Armour in Canada (5-1) Ontario: Canadian War Museum, Tanks
Tanks, Canadian War Museum
The data and photos found on this page has been compiled by the author, unless otherwise credited. Any additions, corrections or amendments to the lists of Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Canada found on these pages would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3395368)
Canadian Autocar Machinegun Carrier, France, April 1918.
(Author Photos)
Autocar Machinegun Carrier, “Ottawa” (Serial No. 5796) written on front and rear.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522273)
Renault tank, Arras, France, Sep 1919.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522286)
Renault tank in Allied service during the Great War, Sep 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3563837)
M1917 Light Tanks supplied by the United States Army arriving at the Canadian Armoured Corps Training Centre (Canadian Army Training Centres and Schools), Camp Borden, Ontario, Canada, October 1940.
(Author Photos)
M1917 Light Tank.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 2185069)
Ram Mk. I tank with 2-pounder gun, Canada 13 cent stamp.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3525210)
Ram Mk. I tank crew, 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Aldershot, England, 24 Dec 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3554045)
Ram I armed with the early 2-pounder gun. This was the first of these tanks built at the Montreal Locomotive works.
Ram I Cruiser Tank (Serial No. WD CT39816).
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3587045)
Ram Mk. II on exercises in the UK, 22 Dec 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233146)
Ram Mk. II tanks on manouevres in the UK, ca. 1943.
(Author Photos)
Ram II tank, (Shop No. 171), (Serial No. WD CT39951). Montreal Locomotive Works designed and built the Ram tank in 1941. It was heavily based on the American M3, and for the time, it was an advanced design. It used a cast hull and turret and was intended to mount either the 2-pounder (Ram Mark 1) or 6-pounder gun (Ram Mark 2). A total of 2,122 Rams were manufactured. Because its turret ring was too small to fit a 75-mm gun, the Ram was never used as a tank in combat. It was used widely in training, and many were converted to armoured personnel carriers(Kangaroos), armoured gun tractors for the 17-pounder anti-tank gun, command and observation tanks, ammunition carriers, armoured recovery vehicles and flamethrowers. CWM 19720260-001.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607881)
Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), Normandy, France July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233174)
Canadian Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers moving into position for an attack south of Caen, France, June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209026)
Kangaroo troop carrier of 5 Brigade, The Black Watch, C Company, 8 April 1945. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209026)
(Author Photos)
Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carrier "Marion II".
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607600)
Sexton 25-pounder SP Gun Mk II.
(Author Photo)
Sexton 25-pounder SP Gun Mk. II (Serial No. 613). Montreal Locomotive Works designed the Sexton in 1942 by mounting a standard 25-pounderfield gun on a modified Ram tank chassis. After trials in England, the British Army stated that it was clearly the best SP gun that was available at the time. It became the standard SP field gun in the British Commonwealth, and served in several NATO nations after the war. A total of 2,150 were manufactured. A command post variant for the Gun Position Officer was also produced. Canada used the Sexton from 1942 until the late 1950s when the artillery converted to the 105-mm howitzer. The CWM Sexton was the 613th gun manufactured in Canada. Mr A.F. Budge restored it in England before it was purchased by the CWM and returned to Canada in the 1990s. CWM 19930021-001. (Doug Knight)
(Robert Linsdell Photo)
(Author Photo)
Valentine Infantry Tank Mk. VII, (Serial No. 838), WD T1445, recovered from the Ukraine. The Valentine was designed in 1938 as an infantry support tank. For the time, it was reasonably well armoured, but its low speed was a disadvantage. It was simple, extremely reliable, and easy to maintain. The 2-pounder gun was good in 1939, but was later replaced with the 6-pounder, or a 76.2-mm gun in the Soviet Union. The Valentine chassis was used in the Bishop self-propelled 25-pounder gun and also in the extremely successful Archer self-propelled 17-pounder anti-tank gun. Britain manufactured 6,855 Valentines, and Canada produced 1,420 at the CPR Angus works (1,390 were sent to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease arrangements).
