A38 valiant research

The Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38) was a British tank design of the Second World War that only reached the prototype stage. Intended to meet the specification for a lightweight but heavily armoured tank for use in the war in the Far East, it proved to be an ergonomic failure. The sole example was retained by the School of Tank Technology after the war as a lesson to its students.^[1]

Design and development

The Valiant, under General Staff specification A38, began as a candidate for an assault tank, with the thickest armour on the lowest possible weight, for use in the Far East. It was to be similar in intention to the 40-ton A33 Excelsior although far lighter. As the Valiant managed the same 114mm frontal armour with only 27 tons, it managed to achieve its primary goal, but only by making unacceptable compromises elsewhere.^[2] At a time when British tank design was already at its nadir, this "terrible price for the weight concession"^[2] led to what is probably the worst British tank of the war.^[2]

The design brief of December 1943 called for three prototypes of a small, heavily armoured tank for the Far East. Speed across open country was less important, as was performance against armour. Design work started with Vickers, but they soon passed it to Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon, then finally Ruston & Hornsby, who built the single boilerplate prototype in 1944.^[1] Vickers' original intention may have been to use parts of their Valentine infantry tank where possible,^[3] but this did not survive the production choices of the other manufacturers, nor was the running gear of the far lighter Valentine compatible with the needs of such heavy armour. The largest point of commonality was the choice of engine, the 210 bhp General Motors 6004 two-stroke diesel, as used in later marks of Valentine. Construction was like that of the Matilda infantry tank - large cast armour pieces bolted together. Suspension was by six equally sized wheels on each side, with independent wishbone suspension units for each, rather than bogies. Concern was expressed about the possible fragility of these units in combat, but Valiant was never taken seriously off-road to test them. The drivetrain was to the rear, from a 210 bhp diesel. This low power limited the tank to a predicted top speed of 12 mph, although this was still acceptable to both the infantry tank and assault tank concepts.

Following from the later Valentine VIII & XI models, the turret was to accept either the QF 6 pdr or the QF 75 mm, with space for a turret crew of three (commander, gunner, loader). This was achieved at the cost of a large heavy turret with near-vertical faces and a massive cast front face with distinctively prominent bolts. The mantlet was internal and a weak point against accurate fire at close range. Unlike the late model Valentines it had a co-axial machine-gun.

The Valiant's suspension was tested by the Fighting Vehicle Proving Establishment at Chertsey in May 1945. The first day gave minor problems and was abandoned after only 13 miles (21 km) of easy on-road driving. However, the driver was already exhausted by this time, finding that the steering levers needed his full weight to operate and that the seat, footbrake and gearlever all carried risk of physical injury in using them. The Officer in Charge decided to abandon the trials there and then as it was impossible and unsafe to continue, reporting that "in his view the entire project should be closed"^[1] There were also issues with weight distribution and the ground clearance of only 9 inches, and by that point of the war there was no longer a need for the tank.^[4] The Valiant project was terminated.

Variants

A Valiant II was mentioned in late 1943,^[1] but little more was heard of it. In February 1944 there was more detailed discussion of a Heavy Valiant,^[1] which may have been the same and has been reported as such in some sources.^[3]

The Heavy Valiant was a substantially different vehicle, only using the turret and driver's compartment of the Valiant on a hull derived from the A33 Excelsior and its T1 suspension. This gave armour of 9 (hull front) and 10 inches (turret) thickness. Weight was now estimated at 42 tons, which is comparable with the original Excelsior despite almost doubling the armour thickness, and so this must have been a much smaller tank. Power was doubled to cope with the weight, using the new and compact 400 bhp Rolls Royce Meteorite engine (a cut-down V8 Meteor) and an improved transmission.^[1] The mistake of the Valentine was to be repeated, where the turret was up-gunned to the 95mm howitzer of the Centaur IV at the cost of forcing the commander to take over the loader's task in a two-man turret. There is a record of a prototype having gone to the ranges at Lulworth Cove for trials in January 1945, but no other record of what it looked like.^[1]

Present day

The sole Valiant was retained by the School of Tank Technology, where students were treated to an inspection of it at the end of their course and invited to find fault. David Fletcher wrote of this: "One hopes they started early in the morning."^[1]

The Valiant can now be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum.

