Radical Thinking:Britain's Universal tanks and Troop Carriers in 1940s

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Germany unleashed the blitzkrieg slicing into Poland and most of the countries Belgium falling within 18 days. The British forces in Norway were thrown out, France was invaded so after. The German army used bypassed the Maginot Line through belgium and the low countries, through the Ardennes forest and across the River Meuse encircling the allies.

The arras counter attack was aimed at reliving the garrison and capturing the area south of the River. It was combine French British origination, there was one problem however was utter lack of true planning among the French and British forces which meant neither side knew what the other was planning.

As soon as the operation began things went wrong a friendly fire incident occurred due to the aforementioned lack of cohesiveness, the French forces were not aware of the timing and direction of the British attack resulting in several S 35 tanks destroyed by British A.T guns.

The Left and Right Column
The Frank force was the most advanced force assembled 100 vehicles, from the A9 cruiser, to the new MK I, bishop self propelled guns, AT-1 deacon assault guns and A14 vanguard troop carriers. Tanks were to go first, artillery and troops brought up the rear to consolidate holds. There little time to such strategy to be practised and this was the greatest test.
The right column was somewhat hampered by the refugees packing the road, meaning there was very little time for mechanized infantry to get into order let alone reconnaissance. The columns came under fire from German forces the bishops proved invaluble in pinning down and discouraging the Germans as the column took Warlus and then Berneville facing stiff resistance from SS- Totenkopf Division here the AT-1 deacon and bishops proved very useful knocking out tanks and infantry with no damage the force then went for Wailly again the deacons were useful but were now taking losses from the Luftwaffe and heavy resistance stopped the mechanized forces. The column withdrew back to Berneville, but prevented the road from being cut.
The left column met the most success practically savaged the 7th panzer division and overrunning S.S deaths head headquarters. The deacon was near untouched by the fighting being impervious to artillery fire even 75mm and mechanized infantry caused more surprise to the Germans than anything else. The column was forced to stop when confronted by 88mm Flak guns, by this point the British force was exhausted and new attacks by the Luftwaffe. What ever reserves were used to consolidate the gains. The Luftwaffe forced the British to call a withdrawal field Marshall Erwin Rommel counter attack was hamstrung by French tank and 6 pounder fire after break through ran into the British column, the French attack was also forced to withdraw the British had lost 40 vehicles with many more damaged with the exchange of 400 prisoners.

The Germans counter attacked hard the limited ground consolidated held until the order was given for a fighting withdrawal, by this point panzer crews were wary of British heavy tanks and advanced medium tanks. By Dunkirk there were at least 125 tanks still in service giving their most in the attempt to bleed the Germans for every inch.

Unable to take their tanks and self propelled guns the BEF had been given strict orders to destroy their own vehicles lest the Germans capture them intact. Dunkirk was a bittersweet moment for both sides for the allied forces they had lost substantial amount of equipment to the Germans they had been depleted by the constant battles.

The battle had also proven the universal tank and mechanized infantry worth.

Post Dunkirk and the battle of Britain saw the British army scramble to rebuild their army. The A11 heavy cruiser MK I had indeed proven its worth, there were flaws too the kestrel falcon engine developed 240 horsepower could drive the A11 to 45 kph but the tracks kept snapping, the silhouette was too high, rivets and the flat turret were weaknesses. A new universal tank was drawn up just as fast in the form of the Valentine...

Across the channel and the Atlantic Britain's actions in France sent ripples, for the Germans were very much unhappy and having severe case of inferiority complex as they poured over every scrap, captured or destroyed hulks of British tank. The Germans had been aware of the A11 but had come to the conclusion that the economy had forced them to adopt one tank and thus ignored it, the second was the AT-1 deacon assault gun, which was terrifying for panzer crews, bishop SPG and the final nail the A14 vanguard troop carrier which through the German army off by a degree. Since in 1939 to 1940, trucks, half tracks and towed artillery was the norm. The British out did everyone by a large degree leading to increased production of the halftracks.

In the United States a large discussion was at hand, the German blitzkrieg needed counter a Lt. Gen Leslie McNair proposed the tank destroyer doctrine, the British military's universal tank was intriguing on its own why create several tank classes when one can do the job?

