Vickers Mk.E

This page is about the Swedish light tank Vickers Mk.E. For the British machine gun, see Vickers E (7.7 mm).

Vickers Mk.E

▄T-28

Vickers Mk.E

▄T-28

Sweden

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

Show in game

Description

The Vickers Mk.E was developed as a private venture by Vickers to create a light weight, cheap to maintain and produce light tank. Destinated to infantry support three variants were created, the model A with two machine guns in independent turrets, the model B with a QF-3 pounder 47mm cannon and the Vickers Medium Dragon, that was used as a cargo vehicle, mainly as an artillery tractor. While the British army did not use the model A or B, it did use the Dragon model, and the base variant's found service in countries like China, India, Finland and Poland, the vehicle even inspired the Polish 7TP (a modified Vickers Mk.E model B) and the famous T-26 that was, in fact, a licensed produced variant of the Vickers Mk.E with domestically made systems, like optics and a 45mm gun instead of the QF-3 Pounder. The vehicle had very poor performance, however it was developed in 1929 and used up until the 1940s, so it's no surprise that it was severely outclassed by tanks like the Panzer III during the German-Soviet aggression against Poland and then in the Eastern Front or against the T-34 during the continuation war.

The Vickers Mk.E sits at a very low BR, with bad mobility and bad armament it could be considered a mediocre tank, but it still has some things going for him. Unlike American or French 37 mm cannons, the Vickers Mk.E has access to an APHE round, with decent muzzle velocity but with a very small amount of explosive filler (just 15g). Also, the APHE round has lower penetration values than the AP round, but it still should not be a problem, since at rank I most vehicles have no armour and long range shots are very hard, still, it is recommended taking a small amount of AP rounds to deal with heavier targets. Another big point going for the Vickers Mk.E it's the gun depression, at 10 degrees and with a turret placed in a much higher position compared to the hull, peaking trough hills is much easier than in other tanks, but it should be noted that escaping from dangerous situations is very hard, because of a max reverse speed of only 3.6KM/h. Still, even though the armour is very poor, the transmission is quite big for a vehicle of it's size, and it's position allows it to resist some shots that could have potentially killed some crewmembers or damaged internal modules.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull17 / 17 / 10

Turret10 / 13 / 10

Crew4 people

Visibility81 %

The armour on the Vickers Mk.E will only stop rifle-calibre munitions reliably, although some machine guns like the British 7.92 mm BESA or the German 7.92 mm MG34/42 can easily punch through certain 10 mm plates. The unsloped armour plates, combined with their weak protection levels boils down to one conclusion: avoid getting shot at. However, unlike the T-26, the Vickers comes with 4 crewmen, which means that shells with no explosive filler shells may not knock out the entire crew with one hit to the hull, giving you a small chance to fight back, but don't count on this too much.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	10 mm (32°, 59°), 17.5 mm (1°) Upper plate 10 mm (80°) Upper glacis 17.5 mm (11°) Lower plate 10 mm (49°) Lower glacis 10 mm (9-59°) Driver's port	10 mm	17.5 mm (1°) Upper plate 10 mm (9°) Lower plate	5 mm Hull 10 mm rear
Turret	13.6 mm (10°) Turret front 13.6 mm (1-71°) Gun mantlet	13.6 mm (10°)	13.6 mm (9°)	5 mm

Notes:

• Tracks and suspension wheels are 15 mm thick
• Belly armour is 5 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB39 / 4 km/h

RB and SB36 / 4 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight8.6 t

Engine power

AB176 hp

RB and SB92 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB20.5 hp/t

RB and SB10.7 hp/t

The Vickers Mk.E has a cruise speed that allows it to keep up with most vehicles at its BR. You will not be doing anything close to racing speeds, but the tank will get you where you need to go in due time.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	39	4	8.6	143	176	16.63	20.47
Realistic	36	4		81	92	9.42	10.7

Modifications and economy

Most Important modifications:

• All the protection tree upgrades
• pstkr 27-34 APHE round
• Horizontal Drive
• Engine and Transmission

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB106 → 136

RB95 → 122

SB111 → 142

Total cost of modifications2 970

905

Talisman cost190

Crew training200

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces96 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 10 / 20 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 200 Cost: 60 55 Suspension Research: 165 Cost: 50 45 Brake System Research: 165 Cost: 50 45 Filters Research: 250 Cost: 75 70 Transmission Research: 240 Cost: 75 65 Engine Research: 240 Cost: 75 65	Improved Parts Research: 200 Cost: 60 55 Improved FPE Research: 165 Cost: 50 45 Crew Replenishment Research: 250 Cost: 75 70	Horizontal Drive Research: 200 Cost: 60 55 Adjustment of Fire Research: 165 Cost: 50 45 Elevation Mechanism Research: 250 Cost: 75 70 Artillery Support Research: 240 Cost: 75 65 37mm_sw_m39_APHE_ammo_pack Research: 240 Cost: 75 65

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm Psv.K/36 cannon

Ammunition50 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

4.1 → 3.1 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

The Vickers Mk.E  is equipped with the 37 mm Psv.K/36 which is a fairly mediocre weapon performance wise. It is a very low caliber cannon but could be considered superior in terms of performance to the American and German 37mm cannon thanks to its APHE round.

