Matilda II (Infantry MkII with Australian Mods) at AusArmourFest 2024. British Infantry Tank.

The Australian Armour and Artillery Museum outside of Cairns, QLD, Australia hosted AusArmourFest once again, giving visitors an opportunity to see armour in operation on their track. The festival ran from 23-25 August 2024 This footage was shot on Saturday 24-Aug-2024 and is of the British WWII Matilda II Tank, as modified by the Australian Army for service in the jungles of the Pacific. As an Infantry Tank (Tank, Infantry, Mk II) emphasis was placed on armor rather than speed, and the capability of the main gun and machine guns to help support infantry. Its armor, as thick as 79mm, provided excellent anti-tank round resistance against the early war German tank it encountered, which were mostly armed with AT guns. As larger German guns were encountered in North Africa, such at the AT gun, the Matilda II became obsolescent and was retired from British service in favour of heavier tanks. It continued to be employed by Australian forces in the Pacific theatre until the end of WW2, with specif