MK-II "Matilda" (USSR)

▂MK-II "Matilda"

▂MK-II "Matilda"

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.3	3.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The ▂Tank MK-II "Matilda" (F-96) is a gift rank II Soviet heavy tank with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB) and 3.3 (RB/SB). This tank was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault" during the 2017 World War Two: Chronicle events, unlocked after obtaining 6 Chronicle Awards. This is a British Matilda supplied to the Soviets through the Lend-Lease program whose turret was modified to receive a 76mm cannon.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, turret, gun mantlet, cupola, hull sides top -above the tracks-)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides bottom -tracks compartment-, hull rear, hull roof, turret roof, cupola roof, gun breech, side skirts).

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	75 mm (0-7°) Front plate 22-47 mm (69°) Front glacis 22-78 mm (12-46°) Joint area 22-45 mm (56°) Lower glacis	70 mm (21-26°) Top 40vmm + 25 mm Bottom	20 mm (32-79°) Top 55 mm (25°) Bottom	20 mm 35 mm Driver's port
Turret	75 mm (1-48°) Turret front 75 mm (0-22°) Gun mantlet	75 mm (0-22°)	75 mm	18 mm
Cupola	75 mm (6-7°) Cupola wall + 50mm Cupola base			18 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are both 20 mm thick.
• Openings in the center area of side skirts are 13 mm thick (54°).
• The gun breech is very prominent and only 45mm thick, making it a weak spot.
• The sides of the joint area on the front glacis also are weak spots with only 20 mm of thickness.
• 2 smoke launchers are installed on the right side of the turret. Both smoke grenades are launched simultaneously in the direction the gun is pointing at, 30m away from your tank.
• Smoke shells can also be used as protection but the absence of gun depression will prevent to shoot them close to your vehicle.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	26	5	28.5	245	363	8.6	12.74
Realistic	24	4		168	190	5.89	6.67

Originally designed as an infantry support, the MK-II "Matilda" (USSR) is underpowered and sluggish when compared to other tanks at the same battle rating. With a maximum speed of only 23-25 km/h, the MK-II "Matilda" (USSR) always needs time to get in position and inevitably arrives last.

The acceleration is good: the maximum speed is reached in seconds. The braking is good as well, as the tank is heavy and the maximum speed poor. The reverse speed is too poor to retreat quickly from an unexpected situation or allow any type of overextend tactic.

While the tank weighs only 28.5 tons for heavy tank (that's the average weight of a T-34 at the same BR), its narrow tracks make driving on soft terrain difficult (sand, snow, mud). Turning when moving is good and turning 180° on flat terrain only takes a few seconds. But turning from idling is very slow as there is no neutral steering. This also causes noticeable gun wobbling. Finally, going uphill is always difficult as the MK-II "Matilda" (USSR) loses speed very quickly.

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm F-96					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	54	-2°/+20°	±180°	N/A	16.18	22.4	__.__	__.__	32.0	8.97	_.__	_.__	6.9
Realistic					11.9	14.0	__.__	__.__	20.0

The gun accuracy starts dropping at 800m and becomes a handicap over 1000m. The muzzle velocity is good and offers rather flat trajectories. While the turret rotation speed is good, the poor depression clearly is a handicap: the gun is situated very high due to the profile of the Matilda. This can make targeting an enemy close to you very difficult, especially if there is a little slope putting the enemy tank slightly under your level. The recoil is minimal and does not impact targeting quality. The reload time is a little longer than most of your opponents but the same as any T-34 tank at the same BR. The penetration values are good, like the T-34s.

Ammunition

The available choice of ammunition offers a complete range to engage all types of targets:

• BR-350A (MD-5 fuze): APHEBC; a shell with high explosive mass that will one-shot any tank that is penetrates but has an average penetration power.
• BR-350B (MD-8 fuze): APHEBC; increased penetration at the cost of slightly less explosive filler.
• BR-350SP: APBC; a solid shot with the best penetration but no explosive filler.
• OF-350M: HE; useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles.
• Sh-354T: Shrapnel; useful against vehicles that are resistant to the HE shells but too thinly armoured to trigger the fuzes of AP shells.
• D-350A: Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to penetrate.

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
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	87	85	76	67	59	52
BR-350SP	APBC	102	100	91	81	72	64
BR-350B (MD-8 fuze)	APHEBC	94	92	83	73	65	57
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	37	35	29	25	20	17

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	662	6.3	1.2	14	150
BR-350SP	APBC	655	6.78	N/A	N/A	N/A
BR-350B (MD-8 fuze)	APHEBC	655	6.3	0.9	14	98.56
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	680	6.2	0.5	8	85

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
D-350A	680	6.45	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the MK-II "Matilda" (USSR)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
54	43 (+11)	31 (+23)	1 (+53)	Yes

Notes:

• To go into battle with flank racks depleted, pack 31 (+23) shells.
• The visual discrepancy is the floor rack: 36 shells are modeled but it contains only 30 shells.

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3150 (63)	600	N/A	N/A

The small caliber of the MG will only allow you to use it as a spotting gun or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your ligne of sight.

Usage in 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 instead 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).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	BR-240SP
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

Britain and Canada provided the Soviet Union with around 5,200 tanks, of which 4,600 arrived, while they were recovering from the setbacks of 1941. The Soviets belittled these lend-lease AFVs, and tended to use them on secondary fronts, releasing their own tanks for the more important areas. While the Matilda II was the second-most-common British tank used by the Soviets, with over 1,000 delivered, it was disliked for its slow speed and poor winter performance and used primarily for infantry support. The remaining tanks were out of service by the end of 1943.

Media

Videos

Matilda Mk II F-96 Tank Review - NUSensei

Matilda Mk II F-96: Is it worth it? - Many Miles Away

I've Received The Matilda Mk.II F-96! (Soviet Exclusive Heavy Tank) - Tigerfrost

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Matilda III

Similar Soviet vehicles

• KV-1 (L-11)
• SMK
• KV-1E
• KV-1S
• KV-1 (ZiS-5)

Other Soviet vehicles equipped with a 76mm gun

• T-34 (Prototype)
• T-34 (1940)
• T-34 (1941)
• T-34 (1942)
• T-34E
• T-34E STZ

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• KV-IB (Germany)
• Churchill Mk III
• ARL-44 (ACL-1)

External links

• [Development] WW2 Chronicles vehicles: Matilda MK-2 F-96: A Soviet Lady
• [Special] War Thunder Chronicles
• Wikipedia - Matilda_II - Other variants, field modifications and prototypes
• Tanks Encyclopedia - Matilda II Mk.IV with ZiS-5 76mm