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Cruiser Tank Mk VI Crusader (A15)

1941 ARAB-ISRAELI WAR COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History of the cruiser tank Mk VI Crusader (A15)

The British used the "tank" successfully in several offensives in the latter part of World War II (1914-1918). These slow-moving systems lead the infantry, enter enemy territory and provide some protection from the dangers of the battlefield, while providing artillery and machine gun firesimilar to moving bunkers.

In the years following the war, the British adopted a new two-pronged approach, using lighter "cruiser" tanks and heavier "infantry" tanks. The doctrine required cruiser tanks to break through weak spots in enemy defenses, enabling these crews to wreak havoc on weaker flanks and rear areas.

The infantry tanks would then crush the enemy head-on while supporting the advancing infantry for ground occupation and control. To accomplish these tasks, each type of tank is designed with certain qualities in mind - cruisers are lightly armed and armored to maintain their speed and maneuverability, while infantry tanks have more The speed is slower in the process of advancing, but the survivability is stronger on the battlefield.

The concept continued into the 1930s in the days before World War II. As another war in Europe seemed inevitable, many tank projects were pushed forward, and the British Army ended up using a large number of tanks before the end of World War II (1939-1945), and had a lot to do with Churchill infantry tanks and American M4 Sherman tanks.

Standardized medium tanks.

In the second half of the 1930s, a new cruiser tank was identified as the "A13", which later became the "Cruiser Tank Mk V", and was known as the "Covenant" (detailed elsewhere on this page). The design was intended to replace Nuffield's more expensive cruiser IV series, but retain the same cruiser tank qualities (light weight, speed, maneuverability).

The London, Midland and Scottish Railways were responsible for the design, which featured a Nuffield turret, and 1,771 were eventually produced. However, it was soon discovered that the tank's engine had poor cooling, which kept it in a secondary role throughout World War II.

It was obsolete in 1943.

During the production of the A13, Nuffield upgraded his own modified A13 tank to the "A15". Initially, the new tank design featured two small turrets with machine guns on the front baffles - one at the driver's position and the other on the side, serviced by the archers. Each mini turret is armed with a 7.92mm BESA machine gun.

During testing, these installations proved to be defective and were eventually removed from the final design. The evaluation also revealed the same cooling issues as the Covenanter, and the transmission's shifting system proved unreliable. Crew compartment ventilation is also an issue.

Overall, the tank retains the main features of the Covenant, including turret-mounted main gun armament, rear-mounted engines, a crew of four, and tracked landing gear.

This design was also reliable enough for the General Staff that it was also accepted for mass production as the "Cruiser Mk VI" - best remembered as the "Cruiser". The vehicle retains the same faceted turret (with sharply angled sides) on an all-new low-slung hull. For better weight transfer, an additional caster was installed on each side of the hull, a feature not available in previous attempts on cruiser tanks, which typically have only four casters on one side. The engine is an in-house Nuffield Liberty V-12 gasoline unit producing 340 hp, mated to a Nuffield 4-speed constant mesh drivetrain.

The range reaches 200 miles at a road speed of 26 miles per hour. On the most critical fairing, the thickness of the armor protection reaches 40 mm. The crew consists of four (or five) people, including the driver, commander, loader and gunner.

The tank is primarily armed with a QF 2-pounder (40 mm) main gun mounted in the front of the turret. The vehicle also carries a 7.92mm BESA machine gun coaxially mounted for anti-infantry work.

The main gun carries 110 x 40mm ammunition and the machine gun ammunition can be loaded with up to 4,950 x 7.92mm ammunition.

The original production version became the "Crusader I" and entered service in 1941 - at this time the British Empire had been at war with Germany and its Axis allies since September 1939, so any new tanks were welcome Replenish. However, these early Crusaders soon showed their limitations, being lightly armored and armed with 40mm main guns. These guns were largely ineffective against the growing number of German medium armored personnel carriers (Panzer III/Panzer IV). It was decided to "upload" the Crusader with a 6lb (57mm) main gun, but supply and demand dictated that modifications would have to wait.

At the very least, the tank's armor thickness was increased to 49mm to earn the Crusader II markings. In this variant, all other aspects of the tank remain largely intact.

Only with the launch of Crusader III did the line finally have its own character. The 6-pounder main gun is the standard armament for this variant, putting the vehicle almost on par with medium tanks. It was this mark that made its name in the North African campaign, and despite poor early performance, continued to show reliability issues (worse only by desert conditions) and modest armor protection.

Armed with Crusader tanks, the 1st Panzer Division eventually broke through the Axis lines to Tobruk and played an important role in El Alamein and Tunisia, where their speed proved to be an advantage, despite the increasing likelihood of being overwhelmed. Proving useful, the armor and weapons also proved their worth.

The Allies eventually claimed North Africa to reduce Axis influence in the Mediterranean.

Although it was used in frontline combat, many of the inherent problems mentioned above (engine cooling, ventilation) were never fully addressed in the Crusader's design. Nonetheless, the vehicles were pushed into considerable action against a determined enemy, but the end of the North African campaign marked the end of the Crusaders as main battle tanks.

During the war, 4,350 were produced as front-line main battle tanks.

It wasn't until 1943 that the history of the Crusaders was fully written, as its basic function proved as versatile as any during the war - the vehicle continued to serve as a supporting role, modified as needed. Nearly 1,000 exist as offshoots of combat versions, including the Crusader III AA I with 1 x 40mm Bofors automatic cannon for anti-aircraft operations, the Crusader III AA II with 2 x 20mm Oerlikon cannons, the "Crusader ARV" "Refitted for service as an armored recovery vehicle, the Crusader Bulldozer is equipped with a construction bulldozer for debris removal. The "Crusader Artillery Tractor" is a modification for the rapid transport of large field guns with a convertible hull structure in place of the original turret.

The Crusader IICS is armed with a 76.2mm howitzer and is used as a fire support/demolition vehicle. Other forms exist as commando tanks, where the "dummy" main gun remains in the turret and receives 2 x 19 radios for battlefield communications. A mobile observation post variant is also implemented.

Again different e hulls were used in various trials, including amphibious and minesweeper vehicles, which benefited other tanks.

Due to its wide availability, versatility and early contributions to the war, the Crusader became one of several "classic" British tanks in the conflict, joining the likes of Churchill and Matilda. The type was eventually replaced by the American M3 Grant/Lee medium tank, which offered better armor protection and armament, and even these were replaced by the M4 Sherman that came to Europe in large numbers. Due to reliability issues, the Crusaders were able to withstand the harshest conditions on the battlefield while still being used for other roles until the end of the war.

Replicas captured by the Germans were even used against their former masters, as was the case with the 15th Panzer Division. Other users during the war included Australia, France (free French), Italy, the Netherlands, Poland (UK training only) and South Africa.

In the post-war years, some of the hulls ended their days in the Argentine Army stockpile and were converted into self-propelled gun systems (SPG) with French 75mm and 105mm field howitzers mounted on fixed hull superstructures superior.

Between 1940 and 1943, more than 5,300 Crusader cruiser tanks were produced. His service was extended from 1941 to 1945.