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FV214 Conqueror

1955 COLD WAR

Conqueror FV214

The British-produced Conqueror (FV 214) heavy tank was developed as a counterpart to the very successful Centurion main battle tank, which was in service throughout post-war Europe and as a direct descendant of the Soviet IS-3 series of heavy tanks counterpart tank. By this point, the Soviet Union had become the main enemy of the free world, living in divided Germany, Poland, and Ukraine, and exerting influence over many other countries around the world. Classified as a "heavy tank", the Conqueror has a large-caliber 120mm rifled main gun mounted in a heavily armored rotating turret for long-range battlefield support. Although her size was quite promising, the Conqueror was ultimately doomed to history due to her large and heavy design, not a place for a "European battlefield" in another world war. Additionally, due to Centurion's worldwide success, these inherent limitations of the vehicle, coupled with diminished interest in the project, resulted in only 185 production molds being produced in the three years prior to the vehicle's retirement in 1966.

The vision of the Centurion -A tank The Conqueror-backed force never really came to fruition.

At this point in history, NATO parties were generally concerned about the ability of existing Western artillery to penetrate the IS-3's strong armor protection at long distances, so both the United States and the United Kingdom have adopted plans to deal with this situation. Repairs respectively constitute " M103" and "Conqueror" design basis. The IS tank (often referred to as the "Joseph Stalin" tank) was born in the battles of World War II, when Soviet tanks fought against invading German troops.

Combining heavy armor protection with a massive 122mm main gun, the IS-1 proved to be more competitive with all the German tanks available at the time. The IS-1 debuted in 1943, followed by the improved IS-2 in April 1944. The IS-3 represented a post-war update to the IS-2 product line and saw an improved armor configuration and the introduction of a new cast hemispherical turret.

However, the IS-3 had limited availability in the final months of WWII, so the Tanks completely missed combat operations in Europe. Regardless, the IS-3 remained the Soviet Union's premier heavy tank in the early days of the Cold War. A modernized version appeared in 1960, named "IS-3M".

The engine - an 810 hp Rolls-Royce Meteor M120 from a WWII aircraft engine - was mounted in a compartment at the rear of the fuselage for maximum protection. On one side of the track are eight small wheels, with the drive sprocket at the rear and the chain idler at the front.

The top road speed on ideal surfaces is 34 kilometers per hour and the total range is 65 kilometers. The car weighed 72.75 short tons and restricted access to many parts of Europe.

There are four people in the crew quarters, including the driver (in the front right hull), the commander, the gunner and the loader (the remaining three crew members in the turret). Armor protection along critical fairings, such as the front of the turret, is approximately 180mm thick.

Suspension is handled by a Horstmann-type arrangement, and despite its size and weight, the Conqueror has strong off-road performance.

As the vision of a universal vehicle series has not yet been realized, the Conqueror Initiative has produced only one notable variant, the FV 222 Conqueror Armored Rescue Vehicle (no turret, with an improved elevated hull structure). The Conqueror won't see the production success of its Centurion MBT or the upcoming Chieftain MBT, but it will still find a footnote in the history of British tank warfare.

The Last Conqueror was withdrawn in 1966, by which time the Centurion MBT had evolved from its humble 17-pounder main gun (Mk I) origins to the more effective 105mm L7 system, negating any current Some armor penetration advantage is the main weapon of the Conqueror.

A complete example of the Conqueror is in the collection of the British Bovington Tank Museum, the birthplace of the main battle tank.