Carden-Loyd Two-Man Tankette

The Vickers-Armstrong company built the first Carden-Loyd Tankettes in 1926, they were based on a design by the Carden-Loyd tractor company. They had a crew of two and were intended to act not as tanks but rather as machine gun or mortar carriers. 

The early Carden-Loyd Tankette pictured above has a two man crew, a driver and a gunner, with a MkIII aerial Lewis Gun mounted in one of three slot in tankette’s front armour. Other variants had .303 Vickers guns mounted on the chassis. The Carden-Loyd Tankette, designed by Sir John Carden and Vivian Loyd, went on to inspire a number of other foreign tankettes, including the Soviet T-27, the Italian CV-33 and the Polish TKS. 

A MkVI Carden-Loyd towing a 3.7 QF Howitzer MkI (source)

The Tankette concept first emerged during the inter-war period, theoretically creating a small, nimble, infantry tank capable of supporting advancing infantry or scouting ahead. Many countries including Britain, France, Italy Poland, Japan and the Soviet Union developed them before 1939.

While many tankettes mounted machine guns or even small canon and were often fully enclosed, the Carden-Loyd Tankette pictured above is open topped and has more in common with the Universal (or Bren Gun) Carriers that followed it. 

Carden-Loyd Carriers pictured at the Elswick Works, Newcastle, c.1930 (source)

The Carden-Loyd was built in various Mks with the final MkVI being the most successful. It weighed 1.5 tons, was just over 8 feet (2.5m) long and had 6-9mm of hardened steel plate armour. It could reach up to 30mph, extremely fast compared to earlier light tanks, but its rudimentary suspension meant it was extremely unpleasant to travel in over rough ground or long distances. The Carden-Loyd Tankettes also had the distinction of being part of Britain’s short-lived, but influential, Experimental Mechanised Force with some Carden-Loyds acting as a reconnaissance element. 

The Carden-Loyd’s legacy is the influence they had on international tankette development and the foundations they laid for the later Universal Carrier which proved an invaluable vehicle during the Second World War. 

Sources:

Images: 1 

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles, I.V. Hogg & J. Weeks, (1980)

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