Valentine Bridgelayer
The Valentine tank was produced in Great Britain and Canada from 1940 onwards. It was a well-developed and reliable vehicle. More than 8,000 were built in 11 different versions.
The Valentine bridge-laying variant was equipped with a 10 m long and 2.90 m wide folding bridge, which could carry a vehicle of 30 tons. The mechanism that ensures that the bridge can be folded out is a long twisted screw that is driven by the motor. This type is also called a scissor bridge, because of the way it opens. The bridge could be unfolded within 2.5 minutes.
This Valentine Mk II Bridgelayer was deployed in the Dutch East Indies. It was shipped back to the Netherlands and was written off in the Dutch East Indies due to damage and wear and was handed over to the museum in 1952. Worldwide there are still 40 tanks and vehicles based on the Valentine's chassis.
