Vickers A1E1 Independent

Vickers A1E1 "Independent"
The Vickers A1E1 in 1925
Type	Tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Manufacturer	Vickers
Number built	1
Specifications
Weight	33 long tons (34 t)
Length	24 ft 11 in (7.59 m)
Width	8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Height	8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
Crew	8

Armour	13–28 mm
Main armament	QF 3 pounder gun (47 mm)
Secondary armament	4 × 0.303 Vickers machine gun
Engine	Armstrong Siddeley V12 petrol 370 hp (280 kW)
Transmission	4 forward, 1 reverse
Suspension	coil spring bogies
Operational range	95 miles
Speed	20 mph (32 km/h)

The Independent A1E1 is a multi-turreted tank that was designed by the British armaments manufacturer Vickers between the First and Second World Wars. Although it only ever reached the prototype stage and only a single example was built, it influenced many other tank designs.

The A1E1 design can be seen as a possible influence on the Soviet T-100 and T-28 tanks, the German Neubaufahrzeug tanks, and the British Medium Mk III and Cruiser Mk I (triple turret) tank designs. The Soviet T-35 tank was heavily influenced by its design.

Design

The Independent was a multi-turret design, having a central gun turret armed with the 3 pounder (47 mm) gun, and four subsidiary turrets each armed with a 0.303 inch Vickers machine gun. The subsidiary turrets were mounted two at the front and two to the rear of the turret (about halfway along the hull). The gun of the left rear turret was able to elevate to engage aircraft. The tank was designed to have heavy firepower, self-defence capability, and superiority to enemy weapons. It had a crew of eight men, the commander communicating with the crew through an intercom system. The Independent was never used in combat, but other armies studied it and a few adopted designs derived from it.

History

The A1E1 at The Tank Museum (2008)

In 1924 the General Staff of the British Army ordered the prototype of a heavy tank, which became known as the Independent. Largely designed by Walter Gordon Wilson, its 35.8 litre V12 air-cooled engine was designed by Armstrong Siddeley. It also incorporated a new hydraulic braking system which had to be specially developed due to its weight and speed. The prototype was delivered to the War Office in 1926, and displayed to the premiers of the Dominions that year.

The tank was the subject of industrial and political espionage, the plans ending up in the Soviet Union, where they may have influenced the design of the T-28 and T-35 tanks. Norman Baillie-Stewart, a British military officer, was court-martialled in 1933 and served five years in prison for providing the plans of the Independent (among other secrets) to a German contact.^[1]

It remained in use for experiments until 1935 when it was worn out and retired to The Tank Museum, Bovington, where it is preserved.^[2]

Notes

↑ "Norman Baillie-Stewart Is Dead; Briton Jailed for Aid to Germans; Passed Secrets on Armored Vehicles Known as 'Officer in Tower'", The New York Times, 8 June 1966 (subscription required)
↑ Fletcher (2014)

References

Tucker, Spencer (2004). Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. pp. 49–51. ISBN 1-57607-995-3.
Garth, M, "Tank A1E1, Independent (E1949.331)", Virtual museum, The Tank Museum, Bovington
Fletcher, David (14 January 2014), The Independent, The Tank Museum

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers A1E1 Independent.

Interwar tanks

List Category

Tankettes	L3/33 L3/35 Carden Loyd Morris-Martel T-27 TKS Type 92 tankette Type 94 tankette Type 97 Te-Ke Tančík vz. 33 AH-IV

Light	H35 R35 Fiat 3000 Leichttraktor Light Tanks Mk I–V Light Tank Mk VI Light Tank Mk VII M1 Combat Car M2 Light Tank Panzer I Panzer II LT vz. 34 LT vz. 35 LT vz. 38 T1 Light Tank T7 Combat Car T-18 T-13 T-15 T-19 T-26 T-37 T-38 7TP Type 95 Ha-Go Vickers 6-Ton Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tank

Medium	Char D1 Char D2 Grosstraktor Medium Mk I Medium Mk II Medium Mk III Panzer III T-24 T-28 Type 89 I-Go Type 97 Chi-Ni Type 97 Chi-Ha Type 98 Chi-Ho

Cavalry, Cruiser or Fast	AMC 34 AMC 35 AMR 33 AMR 35 BT tank Cruiser Mk I Cruiser Mk II Cruiser Mk III SOMUA S35

Infantry	FCM 36 Infantry Mk I, Matilda Renault R35 T-26 Type 89 I-Go

Heavy	Char B1 Neubaufahrzeug SMK T-35 T-100 Type 95 Heavy Tank Vickers A1E1 Independent

Super-heavy	FCM F1 Char 2C T-42

Armoured Carriers	UE Chenillette Bren Gun Carrier

Tank history classification WWI Interwar WWII Cold War Post–Cold War

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