The Vickers Medium Mark II and it predecessor the Vickers Medium Mark IVickers Medium Mark IThe Vickers Medium Mark I was a British tank of the period between the two World Wars built by Vickers.-Background:After the First World War Britain disbanded most of its tank units: their number was limited to five tank battalions, equipped with the Mark V and the Medium Mark C...
replaced some of the Mark V heavy tanks. Both tanks equipped the Royal Tank RegimentRoyal Tank RegimentThe Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment...
s until they were phased out starting in 1938. In November 1939, some Medium Mark IIs were sent to EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
for experiments being conducted by Major-General Sir Percy HobartPercy HobartMajor-General Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley Hobart KBE CB DSO MC , also known as "Hobo", was a British military engineer, noted for his command of the 79th Armoured Division during World War II...
and his Mobile Division (Egypt), but the Vickers Mediums in Egypt were also phased out before Italy declared war in June 1940.

During the "Invasion ScareBritish anti-invasion preparations of World War IIBritish anti-invasion preparations of World War II entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilization in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France, and 1.5...
" of the summer of 1940, some of these outmoded vehicles were reactivated for a short time. No "mobile" Vickers Mediums faced the Italian invasion of EgyptItalian invasion of EgyptThe Italian Invasion of Egypt was an Italian offensive action against British, Commonwealth, and Free French forces during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. Initially, the goal of the offensive was to seize the Suez Canal. To accomplish this, Italian forces from Libya would have to...
in September 1940, but at least one was dug in as an armoured pillboxBunkerA military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
in the British defenses at Mersa MatruhMarsa MatruhMersa Matruh is a seaport in Egypt. It stands some 240 km west of Alexandria, along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, on the main highway from the Delta to the Libyan border...
at the time of the invasion.

Variants

•Mark II: the original version of which a hundred were built.
•Mark II*: Fifty-six of the same vehicles with the Hotchkiss machine guns removed, a coaxial Vickers machine gun added and the commander's post shifted somewhat further back as in the original position he had been in a very real danger of being hit in the stomach by spent shells ejected by the main gun's breech block!
•Mark IIA: Twenty vehicles newly built in 1930. The bevel was removed from the rear of the turret and an armoured covering for the ventilator was added on the left side.
•Mark II**: in 1932 the remaining 44 Mark II's were brought to Mark II* standard; in addition a wireless set was fitted in an armoured container at the back of the turret. the weight rose to 13.5 short tons.
•Mark IIA*: the twenty Mark IIA's brought to Mark II** standard.
•Medium Mark II Tropical: in 1928 five tanks were shipped to Egypt. They were modified by fitting insulation against the heat, such as spaced asbestosAsbestosAsbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is a borrowed Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the miracle mineral because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand...
plates on the upper surfaces.
•Mark IIA CS: the Mark IIAs were later rebuilt as close support vehicles, their main armament replaced by a 15-pounder 3.7 inch mortar, mainly intended to give smoke cover, though in practice some HE shells were carried. Each company was equipped with two of these vehicles. The weight was increased to 14 tons.