Wednesday 18 February 2015

Valentine and Matilda Delivery Quality

"To the Deputy Chair of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, comrade A.I. Mikoyan

A series of defects was discovered at Gorkiy and during subsequent use in the army in MkII (Matilda heavy tank) and MkIII (Valentine medium tank) tanks that arrived from England.
  1. Out of 137 tanks that arrived at Gorkiy, 58 broke down due to frozen water in the engines. Additionally, 20 tank batteries (4 batteries per tank) broke due to freezing of the electrolyte, due to its reduced density.
    We must use imported parts to repair all 58 vehicles, but there are not enough engines and batteries, and we require additional supplies to repair 30 tanks. English representatives confirmed that a portion of the tanks arrived at Arkhangelsk with water in the engine cooling system.
  2. The MkII tank has a compressor for controls and the gearbox that works poorly in winter temperatures. It is necessary to ensure that the compressor works flawlessly in our winter on subsequent shipments.
  3. Many cases of track pin breakages were observed in battle conditions on both tank types, as well as breakages of idler ball bearings on MkIII tanks when moving across rough terrain.
  4. The track faces of both types of tanks are smooth, and the tanks slide around. It is necessary to weld grousers to these tracks.
  5. On MkII tanks, the front sloped (left and right) plates are torn out of the tank when towed. It is necessary to reinforce them.
  6. The MkIII tank has many small defects, such as:
    1. The water drainage valve does not allow for all water to be drained from the engine cooling system. It must be placed in the lowest point of the water pipes.
    2. The vertical position of the compensator coil of the water drainage pipe means that all water cannot be removed from it.
    3. The radiators overcool in winter conditions. It is necessary to install warming shutters.
    4. Rubber tires on the road wheels often slide off. It is necessary to attach them in a more reliable way.
Tanks are not evenly supplied with instruments. Some have more, some have less. It is necessary to equip them according to established norms.

I ask you to report the above to English representatives that supply us with tanks so that the aforementioned defects can be resolved.

GABTU Chief, Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces, Fedorenko
GABTU Military Commissar, Army Commissar 2nd Grade, Biryukov"

1 comment:

  1. It is always a bad idea to use water in an engine if it is not mixed with a coolant. This is done precisely to prevent the water from freezing.

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