It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s.

The T-26 was a Soviet development of the British Vickers 6-Ton ( Vickers Mk. E ) light tank, which was designed by the Vickers-Armstrongs company in 1928 – 1929.

The simple and easy to maintain Vickers 6-Ton was intended especially for export to less technically advanced countries: the Soviet Union, Poland, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Thailand, China and many others.

The Vickers 6-Ton was among four models of tanks selected by Soviet representatives during their visit to Vickers-Armstrongs.

The first four Vickers 6-Ton tanks arrived in the USSR at the end of 1930.

The T-19 8-ton light infantry tank, developed by S. Ginzburg under that programme at the Bolshevik Plant in Leningrad, was a competitor to the British Vickers 6-Ton.

Because both tanks had advantages and disadvantages, S. Ginzburg suggested developing a more powerful, hybrid tank ( the so-called " improved " T-19 ) with the hull, home-developed engine and armament from the native T-19, and the transmission and chassis from the British Vickers 6-Ton.

However, on January 26, 1931, I. Khalepsky ( Head of the Department of Mechanisation and Motorisation of the RKKA ) wrote a letter to S. Ginzburg with information obtained via the intelligence service that the Polish government had decided to purchase Vickers 6-Ton light infantry tanks as well as Christie M1931 cavalry tanks and to mass produce them with the assistance of both the British and French.

On February 13, 1931, the Vickers 6-Ton light infantry tank, under the designator T-26, officially entered service in the Red Army as the " main tank for close support of combined arms units and tank units of High Command Reserve ".

One of the Vickers 6-Ton tanks ( equipped with Soviet-made turrets for the pilot batch T-26 tanks ) was tested for gunfire resistance in August 1931.

Dzerzhinsky developed two tank models ( TMM-1 and TMM-2 ) based on the purchased Vickers 6-Ton tank design but with an American Hercules six-cylinder water-cooled engine, improved front armour ( to 15 – 20 mm ), and a driver's position on the left side.

Tests of TMM-1 and TMM-2 prototypes performed in the beginning of 1932 demonstrated no advantage over the Vickers 6-Ton and the T-26 ( the TMM-2's maneuverability was found to be even worse ).

The tank was powered by a T-26 flat row 4-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine which represented a Soviet full copy of the Armstrong Siddeley engine used in the Vickers 6-Ton.

The first 10 T-26s were assembled in July 1931 – they were identical to British Vickers 6-Ton tanks except for their armament.

In 1941, the Finns rearmed their Vickers 6-Ton tanks with the Soviet 45 mm gun and re-designated them as T-26E.

* The Vickers 6-Ton Tank ( Mark E )

fr: Vickers 6-Ton

it: Vickers 6-Ton

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Warfare in the early 20th century ( 1914 – 1918 ) Clockwise from top: front line Trench warfare | Trenches, a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | British Mark I ( tank ) | Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible ( 1898 ) | HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a Naval mine | mine at the Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign | battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas mask s, and German Albatros D. III biplane s.

* Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV

7TP was fitted with 360-degree Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV | Gundlach periscope.

Churchills made use of the Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV.

* Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV

Dinky 151a Vickers Medium Mark II | Medium Tank.

# REDIRECT Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV

The Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV, invented by Polish engineer Rudolf Gundlach, was first patented in 1936 as Gundlach Peryskop obrotowy.

It was produced as the Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV ( pictured ), and built into all British tanks ( Crusader, Churchill, Valentine, Cromwell ).

# REDIRECT Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV

It was produced as Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV ( pictured ), and built into all British tanks ( such as Crusader, Churchill, Valentine, Cromwell ).

Kilbourn, a Vickers engineer at the time working for the Department of Tank Design, who transformed the prototype into the tank that would serve the British forces from D-day onwards.

The first tank to enter service that broke with the design was known as the " Vickers Light Tank " ( it weighed about 12 tons ).

File: Vickers Light Amphibious Tank. jpg | The Vickers light amphibious tank was used by Dutch forces in the East Indies.

* Captain Richard Vickers, LVO Royal Tank Regiment 1956 – 1959 ( temporary )

# REDIRECT Vickers Tank Periscope MK. IV

Designed for quick delivery as well as low cost, the A11 used many stock parts from other vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, a Fordson gearbox, a steering mechanism similar to the one used in Vickers light tanks, and suspension adapted from the Mk IV Dragon artillery tractor that was itself based on the Vickers 6-Ton Tank Model E.

The A13E2 was built to mount the turret of the Vickers designed Cruiser Tank MkI ( A9 ).

* Also featured: Vickers A1E1 Independent, Peerless Armoured Car, Rolls-Royce Armoured Car, Lanchester 6x4 Armoured Car, Carden Loyd tankette, Tank Light MK IIA, Cruiser Mk I.

Vickers Armstrong also developed a SPAGG based on the chassis of the Mk. E 6-ton light tank / Dragon Medium Mark IV tractor, mounting a Vickers QF-1 " Pom-Pom " gun of 40 mm.

Medium tanks of the interwar period included the British Vickers Medium Mark II and the Soviet multi-turreted T-28.

The 7TP was the Polish development of the British Vickers 6-ton Mark E tank licence.

* J. Magnuski, " Angielski lekki czołg Vickers Mark E w polskiej służbie ", nTW 5 / 1999 ;

Vickers built a total of 153 ( the most common figure ) Mark E's.

cs: Vickers Mark E

sl: Vickers Mark E

On July 2 – 3, 2005, American adventurer Steve Fossett and co-pilot Mark Rebholz recreated the flight in a replica of the Vickers Vimy aeroplane.

Vickers Wellington | Wellington Mark X showing the geodesic airframe construction and the level of punishment it could absorb while maintaining airworthiness

Angielski lekki czołg Vickers Mark E w polskiej służbie ( British Vickers E light tank in Polish service ).

In 1938 the Mark 8 ( Mark VIII and Mark VIIIz ) round was approved to obtain greater range from the Vickers machine gun.

Cartridges with the Roman numeral VIII on the headstamp are the Mark 8 round, specifically designed for use in Vickers machine guns.

Although Mark 8 ammunition works well in a Vickers gun, it should not be used in rifles because the boat-tailed design causes increased barrel wear.

* 2 – 3 July – Steve Fossett and co-pilot Mark Rebholz recreated the first direct crossing of the Atlantic by the British team of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown on 14 June 1919 in a Vickers Vimy biplane.