Cruiser Mk IV The Tank , Cruiser , Mk IV ( A13 Mk II ) was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War . It followed directly on from the Tank , Cruiser , Mk III ( A13 Mk I ) . The first Mk IVs were Mk IIIs with extra armour fitted to the turret . Later Mk IVAs were built with the complete extra armour . The tank was used in France in 1940 and in the early part of the war in North Africa before being withdrawn from service . Design and development . Britain became interested in fast tanks after observing the Soviet BT tank s during the 1936 Red Army manoeuvres . The BT was based on the revolutionary designs of American J . Walter Christie , and so a team from Morris Motors was sent to the United States to purchase one of Christie ' s tanks , and also the rights to build more . The tank purchased became known as the A13E1 , and this was delivered in late 1936 . However , the hull was too small and this led to a second British - built prototype being constructed . The A13E2 was built to mount the turret of the Vickers designed Cruiser Tank MkI ( A9 ) . This carried a 40 mm 2 - pounder anti - tank gun and co - axial . 303 water - cooled Vickers machine gun . The drive train was also revised , with the road wheels no longer powered - as a result the tank could not be driven on its wheels alone . Better tracks were used , with rear - mounted drive sprockets ; on trials over 40 mph was attained on these tracks , but later the speed was governed to 30 mph . The armour basis of the A13E2 was 15 mm , in line with other pre - war fast tank designs . The A13E3 was the final trials model ; this led to the production tank , the A13 MkI , Cruiser Tank Mk III , which entered production in 1939 at Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Limited , a munitions subsidiary of Morris Motors . An order for 65 tanks was placed ; and at least 30 tanks completed when the War Office decided to build a new model with thicker armour . The A13 MkII , Cruiser Tank Mk IV , had a maximum armour thickness of 30 mm , and faceted armour was mounted on the original turret ' s sides and rear . This gave the tank a far more modern appearance . Some Mk III tanks were re - built to Mk IV standard while at the factory . In service , the . 303 Vickers machine gun gave constant trouble , and so the British Army decided to replace it with the 7 . 92 mm BESA . All British tanks were to have their designs modified to mount the new weapon from early 1940 . This led to the main production version , the A13 MkIIA , Cruiser Tank MkIVA . A few examples of this model were sent with the BEF to France , along with most of the earlier A13 ' s so far produced . It is not known how many A13 MkIVA tanks were produced ; numbers depending on source . Between the Cruiser Mark III and Cruiser Mark IV , 665 were produced when production ended in 1941 . English Electric , Leyland , and LMS Railway were also involved in A13 production . In France the A13 did not do well ; this was mainly due to poor training as a result of its being rushed into service . Many tanks shipped to France were in poor condition , some so new they had vital parts not yet installed . However , the A13 did much better in the deserts of North Africa , and coped with the conditions better than some other designs . It was fast , and its 2 - pounder gun was a fine weapon against Italian and German tanks of this period . It stayed in contention as a battle tank until late 1941 , when newer models of the Panzer III and Panzer IV appeared with thicker armour and larger guns . In North Africa it was the anti - tank gun which claimed the vast majority of British tanks lost in battle ; German tanks accounted for few British losses , contrary to popular belief The A13 MkIII , Cruiser Tank Mk V was a radical departure from the original A13 design and constituted a new tank . Both hull and turret were redesigned , and it used a new flat - 12 Meadows engine with radiators mounted in the front hull . Named the Covenanter , it was built in large numbers , but was not battleworthy and was used only for training . The A13 MkIIA was replaced by the A15 Crusader tank , which was similar to the Covenanter but used the original A13 engine . Variants . Mk IVA . . 303 Vickers machine gun replaced with 7 . 92 mm BESA machine gun . MkIVA featured a new gun mantlet . Built at several factories including LMS Railway . Main type used in Desert 1940 - 42 . Combat history . The Cruiser Mk IV and MkIVA , in small numbers ( 40 ? ) saw service in France in 1940 with the 1st Armoured Division of the British Expeditionary Force . Most were abandoned at Calais , and the few tanks that did see action were overwhelmed by the vastly superior German forces . From October 1940 the Cruiser Tank MkIVA was sent to North Africa , where it served alongside the older A9 , Cruiser Tank MkI and A10 Cruiser Tank MkII . The A13 was never available in sufficient numbers , and a typical Armoured Brigade would have a mix of slow ( 10 - 20 mph ) A9 and A10 with faster ( 30 - 40 mph ) A13 and Light Tank Mk VI ( acting as cruiser tanks ) . This gave tactical and logistical problems . However , the A13 was popular with its crews , and its only real drawback was the lack of a high - explosive shell for the 2 - pounder . Like all British tanks of the period , it was vulnerable to anti - tank guns , which it had no way of countering except by short - range machine gun fire . The A13 was generally reliable , and the 2 - pounder gun was adequate against all Axis tanks up to late 1941 , when the A13 was retired . It was replaced by the A15 Crusader tank , which was in essence an enlarged A13 with thicker armour .