Cruiser Tank A9 Mk.I
1st Royal Tank Regiment

A9 was quite an interesting vehicle. It was not very reliable and was prone to breaking down quite often. It's recognizable by two auxiliary turrets housing Vickers MGs. However, they were rarely used, because turrets were extremely hot in desert conditions. They were used to stow additional ammunition instead. It was also plagued by the underpowered AEC bus engine. Overall, it was the beginning of the long and troublesome way to find the successful cruiser tank design that ultimately lead to great designs by the end of the war.

This model should represent 1RTR, 'A' squadron tank. The photo I used as a reference was taken in April 1941 in Derna Pass. It's interesting to me that this photo was probably taken at the same time and at the same place as the photo of Panzer III Ausf. G that I was building a few months ago. However, A9 was probably abandoned earlier this year, during Operation Compass, because the 1RTR was not present in this area after February 1941. The abandoned tank was probably moved to the side of the road to clear the passage for the advancing columns.