The CWM tank No. 838 was built in May 1943. It was shipped to Russia where it was allocated to the 57th Regiment of the 5th Guards Tank Army. That regiment lost a large number of tanks, including Canadian built Valentines, during the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943. Valentine No. 838 was lost during a Soviet counter-offensive on 25 January 1944 in Ukraine. The battle was one of a series of counter-attacks by the Red Army against the German Wehrmacht that winter. Two Valentine tanks were among those in an initial assault over the ice at a former bridge crossing across the swampy river. The first tank was successful in crossing the ice, but the second, No. 838, went through the ice and was lost. Its three-man crew escaped. The tank rested in the bog near the village of Telepino, about 180 kilometres south of Kiev, until the summer of 1990. A 74-year old villager remembered it going down. To mark the new era of "glasnost", the tank was retrieved intact with the help of six tractors and two power winches. It was offered to Canada, and the Canadian War Museum accepted it on behalf of Canada. This tank is one of two surviving Canadian-built Valentines in the world. Its nameplate reads: Valentine VII-A, Vickers-Armstrong Design, built by Canadian Pacific Railway. CWM 19920195-001.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607965)
Churchill tank "SEABISCUIT", with a Canadian unit in England, disembarking from a Landing Ship Tank (LST) ca 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607575)
Churchill tank, on maneuvers with a Canadian unit in England, ca 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3608069)
Churchill tank, "ROUNDER", on maneuvers with a Canadian unit in England, 1942. Rounder took part in the Dieppe landings but did not land.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613172)
Churchill tank, on maneuvers with a Canadian unit in England, 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613173)
Churchill tank, on maneuvers with a Canadian unit in England, ca 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3404613)
Churchill tank, on maneuvers with a Canadian unit in England, ca 1942.
(Author Photo)
Churchill Infantry Tank Mk. III (Serial No. 838), with deep wading attachments to the air intakes. Modified with Mk VII suspension units, (Serial No. 1792653), gift from Russia. The Churchill was designed as an infantry support tank in 1940. It was well armoured but extremely slow, although it had excellent hill-climbing abilities. At first, the vehicle was mechanically unreliable, and although the problems were fixed, it never overcame the bad reputation.
The Churchill had many variants, including engineer vehicles, recovery vehicles, bridge-layers, and flamethrowers (and the Great Eastern Ramp). Some variants remained in British service until 1965. Eighteen of the 28 tanks that were landed during the Dieppe raid in 1942 were Churchill Mk. III. None were knocked out by enemy fire, but the rocks on the beach broke their tracks and none returned. The Canadian Army used the Churchill until the Sherman replaced it in 1943. The CWM artefact is prepared for a beach landing. The high “chimneys” at the back are the engine air intake and exhaust, which prevented the engine stalling if swamped by a wave. CWM 20000230-005. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223877)
Churchill Infantry Tank Mk 1, 12th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (Three Rivers) taking part in Exercise Spartan in the UK, 8-10 March 1943.
(Author Photo)
Churchill Infantry Tank Mk IV RE, (Serial No. BW9229), Great Eastern Armoured Ramp (Serial No. WD No T172796/D). This is the only survivor.
The Great Eastern Ramp, which was based on the Churchill tank chassis, was designed to cross or climb horizontal and vertical obstacles. The tank carried a main ramp, which could be sloped upwards from the rear of the tank to a height of about 6 metres (20 feet) at the front. A second “flying” ramp was attached to the front of the main ramp by hinges. The flying ramp was stowed by folding it back on top of the main ramp. Hinged to the rear of the main ramp was a third short ramp that reached the ground. This was normally stowed sloping upwards at a 45-degree angle at the back of the tank.
To deploy the ramp, the tank was driven as close as possible to the obstacle. The rear ramp was lowered to the ground. Then groups of 3-inch rocket motors lifted the rear of the flying ramp, swinging it up and over to the front. Other vehicles could then drive up the ramps to cross the obstacle. The Great Eastern could also span an 18-metre (60-ft) gap. The prototype was built on a Churchill Mk. I hull. When initial trials were successful, another ten vehicles were built using a Churchill Mk. IV chassis with the heavier Mk. VII suspension units fitted to take the 48-ton weight. Two vehicles were delivered to the 79th Armoured Division in North-west Europe early in 1945, but were never used in action. The CWM Great Eastern Ramp has the main ramp in the stowed state and is missing the support brackets to angle the ramp up from the rear. The rear ramp has been detached from its hinges and laid flat on top of the flying ramp. The vehicle was one of two sent to Canada for trials in 1945. It was found in a Kempville, Ontario, scrap dealer’s lot and donated to the museum. CWM 19720252-001. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191555)
Sherman V and Stuart tanks, a RAM tank OP and an M7 Priest Kangaroo with tarp, 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment), in village square, Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands, 31 Oct 1944.
