Many instruments of war gained almost legendary status for their feats on land, at sea, and in the air during World War II. Of these, the United Kingdom’s Matilda II tank stands as an unsung hero, earning the sobriquet “Queen of the Desert” for its remarkable performance on the battlefields of North Africa.
A massively upgraded version of the U.K. The Matilda II came into production in time for WWII and was the second generation of the military’s Matilda tank. Though slow, this tank boasted armor that was formidable enough to make it a bane on Axis enemies with less powerful artillery compared to some contemporaries. Its 3-inch frontal armor made it almost impenetrable to the weapons of Germany’s dreaded Panzer tanks during the war’s earlier years. The Matilda II would go on to be christened the “Queen of the Desert” for its near invincibility on North Africa’s dusty battlefields as a regular combatant.
The Matilda II retained this distinction until German forces began to upgrade their arsenal, thus lessening the preeminence in the desert before the powerful tank would go on to affect Allied forces’ success throughout WWII.
The Matilda II’s first actions in the Second World War came in 1940, during the Battle of Arras, pitting them against the Panzer-backed Germans. Although the battle would be called an operational failure in its objective to beat back the German Army’s advances toward French ports on the English Channel, the Matilda II and other Allied tanks played a critical role in delaying the German advances long enough to ensure the successful evacuation of Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk. As cited in the reference article, “With the help of tanks like Matilda II, British and French forces were fortunately able to delay German advances long enough to ensure the successful evacuation of Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk.”
It was, however, in the deserts of North Africa where the Matilda II made its most significant contribution to the war. By the time it finally became vulnerable to German weaponry, it could no longer do any good for British interests in Europe, with the U.K. Armed Forces last using this in 1942. Still, it had life yet to give in service to the Allied forces until the end of WWII as the Australian Army utilized this during their campaigns in New Guinea. The Matilda II would finally get to cement itself as one of the more unsung heroes of WWII.