Cruiser IV

## Basic Information

The **Cruiser IV** is a British tier 3 light tank.

An upgraded version of the Cruiser tank Mk. III. The tank featured armor enhanced by the additional screens. The Cruiser Mk. IV fought in France in 1940 and in the early stages of the North African Campaign. This vehicle last saw action in the winter of 1941–1942. A total of 655 tanks were mass-produced.

Despite the move to Tier 4 in 1.9, the Cruiser IV is still an effective tank. This tank has excellent gun depression at 15 degrees, superior even to the M4 Sherman. While the QF 40 mm Mk. VI is no longer as effective as it was at Tier 3, it is still capable of doing quite a bit of damage to most tanks up to tier 4. The QF Mk. VI gun fires its burst significantly slower than most other autocannons which can be somewhat disorienting, though the second shot is less prone to firing wildly off-course.

## Pros & Cons

##### Pros:

* Great power/weight ratio
* Gob smacking 15 degrees of gun depression.
* QF 40 mm Mk. VI does good damage and is very accurate for an autocannon.
* Very quick reload on the Bofors

##### Cons:

* Weak armor
* Top gun fires more slowly than most other autocannons; requires some practice to get it right.
* Somewhat low top speed doesn't allow you to make the most of your great power/weight ratio, and it may be frustrating.

## Performance

A step up in the world from the Cruiser III, the Cruiser IV is an up-armored version. The 40 mm Pom Pom now fire 2-shot bursts and the new QF 40 mm Mk. VI autocannon is available, along with an improved engine. However, the hull traverse, especially at high speed, is just as sluggish as on the Cruiser III, so making tiny circles at high speed with this tank is virtually impossible.

Also, the QF auto-cannon has very unstable penetration, and will bounce many shots that you expect will penetrate, so make sure that you aim at the weak spots. Sniping is negated by the relative inaccuracy of the 40mm Pom Pom, forcing the tank into Close Quarter Combat. It is recommended to upgrade the Pom Pom whenever possible.

All this said, the QF 40mm Mk VI works very well for the role the Cruiser Mk. IV plays. For anyone experienced with medium tank tactics, this tank will feel very familiar. While it's not as sturdy as it used to be, it's still fast and maneuverable, and has a good gun that's well suited for flanking. Being able to fire a 200-damage burst every 6 seconds allows you to put a lot of hurt on anyone at or below your own tier, and to flank and kill many Tier 5 and some Tier 6 tanks (although it's still best to leave more heavily armored enemies for your team). While the Bofors is quite accurate and can allow you to use its rather high DPM at a mid-range sniping setting, its penetration is somewhat lacking for this role. While no longer as deadly as it once was, this tank can still be effective, even in Tier 6 matches.

## Historical Information

Cruiser, Mk IV (A13 Mk II) was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It followed directly on from the Cruiser Mk III (A13 Mk I) tank. The first Mk IVs were Mk IIIs with extra armor fitted to the turret. Later Mk IVAs were built with the complete extra armor. The tank was used in France in 1940 and in the early part of the war in North Africa before being withdrawn from service.