The tank museum in Bovington, England, displays the last surviving example of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III. These photos were taken in June 2015.
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The tank on display at the Bovington Tank Museum belongs to the Cruiser Tank Mk.III* modification. It differs from the base model in the shielding of the tower
The vehicle is richly marked, but all these signs have nothing to do with this tank. Even though the tank was produced in the late 30s, it has many riveted parts
This tank is very different from the Christie tank, which is the «progenitor» of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III.
The tank is not on the move, but complete, which is directly hinted at by the pallets for the oil flows
The design of the frontal part of the tank's hull turned out to be typical for British tanks of the second half of the 30s
The driver was housed in a special wheelhouse in the center of the hull. The hatch could be folded up, so that the driver did not complain about the visibility
There were observation devices in the sides of the cabin
Hatches are provided in the upper frontal part. This is convenient for maintenance, but clearly does not contribute to enhancing security
Fire extinguishers are installed on the inside of the fenders
It was decided to leave the headlights as they were, considering the incomplete, but authentic part to be more important
Front mudguards were redesigned during maintenance
There are long boxes of spare parts along the sides
The shelves behind the boxes of spare parts are not empty – there are fasteners for the entrenching tool
The air filter in the box on the side
Aft tow hook and hood covering the exhaust pipes
The engine overhead plate is not deprived of all kinds of hatches
The stern of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III turned out to be quite intricate
The chassis as a whole repeats that of the Christie tank: 4 road wheels per side, a drive wheel and a sloth
At the same time, the British made a number of changes to the chassis design
The tank has small-link track links, which are more successful in design than the tracks of the Christie tank
Track close up
Inside tracks. The track combines two types: large ones with a ridge and small ones without a ridge
The sloth was not changed much
Support roller. The cover fasteners are visible
The drive wheel turned out to be completely different from the design of Christie
The drive wheel mount looks pretty intricate
Bottom without any frills. It seems that they haven't looked here for a long time
General view of the turret
The shielding formed a kind of «collar»
Two smoke grenade launchers were attached on the right; the side shielding is very similar to that of the Cruiser Tank Mk.IV
The same can be said for the stern
The 40 mm (2 pounder) cannon was quite modern armament at the beginning of World War II
2-Pounder Cannon Stamped mantlet
Installing a Vickers machine gun
A hole for ejection of spent cartridges is at the bottom of the protective casing
Mounting the shielding from the inside
Left side shielding close-up
The viewing device is also covered by a shield
Antenna port and its mount
The commander's cupola clearly migrated from the Light Tank Mk.VIA.
The tank museum in Bovington, England, displays the last surviving example of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III. These photos were taken in June 2015.
If the background of the pictures causes difficulties while you are reading reference information, hover the mouse over the text.
The tank on display at the Bovington Tank Museum belongs to the Cruiser Tank Mk.III* modification. It differs from the base model in the shielding of the tower
The vehicle is richly marked, but all these signs have nothing to do with this tank. Even though the tank was produced in the late 30s, it has many riveted parts
This tank is very different from the Christie tank, which is the «progenitor» of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III.
The tank is not on the move, but complete, which is directly hinted at by the pallets for the oil flows
The design of the frontal part of the tank's hull turned out to be typical for British tanks of the second half of the 30s
The driver was housed in a special wheelhouse in the center of the hull. The hatch could be folded up, so that the driver did not complain about the visibility
There were observation devices in the sides of the cabin
Hatches are provided in the upper frontal part. This is convenient for maintenance, but clearly does not contribute to enhancing security
Fire extinguishers are installed on the inside of the fenders
It was decided to leave the headlights as they were, considering the incomplete, but authentic part to be more important
Front mudguards were redesigned during maintenance
There are long boxes of spare parts along the sides
The shelves behind the boxes of spare parts are not empty – there are fasteners for the entrenching tool
The air filter in the box on the side
Aft tow hook and hood covering the exhaust pipes
The engine overhead plate is not deprived of all kinds of hatches
The stern of the Cruiser Tank Mk.III turned out to be quite intricate
The chassis as a whole repeats that of the Christie tank: 4 road wheels per side, a drive wheel and a sloth
At the same time, the British made a number of changes to the chassis design
The tank has small-link track links, which are more successful in design than the tracks of the Christie tank
Track close up
Inside tracks. The track combines two types: large ones with a ridge and small ones without a ridge
The sloth was not changed much
Support roller. The cover fasteners are visible
The drive wheel turned out to be completely different from the design of Christie
The drive wheel mount looks pretty intricate
Bottom without any frills. It seems that they haven't looked here for a long time
General view of the turret
The shielding formed a kind of «collar»
Two smoke grenade launchers were attached on the right; the side shielding is very similar to that of the Cruiser Tank Mk.IV
The same can be said for the stern
The 40 mm (2 pounder) cannon was quite modern armament at the beginning of World War II
2-Pounder Cannon Stamped mantlet
Installing a Vickers machine gun
A hole for ejection of spent cartridges is at the bottom of the protective casing
Mounting the shielding from the inside
Left side shielding close-up
The viewing device is also covered by a shield
Antenna port and its mount
The commander's cupola clearly migrated from the Light Tank Mk.VIA.