 

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While the British army rebuilding itself trouble was brewing in north Africa as Italy declared war on Britain leading to border skirmishes and raids cumulating in the invasion of Egypt, the 10th army was forced to withdraw but before destroying the coastal roads. Through Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson the British launched the operation compass a counter offensive that pushed the Italian army right to El Agheila the MK1 universal tank was considered an over match for the Italian tanks, the success gave to the thinking and belief that Royal Tank Regiment that manoeuvre could win battle and Jock columns were very useful this would come back to bite the British when the Africa korps arrived. The 7th Armoured Division and others that halted due to worn vehicles were pulled back for refit and also to aid in Greece.
Germany responded to the successful operation by sending their own forces to aid the Italians in form of Operation Sonnenblume under the command of general Erwin Rommel. The arrival of the Germans came at bad time vest regiment was in the Greece and more were under repair, this time Germans had improved upon their own tanks to combat the MK 1 and the Valentine the panzer three now boasted 50 mm KwK 39 L/60 long barreled high velocity cannon to meet the British on equal terms, tipping the scales. The result saw a complete revision on tactics as what worked on the Italians was poor against the Africa korps. After Operation Brevity and battle axe which only two of three objectives were met it wasn't helped by an order to withdraw. The new panzer III matched the British universal tank point for point in the huge battles, the Germans frequently lured British tanks into attacks areas with 88 batteries leading to attempts to reign in tank crews into waiting for artillery support before attacking, Greece became nothing short of a very desperate fight after the Greek military was routed it most certainly had not helped that the Metaxas Line did not have the amount troops needed the commonwealth troops were numbered by a very large degree 63,000 to the gemans 565,000. The RAF was bogged down and hampered the lack of early warning and the near continuous around the clock operation took their toll. Platamon was bloody for Germans as the new Zealand forces had their own armour support in the form three MK1 and two deacons it took heavy Luftwaffe attacks to remove the stubborn forces, the commonwealth forces did a fighting withdrawal from there to Thermopylae. On April 21st it was decided to evacuate to Crete and back to Egypt, the ports of southern were soon packed with commonwealth troops. During this time many MK I universal tank had been knocked out by Luftwaffe, German 88 and worn parts, the vanguards were very useful in the numerous rear guard actions, fast evacuations of wounded being a useful counter against German motorcycle units. But ultimately Greece fell to the Germans the bulk of the commonwealth forces escaped. Be it luck or perhaps some form foresight, crete was reinforced during greece consisting of 44 aircraft a mix of hurricanes and FAA buffalo the RAF contingent provided vital aid during the Greece. The ground forces were very small just one mechanized battalion , this was reinforced by the troops coming from Greece along with a handful of vanguards and MK I .
The Germans were aware of the RAF presence on Crete and very quickly sought to take control of the island, the launched an concentrated effort to remove the one line of defence to operation mercury, the air raids and attacks were all but drained the RAF FAA buffalo were less than useful against the new ME 109F the hurricanes were too little the Luftwaffe all but took control of the air. German intelligence had failed to take notice the battalion. Major general Bernard Freyberg had all sent his troops not just to guard the airfields but also the coast however the ratio was such the airfields had more troops than the coastal areas. May 20th was the ugliest moment for the paratroopers those operational tanks had all but caused the invasion to turn on its head. German paratroop doctrine was questionable rifles and heavier weapons were dropped in separate cases this played directly into defenders hands and Troop Carriers were used to further get men too and fro that the whole operation hinged on the gamble on hill 107 near maleme. The new Zealand forces held fast as the Germans attacked the presence of the vanguards was doubled edged sword as Luftwaffe JU 87 were called upon to remove the troubling 'metal boxes', an error caused the forces to withdraw on the second night but not before they had disabled the airfield against orders from Alexandria not to.
The Germans got the hill and a ruined airfield which somewhat hampered their reinforcements, a counter attack at night had worked only for the the British to again withdraw when the Luftwaffe appeared. The tanks and vaguards on Crete were not in the best shape nothing short of complete overhaul would have helped them. The situation was dire as even a second attempt just failed, the battle saw a commando detachment led under colonel Roberts didn't turn the battle. On May 30 the British were given the order to evacuate by the time it was complete 17,000 had been lifted off and 3,000 were forced to surrender, many more would form resistance groups, crete was under German control at a price the paratroop branch had taken a beating at the same time allied planners were impressed by operation mercury but it also showed that once the enemy recovered from the surprise they wouldn't last long this key observation would play later in 1944.
Elsewhere in north Africa the battle tilted towards the axis as tobruk was put under siege.

In June 22 1941 Operation Barbarossa was initiated the invasion of the Soviet union. The German army and strategist had seen the potential of the universal tank class and from an economic standpoint it made sense one tank that can do everything was better than spending money on several types, there was still some reservations though, the troop carrier was an incentive for the Germans to increase production of their halftracks push for greater mechanization of the armour. The panzer III was chosen for the new universal class, it was up gunned with high velocity 50mm cannon again based on the experience in France and north Africa the Soviet union best and most advanced tanks the T 34 and KV 1 were in small numbers, more so the mechanized Corp had deficiencies from poor maintenance, supply to the divisions spread out by miles. The panzer III could defeat the T26 and BT 7 with ease until encounters with the KV 1 and T 34 came frequent then the numbers were reversed the 50 mm KwK 39 L/60 could penetrate the KV 1 at close range and the Germans had better tactics which allowed a 6:1 kill ratio T 34 caused even more havoc when encountered and captured tanks were all but rushed back to Germany. Stalin traded ground for time as the Soviet moved their factories to safer areas causing further delay in deliveries as such through the lend lease the A11 MK I universal tank and later the Valentine, vanguard arrived.
The Russians were suspicious that the MK I now Matilda wasn't the latest tank (it certainly didn't look the part) in combat the Russian appreciated the 6 pounder, the suspension was very reliable but disliked the high profile, the tracks snapping and engine had problems, the A14 vanguard troop carrier created intense interest, its easy construction, maintenance and high speed saw them used in a variety of ways on the eastern front the effect they had on influencing Stalin and by extension the Soviet military was immense one tank that combined the medium and heavy saw the production slowly shift from the KV 1 to T 34 and troops could be deployed in battle alongside tanks. The eastern front became a technological race between Soviet union and Germany as each came up with a better universal tank the resulting machines would filter down to north Africa.

