The Matilda Hedgehog was an Australian late-war experiment of the early but legendary Matilda infantry tank. Developed in early 1944, it was equipped with the Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot mortar. The tank was needed after the Australian Forces encountered difficulties dealing with Japanese bunkers in the jungles of the Asian front. The Matilda II was chosen to be the carrier of this weapon since it was already a combat proven infantry tank. However, testing of the new design went too far, even considering not using the Matilda and instead using the M3 Lee, thus the war ended before the tank was ready for frontline service.
It was introduced during Update "New Power" as a reward for Battle Pass: Season I. The Matilda Hedgehog is a very interesting design, the most notable difference from other Matildas is the presence of a new type of armament in the rear; a Spigot system fitted with Hedgehog mortars. This mortar was commonly used in naval warfare as an anti-submarine weapon and as such is very lethal weaponry if used correctly against tanks. One of the flaws of the Matilda Hedgehog over other variants is the reduced combat readiness and versatility. This is because the Hedgehog mortar is a situational and limited weapon in tank warfare. The vehicle also loses its smoke grenade launchers and receives a large weak spot in its rear, since the Hedgehog launcher acts as a large unprotected ammo rack.