The tank was used in France in 1940 and in the early part of the war in North Africa, before being withdrawn from service.

The tank was given the General Staff designation "A13E1" and was delivered in late 1936, but the hull was too small and this led to a second British-built prototype.

The A13E3 was the final trials model, which led to the production tank, A13 MkI, Cruiser Tank Mk III, which entered production in 1939 at Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero, a munitions subsidiary within the Nuffield Organization.

This led to the main production version, the A13 MkIIA, Cruiser Tank MkIVA.

During the Battle of France, the A13 did not perform well, due to poor crew training as a result of being rushed into service.

Many tanks shipped to France were in poor condition and some were so new that they had vital parts missing.

The A13 performed much better in the deserts of the North Africa campaign and coped with the conditions better than some other designs.

The MkIVA featured a new gun mantlet and was built at several factories, including LMS Railway.

Approximately 40 Cruiser Mk IV and MkIVA, saw service in France in 1940 with the 1st Armoured Division of the British Expeditionary Force.