(Author Photo)
M3 Stuart Light Tank, on loan from Australia since July 2015.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607523)
General Lee tank.
(UK, Historical Photographs and Prints)
Canadian troops with American tanks, UK, 21 Feb 1942. Note the combination of US and Canadian crash helmets, and the various states of the crew's coveralls. The caption for the photo reads, "A Canadian Armoured Division are finishing their training in this country equipped with American M-3 Medium Tanks manufactured in Detroit. The performance of these tanks is thoroughly tested by Army Officers before they leave the factory."
At the time, American industry was unable to build a turret large enough to house the 75-mm gun, so the side mount was a compromise. By late 1942 that problem had been solved with the M4 Sherman.
(Author Photos)
M3 Lee Medium Tank (Serial No. 3714), armed with a 75-mm gun, 37-mm gun, and three 7.62-mm (0.30-in) machine guns. It had a maximum speed of34 km/hour (21 mph), and a range of 192 km (120 miles).
America developed the M3 tank as a stopgap measure in 1940, after Germany had conquered France and Britain had withdrawn from the continent at Dunkirk. The urgency of the situation demanded that they design the tank and the production facilities, and go into production at thesame time.For the time, the 75-mm gun was a powerful gun, but it was mounted in a sponson in the hull. Ithad limited traverse and, in order to use it, a large part of the tank had to be exposed. The primary anti-tank gun was the 37-mm gun in the turret, which was inadequate against the newer German Mk. III and Mk. IV tanks. Nevertheless, the tank performed well in the North African campaign and in the Far East, where it was generally superior to the Japanese tanks.
About half of the M3 tanks that were produced were manufactured for the British army and they insisted a number of changes, especially to the turret. They named their version the M3 Grant tank. The Canadian Army used some M3s in training, but never used it in combat. Montreal Locomotive Works used the hull and suspension of the M3 as guide in their development of the Canadian Ram tank. A total of 6,258 M3 tanks were built. The CWM M3 Lee was manufactured in 1942, and was used in the 1995 remake of the 1943 film “Sahara” starring Humphrey Bogart. The actor James Belushi starred in the movie and signed the inside of one of the doors of the tank. CWM 20000230-003. (Doug Knight)
(Author Photo)
M4A1 Grizzly Cruiser Tank, (Shop No. 178). Montreal Locomotive Works manufactured the American M4A1 Sherman tank under licence and named it the Grizzly. The main difference was that the Grizzly used Canadian Dry Pin tracks and a sprocket with 13 teeth instead of the Sherman’s 17 teeth. There was also a 2-inch bomb thrower and the vehicle used British-style stowage. MLW produced 188 Grizzlies between September and December 1943. Some were shipped to Europe, but most were used in training in Canada. Production stopped when it was realised that American production lines could produce far more tanks than Canada, and that our efforts were better directed to the Sexton self-propelled gun. The Grizzly chassis was used as a basis for the Canadian-developed Skink anti-aircraft tank. The Grizzly continued in service in Canada after the Second World War. The CWM Grizzly starred in the television series “Band of Brothers”. CWM 20000230-002.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4235604)
Sherman tanks in Korea.
(Author Photo)
M4A2(76)W HVSS Sherman "Easy 8" tank (Serial No. 65251), built by Fisher, Reg. No. 30123230.
The M4 "Sherman" Tank entered production in 1941, and by the end of the Second World War was the main combat tank of the Western Allied Armies. In 1947, the Canadian Army purchased 294 M4A2 (76) W HVSS Sherman Medium Tanks (commonly, if incorrectly, called theM4A2E8. The Americans called any Sherman with the HVSS suspension an “Easy 8”). It served both regular and militia units in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps until replaced by the Centurion tank in the mid-1950s, and remained in service with the Reserves until the late 1960s.