37 mm Psv.K/36					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	50	-10°/+20°	±180°	-	13.3	18.4	22.4	24.8	26.4	4.03	3.56	3.29	3.10
Realistic					8.3	9.8	11.9	13.2	14.0

Ammunition

There are two available rounds:

• an APHE round - Max 55 mm of penetration - Lower penetration but high damage potential.
• an AP shell - Max 62 mm of penetration - Higher penetration but low damage potential.

It's best to take a mix of both types of ammunition, the APHE has the potential to knock out some enemy tanks, but will be completely ineffective against the more heavily-armoured vehicles you'll likely meet when uptiered, for these tanks it's best to use AP and try to aim for crew members if possible.

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
psav Vj4	AP	62	58	42	29	20	14
pstkr 27-34	APHE	55	51	37	26	17	12

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%
psav Vj4	AP	810	0.74	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
pstkr 27-34	APHE	800	0.74	1.2	9	15	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Vickers Mk.E

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
50	43 (+7)	1 (+49)	No

Note:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Turret empty: 43 (+7) shells.

Machine guns

8 mm ksp m/36 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate649 shots/min

The small calibre of the ksp m/36 machine gun makes it only suited to damage open-topped vehicles or low-flying aircraft. The belt is large enough to fire continuously at the enemy for at least 20 seconds.

8 mm ksp m/36
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (250)	649	-	-

Usage in battles

It is recommended to play the Vickers Mk.E in a support role, flanking the battlefield and finding a good position to support your teammates from. The 37 mm cannon has quite good characteristics with its rounds (APHE, AP) being able to deal a fair amount of damage to enemy vehicles from short and long ranges. The fast reload allows for quick adjustment of aim between shots, meaning the Vickers Mk.E can be a highly effective flanking vehicle if a good camping spot is found. The gun depression of 10 degrees allow it to hide its hull to be less visible to the enemy. Keeping back at long-range is certainly an effective way to avoid taking damage.

The lack of armour is something to be kept in mind, because heavy-calibre machine guns like the 12.7 mm M2HB and 13.2 mm Breda Model 31 will be able to go through your thickest plates of armour. Because of this, it is recommended to try your best to avoid enemy vehicles getting the first shot. Driving under cover is advisable to avoid being spotted.

It is also worth keeping in mind that the Vickers Mk.E only has a reverse speed of -4 km/h. This is important to remember when driving into potential enemy fire. It is recommended to be aware of enemy positions and cover, as a retreat will be a lot slower than an advance.

Be aware that enemy aircraft with bombs or powerful guns can easily take out the Vickers Mk.E. It is advised to stick to the treeline to avoid being spotted and attacked. The Vickers Mk.E has little anti-aircraft capabilities so it is also advised to let the friendly SPAAs deal with aircraft.

Enemies worth noting:

• Pz.II and other tanks with autocannons can shred your armour and the modules behind it. Generally, it is advised not to engage head on but if you are forced to, then make sure you get off the first shot before they start spraying. 
• SPAAs - Nearly every anti-aircraft vehicle at the tier will be able to penetrate and destroy the Vickers Mk.E with ease. Not to mention that SPAAs guns have high rates of fire. As with any other vehicles, it is advised to shoot first. Certain SPAAs which are commonly underestimated like the French P.7.T AA, and CCKW 353 AA and the American M15 CGMC, and should be especially noted, as despite not having 20 mm autocannons like their Axis counterparts, they all have weapons capable of efficiently knocking out a Vickers Mk.E.
• The D2 and some other french tanks have over 40 mm of armour which is is thick enough to stop you from penetrating them when at range or when they angle. It's advised to avoid engaging them from the front or at ranges above 500 m and instead moving closer to them to maximise the chances of penetration.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• The APHE round has a adequate penetration and inflicts potent post-penetration damage
• Very short reload time
• Fairly accurate gun at short to medium ranges
• Adequate gun depression
• Favourable ammo racks positioning (less chance of ammo detonation)

Cons:

• Poor protection, side armour can be penetrated even by light machine guns
• Struggles against better-armoured foes like the D2
• Slow reverse speed
• Poor turret traverse speed
• Very bad acceleration from 0 km/h to cruise speed

