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The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, also known by its General Staff specification number A13 Mark I, was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system, which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance; previous models of cruiser tanks having used triple wheeled bogie suspension. ==Design and development== Orders for the Mk I and Mk II Cruiser tanks were limited because the British army had decided to produce a more advanced and faster cruiser tank with Christie suspension (J. Walter Christie) and have better armour. In 1936, General Giffard LeQuesne Martel, a pioneer in tank design, who had published works on armoured warfare and pioneered the lightly armoured "tankette" to enhance infantry mobility, became Assistant Director of Mechanization at the War Office. Later that year, Martel witnessed demonstrations of Soviet tank designs, including the BT tank, which had been influenced by Christie's work.〔Milson〕 He urged the adoption of a tank that would use the suspension and follow the Christie practice of using a lightweight aircraft engine, such as the Liberty Engine. The government authorized the purchase and licensing of a Christie design via the Nuffield Organization, rather than contact the Soviet authorities.〔Milsom p. 5〕 The vehicle obtained from Christie became the basis of the Cruiser Mk III (A13). It had to be extensively redesigned by Morris Commercial Cars as it was too small and had several faults that Christie had not addressed.〔〔Milson p. 7〕 A new company Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Limited was formed for the development and production of the design. At a meeting of the General Staff, an official specification was determined, which included armour, a 2-pounder gun and a road speed of . A subsequent review of the specification by Martel and Percy Hobart approved all round provided cross-country speed could be kept at . Pending the delivery of the A13, an interim design was approved from the A7, A9 and A10, the A9 being selected.〔Milsom〕 The first prototype (A13-E1) was delivered in 1937. Following the testing of two prototypes, the A13 was ordered into production. The original order was for 50 tanks and 65 had been built by mid 1939.〔 The Mk III weighed , had a crew of four, a engine and a top speed of and was armed with a 2 pounder gun and a machine-gun. When it was introduced into service in 1937, the army still lacked a formal tank division. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cruiser Mk III」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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