This version had the Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension (HVSS) that was introduced to the Sherman family in 1944, with wider tracks that resulted in greater mobility than earlier models. The bogie springs in the HVSS were mounted horizontally, rather than vertically as in the previous models. The 76-mm (3-inch) gun provided greater firepower than the standard 75-mm gun, but still fell short of the 17-pounder Sherman Firefly. The “W” indicated that theammunition was stored in water-protected racks below the turret ring, which reduced the fire hazard if the tank was hit. CWM 19990009-001. (Doug Knight)
(Author Photo)
M4A2(76)W HVSS Sherman "Easy 8" tank minus the turret, (Serial No. 645001), built by Fisher, Reg. No. 30122980, cutaway training aid. The cutaway trainer was used to train operators and repair technicians in the location, relationship, and functioning of the various components of the tank. Normally a trainer will be located at the Armoured Corps School and another at the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers school. There would also be a similar trainer for the turret systems. CWM 19690034-001. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4233126)
Sherman V tank in Vaucelles, France, ca 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3574213)
Major-General B.M. Hoffmeister, General Officer Commanding 5th Canadian Armoured Division, in the Sherman tank "Vancouver" near Castrocielo, Italy, 26 May 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191784)
Sherman tanks, Governor General's Horse Guards, North West Europe, 9 Mar 1945.
(Author Photo)
M4A4(75) Sherman V Medium Tank with 75-mm gun, (Serial No. 21424), built by Chrysler, R/N 3021730, (WD No. CT-228619), 51, 30, (Serial No. 21424), “Forceful III”, previously on display at Cartier Square Drill Hall, 21st Canadian Armoured Regiment (Governor General’s Foot Guards).
M4A4 Sherman V Medium Tank built by Chrysler, (Serial No. 5457), Reg. No. 3057267, fitted with “Canadian Indestructible Roller Device” (CIRD) landmine exploder fittings, no gun. This tank was previously on display at Brantford, Ontario.
(Author Photo)
M24 Chaffee Light Tank (Serial No. RN 45-7890), Ontario Regiment. Designed in 1943, the M24 was one of the outstanding light tanks of the Second World War. Its75-mm gun, which was developed from an aircraft cannon, was almost as powerful as the gun in the Sherman tank, while its sloped armour gave it better protection than most tanks in its class.
The engines were mounted on rails for easy maintenance, and a large plate in the glacis gave easy access to the final drive. A large number of other vehicles were developed from the M24 chassis, including self-propelled guns and mortars, cargo carriers and engineer vehicles. The Canadian Army purchased 32 M24 tanks in 1947. It served in Canadian reconnaissance regiments until the mid-1950s. CWM 19680227-001. (Doug Knight)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4692396)
Centurion tank engaging an enemy force on exercise Reforger IV, Germany, 23 Sep 1973.
Centurion on Ex Grosse Rochade, Germany, ca 18 Sep 1975. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4822866)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4728208)
Centurion tanks on parade in Germany, the last roll past of the Canadian Centurion tank, 21 June 1977.
(Author Photo)
Centurion Main Battle Tank Mk. 11, L7 105-mm main gun, CFR No. 52-81046, Royal Canadian Dragoons.
(Author Photos)
British Chieftain Main Battle Tank Mk 2, (Serial No. VRN 01EB92). The FV4201 Chieftain served the United Kingdom during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It was the first tank in service to incorporate Chobham armour. The Chieftain had a reclining driver position which allowed the tank to have a heavily sloped hull with reduced height. It remained in service until replaced by the Challenger 1 which shared a large number of the Chieftain's features.
