Schofield tank

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Schofield
Light Tank, Wheel-and-Track (Schofield)
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	New Zealand
Specifications
Weight	5.21 Long tons
Length	3.99 m
Width	2.6 m
Height	2.02 m (Tracks) 2.1 m (Wheels)
Crew	3 (commander, gunner, driver)

Armor	6 - 10 mm
Primary armament	Ordnance QF 2 pounder
Secondary armament	7.92 mm Besa machine gun
Engine	Chevrolet petrol 6-cylinder 29.5 hp
Suspension	Horstmann suspension
Operational range	560 (Wheels)
Speed	45 mph (Wheels) 27 mph (Tracks)

The Schofield tank was named after its designer, E.J.Schofield, who worked for General Motors, in Wellington, New Zealand. In 1940 when it seemed that the Pacific War might reach New Zealand and with little likelihood of weapons coming from Britain, a need for the production of indigenous armoured fighting vehicles arose.

The Schofield tank was based on the chassis of a General Motors 6 cwt truck utilizing the suspension from a Universal Carrier. The armour plating was provided by the New Zealand Railways. The turret contained a 2 pounder gun and co-axial Besa machine gun. The four wheels shared drive and idler sprockets with the track, and the move from wheels to track, and vice versa, could be made from within the hull.

A prototype was completed in 1940 but the project was not taken any further. In 1943 the prototype was shipped to Britain to be evaluated. Its fate after the war is not known.^{[citation needed]}