64 mm (2.5 in) on the hull front, 76.7 mm (3.02 in) on the turret front[5]
Main armament
Ordnance QF 6-pounder[4] with 75 rounds[4] Ordnance QF 75 mm with 64 rounds
Secondary armament
2 x 7.92 mm Besa machine gun with 4,950 rounds[4]
Engine
Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight
21.4 hp/tonne (16 kw/t)
Transmission
Merritt-Brown Z.5 gearbox (five forward and one reverse gear)
Suspension
Improved Christie
Ground clearance
16 in (410 mm)[4]
Fuel capacity
116 imp gal (530 L) + optional 30 imp gal (140 L) auxiliary[4]
Operational range
170 mi (270 km) on roads, 80 mi (130 km) cross country[6]
Maximum speed
40 mph (64 km/h) maximum with 3.7:1 final reduction drive
25 mph (41 km/h) on roads
18 mph (29 km/h) cross-country
[7]
The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War.[b] Named after the English Civil War-era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was the first tank put into service by the British to combine high speed from a powerful, reliable engine (the Rolls-Royce Meteor) and reasonable armour. The intended dual-purpose high velocity gun could not be fitted in the turret, so a medium velocity dual purpose gun was fitted instead. Further development of the Cromwell combined with a high velocity gun led to the Comet tank.
The name "Cromwell" was initially applied to three vehicles during development. Early Cromwell development led to the creation of the A24 Cavalier. Later Cromwell development led to the creation of the competing Centaur tank (officially the Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Centaur (A27L)). This was closely related to the Cromwell, both vehicles being externally similar. The Cromwell and Centaur tanks differed in the engine used; the Centaur had the 410 hp Liberty engine, the Cromwell had the significantly more powerful 600 hp Meteor; Centaur hulls were converted to Cromwells by changing the engine.
The Cromwell first saw action in the Battle of Normandy in June 1944. The tank equipped the armoured reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps, in the 7th Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division and the Guards Armoured Division. While the armoured regiments of the latter two divisions were equipped with M4 Shermans, the armoured regiments of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with Cromwells. The Centaurs were not used in combat except for those fitted with a 95 mm howitzer, which were used in support of the Royal Marines during the amphibious invasion of Normandy.
^WWII Vehicles
^ abHughes, Emrys (10 March 1952), "Centurion Tank (Cost)", Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), c1000, retrieved 21 May 2016
^Coombs, Benjamin (2015). British Tank Production and the War Economy, 1934-1945. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 53. ISBN 978-1474227902.
^ abcdefghFletcher (1983), p7
^Fletcher & Harley (2006), p. 12.
^Cromwell Tank Vehicle History and Specification (Tank Museum) 1984 page 7.
^Higgins, p. 12
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
The Cromwelltank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War...
Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell...
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development of the Cromwelltank. In mid-1940, the British were considering which tank should follow on from the new cruiser tanks then being developed...
by the A27 Cromwell in 1944. The A34 Comet, a better-armed development of Cromwell, began to enter service in late 1944. The Centurion tank of 1946 became...
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician, and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures...
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A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in...
on the Cromwelltank. There was also a programme to upgrade the armour of the Churchill tank. For similar work in the Far East, the Valiant tank (A38)...
with C to tanks. Cruiser tanks were given names, such as the contemporary Covenanter, Crusader, Cromwell, Cavalier and Comet but infantry tank naming had...
proved fortunate, as the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger and Cruiser Mk VIII Cromwelltank designs experienced difficulties and delays. After the problem of getting...
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Chaffee Cromwelltank Iosif Stalin tank M26 Pershing Centurion tank Churchill tank M4 Sherman M46 Patton (US) T-34/85 LVT A5 Amphibious Tank M4A3R3 Sherman...
the M10, and 500 Mark III prongs were manufactured for the Cromwelltank. The Churchill tanks were not considered to need the Prong, but some were equipped...
in service from February 1943), and the tanks to use it in 1942. The Cromwelltank was to use a 50-calibre long 75mm "High Velocity" gun. When these programmes...
Tank classification is a taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of tanks. The classification by role was used primarily during...
A tank destroyer, tank hunter or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties. They are typically armed...
be the fourth tank of this name, the first being the World War II Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger, which was developed from the Cromwelltank chassis and armed...
the Cromwelltank chassis with a 17-pounder gun. The second was the Persian Gulf War era Challenger 1, which was the British army's main battle tank (MBT)...
armour-piercing projectile. The ROQF 75 mm was chiefly used on the Churchill and Cromwelltanks. The weapon was used in Italy and in the Normandy invasion (and possibly...
main British tank in 1942 was the M3 Lee and the M3 Grant a British variant of it and in 1943 it was early M4 Sherman variants. Cromwelltank mk V main British...
G-numbers M50 Super Sherman Rhino tank Argentine Nahuel DL 43 Australian Sentinel Australian Thunderbolt British Cromwell British Comet – Comparable to the...
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