The Chieftain replaced the Centurion in British service in 1967 after about four years of teething troubles. At the time, it had the most powerful gun of any tank in the world. The 120-mm rifled gun was unusual for a tank in that the projectile and propellant were loaded separately. The fin stabilised discarding sabot round had a special driving band that stopped the projectile from spinning. It had an excellent sighting system. The main weakness of the tank was its engine, which was relatively unreliable. Iran, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan also used the Chieftain. The tank was adapted to a bridge-layer, armoured recovery vehicle, and other variants.Canada never used the Chieftain. The CWM artefact was donated to the museum by the British Army Training Unit Suffield, which has been using the tank training area in Suffield, Albertasince 1972. The Challenger tank replaced the Chieftain in 1983. CWM 19980108-001. (Doug Knight)
German equipment captured by Canadians during the Second World War on display in the Canadian War Museum, is listed on a separate page on this web site.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4876329)
Leopard 1A4 Main Battle Tank, Fallex 82, Ex Valiant Shield, Bavaria, Germany, 7 Sep 1982.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4876330)
Leopard C1 (1A3) before being upgraded with the 1A5 turret to a C, Fallex 82, Ex Valiant Shield, Bavaria, Germany, 7 Sep 1982.
Leopard 1A4 Main Battle Tank. The Leopard C1 tank replaced the British Centurion tank in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps in 1978. The C1 was built to Canadian specifications and was roughly equivalent to the Leopard 1A4 used by the German army. The tank used a welded turret with spaced armour andthe then-NATO-standard 105-mm gun. Although the armour was considered thin compared to American and Soviet tanks, the Leopard C1 had excellent mobility, and an outstanding Belgian SABCA fire control system that included a laser range finder and a low-light television night vision system. The tank may be sealed against nuclear-biological-chemical threats. The engine and transmission can be replaced in 30 minutes under field conditions. As it entered service, the Soviet Union fielded the T-72 tank, which out-gunned Leopard, could match its mobility, and which the Leopard’s 105-mm gun could not penetrate frontally. The operational viability of the C1s was already in question by 1981, but funding prevented any upgrades for more than a decade. There were 114 Leopards in Canadian service, including an Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle, Armoured Engineer Vehicle, and Bridge Layer variants. (Doug Knight)
Leopard C2 Main Battle Tank, (Serial No. RN 78-85049). In 1998, the Leopard C1s were upgraded to the LeopardC2. Essentially the old C1 turret was replaced with a 1A5turret with a fully stabilized fire control system including an integrated thermal imaging system, laser range finder, and muzzle reference system. It can engage targets by day or night, while on the move, and under adverse weather conditions. Additional armour – the MEXAS “Modular Expandable Armour System” - can also be seen on the turret. CWM 20030058-006 (C1) and CWM 20030358-015 (C2).
Italian Fiat-Ansaldo CV-33 Light Tank, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario. This "tankette" is on permanent loan to the Australian War Museum as of August 2015. (An M3 Stuart has arrived in exchange).
Italy designed the Carro Veloce (Fast Tank) CV33 tankette in the early 1930s based on the British-built Carden-Lloyd Mark VI tankette. At first equipped with a single 6.5-mm machinegun, the Series II entered production in 1935 with dual 8-mm machine guns. The CV33 hull was also used as a basis for a flamethrower, armoured recovery vehicle, bridge layer, and a few mounted a 37-mm gun. It was reasonably successfully in Ethiopia against an army with no antitank weapons, but eventhere it had obvious flaws. It saw action in the Spanish civil war, but with its thin armour and weak armament, it was already obsolete. Despite this, it was used in North Africa, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, Albania, Crete, North Africa, Russia, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Italy during the Second World War. CWM 19590012-002.
(For more on AFVs in the CWM, see Part II)
Major Hal Skaarup has woven together an informative and detailed synopsis of the carefully preserved and restored armoured fighting vehicles on display in Canada. He highlights the importance of these upon key turning points in history when these AFVs were in use as tools of war at home and overseas. We often associate the evolution of military prowess with the advancement of sophisticated technology. Major Skaarup's descriptions of Canadian armour as it evolved to the level it has today reveals that military planners have had to be continuously creative in adapting to the changes in modern combat. They had to devise many intricate techniques, tactics and procedures to overcome the insurgents and opposition forces faced in Afghanistan and future overseas missions where Canadian armour will be brought into play. This guide book will show the interested reader where to find examples of the historical armour preserved in Canada, and perhaps serve as a window on how Canada's military contribution to safety and security in the world has evolved.
Lieutenant-General Steven S. Bowes
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