Type: Special Purpose Vehicle
Nation: United Kingdom
Period: World War 2
Location: The Tank Museum, Bovington, UK
Let there be light
The Matilda Canal Defence Light was one of the “Funnies” that have been made famous by Percy Hobart’s 79th Armoured Division – although it was one of the least used types. CDL tanks were equipped with a special turret that contained a high intensity carbon arc lamp. Using mirrors and a moving shutter behind the vertical slit, it produced a powerful beam of light which could dazzle, disorient and temporarily blind enemy troops during nighttime surprise attacks.
Too secret
Since such a capability was considered very valuable the CDL project was regarded as top secret. In fact it was kept so secret that most field commanders didn’t even know that such a thing existed. While most of 79th Armoured Division’s vehicles such as the Churchill AVRE, Crocodile, DD Sherman or LVT Buffalo were frequently called forward to prove their worth from D-Day onwards, the CDLs were only ever used during the Rhine and Elbe crossings in 1945. By that time some units had already been reconverted to other roles due to their inactivity. Even the program’s designation “Canal Defence Light” (or “Leaflet” in the United States) had been chosen to hide its true purpose.
Unique specimen
The Matilda II was the first vehicle to be converted to the CDL role in 1940. The Churchill was also considered, but the best solution proved to be the American M3 Grant/Lee since it could retain its main armament. With a crew of five it was also easier to operate – the Matilda version only had a drive/wireless operator and a searchlight operator/machine gunner. Therefore by 1943 the M3 CDL (codenamed “Shop Tractor T10” for secrecy) replaced the much slower Matilda II version and became the standard CDL tank. The Tank Museum’s Matilda CDL goes by the name of “Dover” and lacks the special night driving lights on the front fenders which almost looked like miniature versions of the CDL turret. It is the last surviving Matilda CDL in the world.
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