Tank brigades were a significant element in the British armored forces of the Second World War, and tended to experience more action than the better known and more prestigious armored brigades and divisions. They originated from the doctrine that there should be two types of tank formations: those equipped with fast or "cruiser" tanks, and those with slow or "infantry" tanks, designed as is implied in the name to support foot infantry in the attack. The tank brigades were created to perform the latter role. Units designed to support infantry were found in other nations, notably the assault gun battalions of the German Army and the "separate" tank and tank destroyer battalions in the US Army. The British were however unusual in grouping their battalions into permanent formations-the tank brigades. This created some advantages in that the battalions had a permanent HQ with all the benefits this gave in terms of training, replacement, and cohesion. Certainly, it was a better solution than the ad-hoc "groups" employed by the US Army. Having said that, it remains true that the tank brigade HQ itself is somewhat irrelevant to Command Decision players. Since the battalions were usually parcelled out to infantry divisions and brigades, they would normally be under the infantry command structure. It can be assumed that all separate tank brigades had the following basic OB for Command Decision purposes: TANK BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS command stand command tank radio staff truck recon scout car armored recovery vehicle The only significant changes is that from 1943 on, an AA tank would be added. In view of this, the remaining OBs in this article will deal with individual tank battalions. All tank brigades normally contained three battalions often identically equipped. The story of the development of the tank brigades is a complex one, covering almost the entire period of the war. For convenience, it is broken into three periods, each defined by the most common infantry tank in use-the Matilda, the Valentine, and the Churchill. (Future issues of the CPQ will feature these second and third periods.) In each section, the character and OB of the units will be described and one or two scenarios provided. Note that these scenarios make no pretense at being balanced, but are instead intended to illustrate the way in which tank battalions were used, or on occasion, abused. Victory Conditions are not provided, but players are given a summary of the historical results, so that they can judge their performance. PART ONE: THE MATILDA In 1939, the only infantry tank in service was the Matilda I, or to give it its proper name, the All or Infantry Tank 1. Its bizarre appearance and wobbly movement, reminiscent of a popular cartoon of the period, gave it the nickname "Matilda the Duck," which was kept by its successor. It was desperately slow, but well armored. Note that the Command Decision data charts show it as having a single MG. However, this could be replaced by a .5" HMG, and about 20% fought at Arras with this armament. A single Regular Battalion, the 4th Royal Tank Regiment, was equipped with 50 of these tanks. In addition, the battalion had seven Mark VI light tanks. This was convenient, since it turned out that the two-man crew and ludicrous position of the radio in the Matilda meant that it was incapable of acting as a command tank. The lack of command tanks in the OB is intentional. It was assumed that the squadrons would be placed under the command of the infantry battalions to which they would be parcelled out. 4th Royal Tank Regiment (1939) Headquarters Company, with: 1 command Mark VIB 1 recon Mark VIB 1 Matilda I 3 Tank Companies, each with: 3 Matilda I Notes 1. Nomenclature: The RTR battalions had used the designation "company" since their formation in 1917. This was changed to "squadron" in early 1940 to conform with the other armored units which had a cavalry pedigree. The next tank, the A12 or Infantry Mark II, much better known as the Matilda, was in production in 1939, but at a desperately slow rate. At the start of the war, the intention was to form a single tank brigade, the 1st, containing the 4th, 7th, and 8th battalions of the Royal Tank Regiment. The aim was to equip them with the Matilda II, but circumstances forced the next unit to form to adopt a mixed OB. This, the 7th RTR went to France in May 1940 with the following organization, based upon 23 Mark II and 27 Mark I Matildas. 7th Royal Tank Regiment (May 1940) Headquarters Squadron, with: 1 command Matilda II 2 recon Mark VI Squadron, with: 1 command Matilda II 1 Matilda II 1 Matilda I 2 Squadrons, each with: 1 command Matilda II 2 Matilda I Notes 1. Nomenclature: The 7th RTR named its 3rd Squadron "D" rather than "C," for traditional reasons.  Both the 4th and 7th RTR fought in the 1940 campaign, their best known action being the Arras counterattack. A scenario based on this action is attached to this article. All infantry tanks were lost in action, or had to be abandoned in the Dunkirk evacuation. By late June 1940, with the Invasion of Britain imminent, there were a total of 90 infantry tanks, by now mainly Mark II in Britain. These were shared between two battalions. Production remained slow, as the Matilda was a complex vehicle to manufacture. By the end of 1940, all infantry tanks in the five operational battalions were Matilda II. One of these was the 7th RTR, which was sent to the Middle East with the following organization, typical of those found in both Britain and the Middle East in 1941: 7th Royal Tank Regiment (1941) Headquarters Squadron, with: 1 command Matilda II 1 recon Mark VIB 3 Squadrons, with: 1 command Matilda II 2 Matilda II It was with this organization that the Matildas confronted the Italians and the Afrika Korps, earning the title of "Queen of the Battlefield." Although vulnerable to heavy AT guns, the Matilda was still capable of holding its own against any German or Italian Tank. The scenario "Retreat from Fort Capuzzo" (page 59) illustrates its capabilities in this period, and is suitable for solitaire play. During 1941, there was a steady increase in the number of Matilda-equipped units in the Western Desert. By November 1941, the 1st Tank Brigade contained two territorial battalions of the RTR, the 42nd and 44th (a third battalion had Valentines). The 1st Tank Brigade had the 4th Battalion and one squadron of the 7th. The only change in the OB was the appearance of close support (CS) versions equipped with the low-velocity 3" howitzer. Two were found in the HQ of each squadron. The official OB listed 52 Matildas in a battalion. In 1942, more and more battalions converted to Valentines. By mid 1942 and the Gazala battles, only two units, the 7th and 44th, retained the Matilda. By this time, the Mk VI light tanks had gone, replaced by the ubiquitous scout cars. All these changes resulted in the following OB: 7th Royal Tank Regiment (1942) Headquarters Squadron, with: 1 command Matilda II 1 close-support Matilda II 2 recon scout cars 3 Squadrons, each with: 1 command Matilda II 2 Matilda II By the end of 1942, both in the Middle East and Britain, the Matilda had almost vanished from operational units. A few soldiered on as close-support tanks in Valentine units, others were converted to the first armored mine sweepers, the "Scorpion" and used at Alamein. But by 1943, except for Australian usage in the Pacific, the Matilda was no longer in front line service. Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 5 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com