History

The Vickers Mk.E also called Vickers 6 ton was a private venture by Vickers to develop a light weight, cheap and easy to maintain tank that could be produced in large numbers and mainly be used in infantry support. As such, different variants were developed, including one with only machine guns, one with a QF-3 pounder gun (47mm gun) with two crewmembers and other variants developed by other nations. For it's time it was a very revolutionary design, and inspired many other tanks, like the Polish 7TP, the Finnish variant of the Mk.E with a 37mm cannon, and the famous T-26, that was in fact a licensed Vickers Mk.E produced by the Soviet Union with small changes and the incorporation of domestically made equipment's, like a 45mm gun instead of the QF-3 Pounder.

The Mk.E was patented in 1929 and presented to the British goverment, even though it's two man turret was a really good innovation by the time, the British Armed Forces were not interested in the design, since they preferred a combination of medium/heavy tanks with slightly armoured tankettes. Vickers envisioned the Mk.E as a very promising vehicle and went for already proven concepts and equipment's. This meant that it used the already proven and very reliable Armstrong Siddeley Puma, a petrol aviation derivative design capable of 80-95 bhp or 60-70 kW, giving a speed of 22 mph (35 km/h). The armour consisted of riveted panels of no more than 25mm (1 inch) of thickness. This made the tank specially vulnerable to AT-Rifles and autocannons but was cheap to manufacture and easy to repair/replace without advanced tools or formation. But even with this characteristics the vehicle proved unsatisfactory to the British Armed Forces, and was then promoted in the international market. It's cheap and reliable design allowed the vehicle to reach the USSR, Greece, Poland, Bolivia, Siam, Finland, Portugal, China and Bulgaria. A total of 153 units of the Vickers Mk.E were produced, and most were operated up until the 1940s, when their obsolence became more than obvious. Another version was developed, the Vickers Medium Dragon, a tracked cargo vehicle that was adopted by the British Army in small numbers as artillery tractors, China, India and Thailand also used this variant in small numbers.

Finnish Vickers Mk.E

Finland was one of the main operators of the Vickers Mk.E. In fact, it probably was one of the countries that used it and modified it the most. Finland replaced it's aging Renault FTs with this new design. While the early test models performed poorly and were not suited for combat by Finnish words, the Vickers-Carden-Loyd Model 1933 had much better cross country performance and was actually praised by it's easiness to drive. So, the B model was introduced into service, since it's AT gun was seeing as better suited than the A model only armed with machine guns. An order for 32 tanks was placed at a price of £4,500 each, to save money, tanks did not include radio, optics or even armament. Deliveries occurred between 1937 and 1939 but many issues like the escalation in Europe, overheating problems with the engines and delays in deliveries made that by 1939 only 10 tanks were ready, even though 26 were already delivered.

Due to the lack of equipment, the tanks were fitted with a licensed produced version of the 37mm Bofors anti-tank gun, adapted into a tank gun role that had superior armor penetration capabilities than the 47mm gun offered by Vickers. Home made straight-through telescopic sight type with a simple crosshair reticle were produced and their poor quality proved lethal in combat, and were considered junky and unpleasant by tank crews. Some vehicles used the same guns as the Renault FTs as a desperate measure to arm them during the Winter War, training tanks also used this configuration as well as a M/09-31 Maxim machine-gun on the right side of the Puteaux in a semi-coaxial housing. However by 1941 and even during the continuation war the remaining Vickers Mk.E were armed with soviet 45mm cannons that proved much more lethal, as well as 7.62mm DT machine guns with a much higher rate of fire and more reliability.

During the Winter War and the Continuation war the tanks performed poorly, and even worst as the war progressed and more capable designs appeared in the battlefield, like the BT-7 and the T-34. The Vickers Mk.E had no chance to fight against this opponents and their more recognizable action was during the Battle of Honkaniemi, were after just three hours the attack was cancelled, with less than half of the tanks assigned to the battle reaching the starting point, some got stuck in the irregular terrain and others had problems communicating with allied forces. 5 tanks were knocked out of the fight but 1 was able to be retrieved to the starting point, Finland lacked any sort of experience with armoured formations, and their poor quality equipment's like bad optics and lack of radio in the tanks, as well as inexperienced crews and vastly numerical superiority on the side of the Soviets proved fatal in Honkaniemi.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Vickers Mk.E from live.warthunder.com.

See also

• T-26 (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• Vickers Mark E Type B in Finnish Service - Tank Encyclopedia
• Vickers 6-Ton (Mark E) 1929 - Tank-afv
• Vickers 6-ton - Wikipedia

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