Description

One of the worst tanks ever built
Valiant was ordered as an Infantry Assault Tank for service in the Far East and the designers were instructed to keep the weight down as low as possible but to apply the thickest armour. The project was originally handled by Vickers-Armstrong but later passed over to Ruston & Hornsby Ltd of Grantham. In order to save weight the hull was reduced in size as far as possible. The front casting was virtually moulded around the driver while the turret ring actually stuck out from the sides of the hull. The turret, on the other hand, was enormous since the War Office insisted that a minimum of three men were to be accommodated. Valiant shared some features with the Valentine, notably the General Motors diesel engine, but the suspension was an original, if rather clumsy design.

Two prototypes are believed to have been built in 1944 and designs exist for an improved version featuring a Rolls-Royce Meteorite engine converted to diesel. In fact the tank never went into production and this is explained by the official policy which stated that no new designs should be built if they could not be completed before hostilities ceased. There may however be another explanation. During a test run in 1945 the prototype broke down after covering 13 miles. The driver was then found to be almost crippled by the driving position and in some danger of injury from the controls. The trial was called off immediately and the Valiant project came to an end. Other reports explain that the ground clearance of the tank was too low at the back and that the suspension system, located partly underneath the hull, was vulnerable on cross-country driving. Indeed it is very difficult to find an official report which has anything good to say about the tank at all.

Hostilities in Europe were ending so scheme was dropped in 1945.

Precise Name: Tank, Infantry, Valiant

Other Name: A38

DESCRIPTION

The Valiant appears to be one of the worst tanks ever designed in Britain. It is difficult to find any contemporary reports that say anything good about it!

The Valiant was originally designed by Vickers Armstrong to meet a War Office requirement for an Infantry Assault Tank for service in the Far East. During development the project was transferred first to the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. and then to Ruston and Hornsby Ltd. of Grantham.

The designers were required to apply the thickest possible armour while keeping the weight as low as possible. Inevitably the hull was very small; the front hull casting was virtually moulded around the driver while the turret ring stuck out over the sides of the hull. In comparison the turret appeared to be enormous, as it had to accommodate a three man crew, (commander, gunner and loader/radio operator).

The Valiant used the same diesel engine as the Valentine (See E1949.344), although it had little else in common with the earlier tank. Design documents exist for an improved version, the Valiant II, powered by a Rolls Royce Meteorite engine, converted to diesel operation.

Ruston and Hornsby built one prototype in 1944. Trials in 1944 – 45 revealed serious problems. With a power:weight ratio of 7.8hp per ton, the tank was slow. The ground clearance at the rear was found to be too low and the suspension, located partly under the hull, was easily damaged during cross-country driving. More seriously the driver was almost crippled by the cramped driving position and was in danger of being injured by the controls. Furthermore, the controls required inordinate strength to operate them. The tests were abandoned immediately.

Not surprisingly the Valiant did not enter production, officially because the war was likely to be over before the tank could be introduced into service.

Summary text by Mike Garth 

Other Numbers

Number	Type
3952	Original Accession
1952.1009	Original Entry
294/8/R/7641	Serial

Main utility type

Heavy

Country of Use

U.K. (1944)

Production

Object Production

Role	Attribution	Date	Place	Notes
Manufactured	1943	Ruston and Hornsby Ltd.	United Kingdom	Lincoln

Era

World War 2

Nationality

British

Location

Current Location

BOVTM - B18 - WW2 Hall - Britain at Bay (Moved here on 14/11/2012)

Physical

Features

Part Name	Description	Notes
Tracks/Wheels	Full Tracked
Armament - Main Weapon Type	Gun - 75 mm QF Gun
Armament - Secondary Weapon Type	Coaxial Machine Gun (7.62mm or 7.92mm)
Engine	General Motors 6-71M
Transmission	5 Forward, 1 Reverse
Suspension	Independent coil spring

Dimensions

Part Name	Dimension	Value	Unit	Precision	Notes
Crew	Number	4
Overall	Weight	27	tons
Speed - Road	Maximum	12	mph
Fuel	Type	Diesel
Range	Maximum	90	ml
Armour Thickness	Maximum	114.00	mm
Main Gun	Calibre	75	mm
Engine Output	Power	210	bhp
Fuel	Volume
Projectile	Number
Overall	Length	5.3	m
Overall	Width	2.8	m
Overall	Height	2.1	m