First Lend Lease Valentines?

Discussion in 'The Eastern Front' started by Chris C, May 12, 2017.

  1. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Does anyone know what model of Valentines were the first ones shipped to the USSR? I'm guessing, since it took so long for Canada to get up and running, that they were probably British models.
     
  2. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    The first Valentines shipped to the Soviet Union were Mark IIs
    [​IMG]
    A crowd of BRCW workers turning out for the transport of one of the first Valentines (MkII T17527) destined for the Soviet Union [Image can be found on page 107 of Into the Vally The Valentine Tank and its Derivatives 1938-1960 by Dick Taylor]
     
  3. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Thanks Orwell!
     
  4. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    Valentine on railway flat bed being shipped to Russia from the Angus Shops plant, Canadian Pacific, Montreal.
    9 Dec. 1941
    valentine.jpg

    The first tank produced in Canada was the Valentine, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus Shop in Montreal from 1941 to 1943. Production continued until early 1944. Most of the 1,420 Canadian-built Valentines were shipped to the USSR for use on the Eastern Front, with only 30 being retained for training purposes.

    Valentine VI
    Canadian-built version of Mk IV; initially known as Tank, Infantry Mark III***. It used some Canadian and American mechanical parts and a GMC diesel engine. Late production vehicles had cast glacis detail, along with more use of cast sections instead of fabricated ones. The first fifteen were produced with a 7.92 mm Besa coaxial machine-gun, thereafter replaced by a coaxial 0.30-inch Browning machine-gun.

    Valentine VII
    Another Canadian version, it was essentially the VI with internal changes and No. 19 Wireless replaced the No. 11 radio set.
     

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