British armoured fighting vehicles of World War II The British Army made extensive use of a variety of combat vehicles during the Second World War . This article is a summary of those vehicles . Tankette s . A tankette is a type of lightly - armed and - armoured tracked combat vehicle resembling a small tank roughly the size of a car , mainly intended for light infantry support or reconnaissance . Colloquially it may also simply mean a " small tank " . Medium tanks . These inter - war tanks were built to supply the British Army after the First World War . Heavier than most light tanks , they proved to be under - gunned and under - armoured . Some did see action in France and the Low Countries in 1940 . They were armed with either the QF 3 pdr or the Vickers machine gun . All were withdrawn from service by 1941 . Light tanks . These were a series of similar small tanks produced by Britain in the years between the First and Second World Wars mainly for use in Imperial duties . They saw use in training , and in limited engagements with British Imperial units in colonial policing actions before the war . All were about 5 tonnes , the earlier models had a crew of two and were armed with a 0 . 303 Vickers machine gun . The later had a crew of three and a heavy machine gun ( the 0 . 50 inch version of the Vickers machine gun or 15mm Besa machine gun ) as well as 0 . 303 or 7 . 92mm Besa machine gun . Although some were used in France and North Africa at the start of the war , they were removed as not fit for service in armoured divisions . The last of the light tanks were produced during the war . Not considered suitable for use in the divisions , they were trialled in airborne operations . Armament was the QF 2 pdr anti - tank gun . Cruiser tanks . These medium - sized cruiser tank s were the mainstay of British armoured units during the war . Weighing 10 - 35 tonnes , they were fast and mobile , and were designed to operate independently of the slow - moving infantry and their more heavily armoured infantry tank support . They were built specifically to fight a mobile war against other tanks . They were armed with anti - tank guns , from the QF 2 pdr to the QF 17 pdr or the general purpose 75 mm . Infantry tanks . The infantry tank was a concept developed by Britain in the years leading up to the war . They generally carried more armour than the cruiser tank s , as they did not need such a high top speed . They were designed to work as close support for the infantry . They were armed with either the QF 2 pdr , QF 6 pdr , or the QF 75 mm . Self - propelled artillery . Self - propelled artillery vehicles were a way of enabling the Royal Artillery to function with the same degree of battlefield mobility as conventional tank formations . They were self - propelled gun s , usually based on a tank chassis , which when used for long - range indirect bombardment support on the battlefield . In contrast to American doctrine , mobile anti - tank weapons were also considered self - propelled guns and were similarly operated by the Royal Artillery . Armoured personnel carriers . Armoured personnel carriers were armoured fighting vehicle s developed to transport infantry Armoured cars . Light and medium scout and reconnaissance vehicles were used by most British Army units , especially battalions of the Reconnaissance Corps and cavalry units . These fast wheeled vehicles usually weighed from 3 to 10 tonnes . Armament ranged from Bren light machine gun s ( or Boys anti - tank rifle ) , Besa machine gun s , up to QF 2 pdr and 6 - pdr guns . Commonwealth Armoured vehicles . Armoured vehicles built outside Britain for Commonwealth forces . Lend - Lease Armoured vehicles . American armoured vehicles were purchased and sometimes re - fitted with British guns , and were used by British and British - supplied Allied forces throughout the war . Prototypes . These vehicles were never put into production .