World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tanks, with two variants designated A4E11 and A4E12 by the British War Office, were tractor-based tankettes designed to be able to travel across calm waters at the speed of about 6 kilometers per hour. The design was completed by the British company Carden-Loyd Tractors, Limited in early 1931. In Apr 1931, Vickers-Armstrongs, Limited, the parent company of Carden-Loyd, demonstrated a number of prototypes, but failing to secure a contract from the British Army. A limited number of examples were produced between 1931 and 1932, however, for sale to China, the Netherlands (for use in the Dutch East Indies colony), the Soviet Union, and Thailand. In China, they saw action against the Japanese in the 1937 battle in Shanghai. Meanwhile, those sold to the Soviet Union were studied and became the basis for the T-37A light amphibious tanks. Poland showed interest in purchasing a number of Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tanks, but the two sides were unable to reach a business agreement, and Poland ultimately designed its own amphibious project under the name of PZInz 130.

SPECIFICATIONS

A4E11

Machinery	Meadows EST 6-cyl gasoline engine rated at 60 bhp
Suspension	Horstmann
Armament	1x0.303in Vickers machine gun (1,000 rounds)
Armor	9mm front, 7mm sides, 9mm turret, 5mm rear, 3mm top, 3mm bottom
Crew	2
Length	4.06 m
Width	2.06 m
Height	1.88 m
Weight	2.2 t
Speed	43 km/h
Range	160 km

A4E12

Machinery	Meadows EST 6-cyl gasoline engine rated at 90 bhp
Suspension	Horstmann
Armament	1x0.303in Vickers machine gun (1,000 rounds)
Armor	10mm front, 7mm sides, 9mm turret, 5mm rear, 3mm top, 3mm bottom
Crew	2
Length	3.96 m
Width	2.08 m
Height	1.83 m
Weight	3.8 t
Speed	56 km/h
Range	260 km

Photographs