Matilda, a Caracal IV of the 2nd Troop, B Squadron, Royal Loucester Yeomanry photographed in the ILA mid-war temperate land camouflage. Following the 26th Armoured Cavalry Brigade's daring action in the savanna campaign in 773, the RLY was detached to support the 5th Armoured Cavalry Brigade in the Central front further north. In preparation for the move, vehicles of the RLY had their tropical color scheme repainted to the temperate scheme by painting over Tan part of the camouflage with Dark green, leaving the Olive stripes behind.

Caracal IV: The Maid of all Works

The Caracal IV is the definitive and by far the most common variant of the Caracal cruiser tank family. This single variant was produced more than any other armored fighting vehicle in ILA service, with over 11.000 vehicles produced throughout the Border Crisis. The Caracal IV first cut its teeth in the battle of Wettering on December 772 and had since served with every nation in the Western Alliance, seeing action all the way to the turn of the 8th century in the Royal Shevali Army hand.

The Caracal IV was the second variant to mount the 'internal mantlet' turret after the Caracal III. Several improvements were made to address its weak spots, most notably by fitting an additional 75mm external mantlet to protect the gun works as the internal mantlet deemed insufficient to stop any shot coming through the gun slots. Like its predecessor, the Caracal IV turret also came with either a split-type commander hatch or an all-around vision cupola and a rectangular loader hatch.

The gun mount that had been designed for Caracal III was standardized to mount both G70 and the G5 without any modifications. The breech of the G5 was smaller compared to the G70 and the recoil was much shorter, providing much-appreciated elbow room for the turret crews.

The G5 75mm L/56 gun itself was developed by Imperial Arms to be the successor of G3 L/40 gun. The breech was similar to the G3 but with a new strengthened chamber designed to accommodate the longer cartridge. The barrel was 56 calibers long or 4,200mm (165.3 in) from muzzle to breech face. The G5 could shoot a variety of projectiles including uncapped AP shot, APCBC, HE, and smoke shells making it much more versatile than the G70 gun used on Caracal III. Later in the war, APDS shot with 50mm tungsten penetrator were available to defeat heavier UTR tanks such as the M8 and H4.

The hull and running gear of the Caracal IV was virtually identical to those of Caracal III, the only difference between the two were the rearranged engine grille and additional fittings for deep wading trunks attachment. From January 773 onwards, 50mm wide track spuds were made available to improve floatability on soft grounds. the wide track Caracals, unofficially nicknamed 'Lynx' or 'Caracal Bigfoot', proved invaluable to the troops on the Northern front during the muddy spring thaw of 773.

Out of 11,320 Caracal IV produced, 6,400 units were sent to the allied armies as part of the military assistance program. It served with distinction on every theater fought by the Western Alliance, from the frozen taiga of the Northern Territories to the beaches of the Calanga sea islands.

Although it was superseded by Cuirassier universal tank in the Imperial Land Army and its allies, many Caracal IV found a new home on smaller non-aligned countries struggling for independence following the 775 armistice - many through the black arms market. Its largest post-war user was the Royal Shevali Army, which procured 1,260 units of refurbished Caracal tanks from various countries. the number includes 532 units Caracal IV which became known as M72 Medium in RSA sevice.