 

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In late 1938 an experiment was done to see if tanks could move through the jungle not on roads it was done on the basis of an experiment, tank used was the A9 tank and the birch guns, the experiment showed that tanks could simply go through the jungle although coming out of the thick undergrowth as a 'colourful parade float' plans were drawn up to have an armored regiment in malaya and singapore this took time, durkirk and rebuilding slowing this. By mid 1941 the forces stood at one armoured regiment and one mechanized the RAF contingent had been expanded to include hurricane MK II though they were MK I equipped with the new engine. Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart was put in charge of the commonwealth forces in November 1941.
On 7th December Japan attacked pearl harbour at the same time an air raid was launched against Singapore. Blenheim night fighters and buffalo were scrambled but this was delayed by Air Chief Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham who feared friendly fire, no blackout was imposed on Singapore due to ridiculous reasons Air Raid Precautions Headquarters was not even manned, the person in charge of the power station could even locate the person who had the key for the switch! The RAF inflicted losses on the raiding force three bombers two from the diversion one from the main force. A Catalina spotted the Japanese covoy and hastily reported it before being downed the commonwealth were alerted when Japanese landed at Kota Bharu they were faced with extreme resistance from Indian and Australian forces with RAF taking out two of the three troopships tanks were brought up from the rear all but ensured the breach would remain closed as the rest of garrisons responded to similar landings. Operation Krohcol scaled down version of the previous matador was aimed at destroying the ledge a six-mile stretch of road cut through a steep hillside, the operation was to have no delays as directed by Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart the operation was modified to be like the German blitzkrieg and all but smashed the Thai police, the ledge was succefully destroyed by the first column, Laycol the second column tore apart a Japanese mechanised column, the third column destroyed a bridge this would delay the Japanese by two months. With the their landings contained or thrashed by commonwealth forces, the Japanese committed their air force to taking control of the air, post war showed that the German raider Atlantis captured a British merchant ship among the documents were the force composition of Malaya but the tanks were never recorded due to a clerical error which was taken by the Japanese, they knew about the tanks from the infiltrators and spies all this didn't prepare them for the near eight month long battle, in the air battles the hurricane, buffalo and the hudson did not fare well against the KI 43 and the Navy O once the RAF started intercepting raids, The commonwealth was dealt a severe blow with the repulse and the Prince of Wales sunk.
The Japanese forces had finally managed to break through the British forces on 27th December due to heavy bombardment resulting in the battle of Jitra which saw the attackers ejected, not deterred they launched a second amphibious landing at Penang on of intent the airstrip there in that time intelligence officer Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan was revealed to a spy was arrested and interrogated 'quite vigorously' revealing the extant of his actions and other spies, he was hung a week later.

The battle of Penang saw the Japanese taking heavy losses as the fought with commonwealth forces they commenced a slow withdrawal making sure that nothing would be left to the enemy heavy air attacks claimed three tanks, the chief reason commonwealth forces withdrew was the danger of being cut off from the mainland. By the second month the Japanese launched an offensive from Thailand only to stopped by MK I universal tanks and vanguards, in act of perhaps impatience used paratroopers in a night drop completely surprising the defenders this allowed the Japanese to hamper the commonwealth forces even cut off a battalion of Indian troops and destroyed them. January 1942 saw 51 hurricanes sent to Singapore corners were cut, the hurricane II B were assembled without the bulky sand filter and the armament was reduced from twelve to eight to increase performance which worked to an extent and brought 35 of the 51 ready. The Japanese forces were forced to grind their way to their targets with the the city of Kuala Lumpur and Johore being the bloodiest and heaviest combat as fixed defences saw the invasion stop for at least three months allowing for Sumatra and java to be reinforced along with H.E shells for the 15in battery which all but made life miserable for the imperial army. But alas the Japanese managed to take control of the air above resulting in bombing attacks on commonwealth forces who withdrew destroying anything of value, a commando detachment raided the Japanese rear hamstringing them further, troops were pulled back to Singapore after four months of holding back and at the same time invasions were launched at Sumatra and Java faced similar tough resistance causing the campaign to a slow grind singular battle that would end in February 1943 after Singapore had been flattened.