The cavalry tank (also called cruiser tank or fast tank) was a tank concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the Second World War.
The cavalry tank formed part of a doctrine paired with the "infantry tank", a much slower but better armoured design intended to work in concert with the infantry in punching holes through enemy lines for the cavalry tanks to exploit.
The cavalry tanks were intended to be fast and mobile, and operate independently from the slow-moving infantry, heavier infantry tanks, and artillery.
The cavalry tank was designed to be used in way similar to cavalry in its heyday and thus speed was a critical factor, and to achieve this the cavalry tank designs were lightly armoured and armed.
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14.01.2013