of its initial defects, and was even more suited to the environment than other tank designs. The A13 was popular with the crew for its high speed, reliability, and a powerful 2-pounder cannon that could engage a majority of Axis tanks in 1941. However, there was an insufficient number of A13s available for use, so tank units were mixed with the faster cruiser tanks and slower infantry tanks, which caused tactical and logistical difficulties trying to accommodate all of the tanks. Another deficiency with the tank and every other British tank with the 2-pounder was the lack of high-explosive shell issued to the tankers, which made them vulnerable to anti-tank guns, which caused a majority of British tank losses in the North African Campaign. Still, the A13 fared very well with its armour and armament until the late 1941 where better armoured Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs began to appear on the battlefield.

Due to its growing obsolesce on the battlefield, the A13 was replaced in 1941 by the better armoured A15 Crusader tank.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Videos

Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: A13 Cruiser

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Britain light tanks
A13  A13 Mk I · A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II · A13 Mk II 1939
A15  Crusader II · Crusader "The Saint" · Crusader III
A17  Tetrarch I
IFV  Warrior · Desert Warrior (Kuwait)
Wheeled  Daimler Mk II · AEC Mk II · Fox · Vickers Mk.11
Other  VFM5
South Africa 
SARC  SARC MkIVa · SARC MkVI (2pdr) · SARC MkVI (6pdr)
Ratel  Ratel 90 · Ratel 20
Rooikat  Rooikat Mk.1D · Rooikat 105 · Rooikat MTTD
Other  Concept 3 · Eland 90 Mk.7
USA  Stuart I · Stuart III

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