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The T-15 light tank was a light 4-ton tank of the Belgian Army. They were built by Vickers in the UK to the design of the Light Tank Mark III and outfitted with their armament in Belgium by F.R.C. in Herstal. It entered service in 1935, and was used by the Belgian Army during the Battle of Belgium in May 1940. Its main armament was a 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun. The tank was intended as a replacement for the venerable but obsolescent Renault FT-17. Only 42 were produced. ==History== Since the First World War, the Belgian army had been using the French designed Renault FT tanks, armed with either a machinegun or a small Puteaux SA 18 low velocity anti-infantry gun.〔Zaloga,Steven J., (2010) "French Tanks of World War 1", Osprey Publishing〕 It was still in use with the Belgian cavalry regiments but was growing clearly obsolescent by the early 1930s, so the remaining 75 FTs were to be replaced by a new light tank. This would turn out to be the T-15 light tank. Looking at tank designs from both France and the UK (Belgium's allies during the First World War) the Belgian army already had some experience with Vickers - Carden Loyd vehicles (SA F.R.C. 47mm) and was interested in other designs from the firm. French tank production and development were also considered, leading to the rather trying acquisition of the Renault AMC 35 in 1935. One of the designs considered was the well known Vickers 6-ton light tank. Since experience with the Polish armed forces Vickers' showed that the air cooled 80 hp engine tended to overheat, the Belgian army requested a prototype equipped with a water-cooled Rolls-Royce engine, which would not fit in the back and therefore was installed sideways in the modified 6-ton tank.〔Miller, David "The Great Book of Tanks" MBI Publishing Co. 2002〕 This version received the designation 'Mark F'. Although the new layout of the tank was used by Vickers on other export vehicles, the Belgian army placed no orders. It is not known if this was due to design constraints or due to financial limitations, but it should also be noted that the Belgian government showed its uneasiness about buying 'tanks', which were considered to be 'offensive' weapons: Germany was not to be provoked, and the official Belgian diplomatic stance on the European conflict was to remain neutral.〔Charles Cheney Hyde, 'Belgium and Neutrality', The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 31, No. 1. (January 1937), p. 82〕 The neutrality doctrine has had some influence on the decision to buy a much lighter vehicle. Therefore also, the word 'tank' or 'armored/mechanized unit' were never to be used in official unit designations, with the words 'armored/tracked motorcar' and the historical 'cavalry' being favored. Eventually, another product from the Vickers catalogue was chosen: the 4 ton Light Tank Mk III. Vickers had originally proposed the prototype of the Mk III light tank to the British Army, but it did not enter serial production for the latter, with the Belgian armed forces being the sole customer for the type.〔Chamberlain, Peter; Ellis, Chris (2001). ''British and American Tanks of World War Two: The complete illustrated history of British, American, and Commonwealth tanks 1933–1945''. Cassell & Company. 〕 The Belgian armed forces were generally in favor of the layout of the prototype Mk III, but asked Vickers for a different, conical one man turret, with a cast and welded front and rivetted backside. The armament proposed by Vickers, the .303 inch (7.62 mm) or .50 inch (12.7 mm) Vickers machine guns, were both rejected, the heavier French 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun being favored instead. F.R.C. had to integrate this weapon into the new turret, and at some point also built the air defence type turret mount for the FN Herstal M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.〔visual identification in the photograph〕 The extra air defence machine gun however was not part of the general design but was installed in an at least a few T-15s. Given the strained government defence budget in the early 1930s, due to the effects of the great depression, the acquisition had to be split up in batches: the first 18 units were ordered on 10 March 1934, and delivered in two lots of nine on the 15 and 22 February 1935. The second batch of 24 units was ordered on 16 April 1935 and they were delivered between November 15 and December 28, 1935. 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「T-15 light tank」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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