Matilda II ( Infantry Mk II) at Australian Army Tank Museum. British Infantry Tank

The Australian Army Tank Museum at Puckapunyal, Victoria holds a collection of armored vehicles of interest to the School of Armour which trains personnel at this operational military base. This footage was shot on Thursday 06Oct2022 and is of the British WWII Matilda II Tank. As an Infantry Tank (Tank, Infantry, Mk II) emphasis was placed on armor rather than speed, and the capability of the main gun and machine guns to help support infantry. Its armor, as thick as 79mm, provided excellent antitank round resistance against the early war German tank it encountered, which were mostly armed with 3. 7cm AT guns. As larger German guns were encountered in North Africa, such at the 5. 0cm AT gun, the Matilda II became obsolescent and was retired from service in favour of heavier tanks. It was employed in France, North Africa, Russia, and the Pacific where the Australian Army deployed it in Bougainville, New Guinea, and Borneo to support Infantry engaged in jungle warfare.