Morris-Martel

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Morris-Martel
TypeTankette
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1927-1928
Used byUnited Kingdom (prototypes only)
WarsNone
Production history
DesignerSir Giffard Le Quesne Martel
Designed1925
ManufacturerMorris Commercial Cars[1]
Produced1927
No. built8
Variants1-man and 2-man variants
Specifications
Mass2.25 long tons (2.29 t)[2]
Crew1-2 depending on model
Armour0.3 in (7.6 mm)[3]
Main
armament
Lewis Gun
EngineMorris "16hp"
16 bhp (12 kW)
SuspensionLeaf spring
Ground clearance18 in (460 mm)
Maximum speed 30 mph (48 km/h) on road

The Morris-Martel was a British inter-war tankette developed from prototypes designed by Lieutenant-General Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel. Intended for reconnaissance, eight were constructed for the Experimental Mechanized Force and were tested on Salisbury plain in 1927, against experimental models of the Carden Loyd tankette built by John Carden and Vivian Loyd as a response to Martel's work.[4] The project was abandoned after testing with the Carden Loyd design chosen instead; during its short existence the tankette attracted "quite a lot of publicity" and was a pioneer of the tankette concept.[1]

References[]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Ford (1997) p. 25.
  2. ^ "Morris-Martel Tank". Ordnance. American Defense Preparedness Association. XI–XII: 27. 1930. OCLC 5671311.
  3. ^ "Morris-Martel Tank". National Defense. American Defense Preparedness Association. XII: 27. 1931. ISSN 0092-1491.
  4. ^ Harris (1995) p. 210.

Sources

  • Ford, Roger (1997). The World's Great Tanks: From 1916 to the Present Day. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-76-070593-3 – via Archive Foundation.
  • Harris, J. P. (1995). Men, Ideas, and Tanks: British Military Thought and Armoured Forces, 1903–1939. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-71-904814-1.
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