Landships II

But how would all those infantrymen do the Telegraph crossword?

I very much doubt you'd get more than a few troops inside a Mk VIII in addition to the crew; perhaps they were referring to the proposed VIII* which would have an extra 6ft to the crew compartment - the same amount extra that a V* had to accommodate a similar number of passengers.

Alternatively, they may have meant external passengers.

I've read various numbers from 8-12 for the crew of the VIII; the US version had two men fewer I believe, but I'm not sure if it's 8 for theirs and 10 for the Brit VIII, or 10 for the US and 12 for the British one.

Hmm. I can only repeat the suggestion that the passengers rode outside - although it may have been uncomfortable as I think the radiator vents were in the roof of the engine compartment, so you'd be toasted.

I suppose you could, theoretically, get 30 men into the tank - but you'd have to do it in a World Record how-many-people-can-fit in-a-Mini style; possible to fit them in, but the crew would be unable to do their jobs. Incidentally, I haven't checked what the record is for squeezing people into a classic Mini, but I think it's more than 20.