in the Western Desert, 20 September 1942.
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. The Crusader's mobility made it a favourite of British tank crews and once upgraded with the Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun made it more than a match for the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks it faced in combat. Retained in service because of delays with its replacement, by late 1942 the lack of armament upgrade combined with the presence of Tiger I Tanks among the Afrika Korps and reliability problems due to the harsh desert conditions, led to the Crusader being replaced in the main line of battle by US-supplied M3 Grant and Sherman medium tanks. The next British cruiser to see combat would be the Cromwell heavy cruiser.
Type Cruiser tank
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1941–1945
Wars Second World War
Production history
Designer Nuffield
Designed 1939/1940
Manufacturer Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Ltd
Produced 1940–1943
Number built 5,300
Specifications
Weight 18.8 to 19.7 long tons (19.1 to 20.0 t)
Length 20 ft 8.5 in[1] (5.97 m)[note 1]
Width 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)[note 2]
Height 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
Crew Mk III: 3 (Commander, gunner, driver)
Mk I, II: 4 or 5 (+ Loader, hull gunner)
Armour Mk I: 40 mm
Mk II: 49, III: 51[note 3]
Main
armament
Mk I, II: QF 2 pdr (40 mm) 110 rounds
Mk III: QF 6 pdr (57 mm) 65 rounds
Secondary
armament
1 or 2 × Besa machine gun
4,950 rounds[2]
Engine Nuffield Nuffield Liberty Mark II, III, or IV
27-litre V-12 petrol engine
340 bhp (254 kW) at 1,500 rpm
Power/weight 17.2–18 hp/tonne
Transmission Nuffield constant mesh
4-speed-and-reverse
Suspension Christie helical spring
Ground clearance 1 ft 4 in (0.41 m)
Fuel capacity 110 Imperial gallons in 3 fuel tanks (+30 auxiliary)
Colorized by me :P
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
in the Western Desert, 20 September 1942. The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. The Crusader's mobility made it a favourite of British tank crews and once upgraded with the Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun made it more than a match for the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks it faced in combat. Retained in service because of delays with its replacement, by late 1942 the lack of armament upgrade combined with the presence of Tiger I Tanks among the Afrika Korps and reliability problems due to the harsh desert conditions, led to the Crusader being replaced in the main line of battle by US-supplied M3 Grant and Sherman medium tanks. The next British cruiser to see combat would be the Cromwell heavy cruiser. Type Cruiser tank Place of origin United Kingdom Service history In service 1941–1945 Wars Second World War Production history Designer Nuffield Designed 1939/1940 Manufacturer Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Ltd Produced 1940–1943 Number built 5,300 Specifications Weight 18.8 to 19.7 long tons (19.1 to 20.0 t) Length 20 ft 8.5 in[1] (5.97 m)[note 1] Width 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)[note 2] Height 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Crew Mk III: 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) Mk I, II: 4 or 5 (+ Loader, hull gunner) Armour Mk I: 40 mm Mk II: 49, III: 51[note 3] Main armament Mk I, II: QF 2 pdr (40 mm) 110 rounds Mk III: QF 6 pdr (57 mm) 65 rounds Secondary armament 1 or 2 × Besa machine gun 4,950 rounds[2] Engine Nuffield Nuffield Liberty Mark II, III, or IV 27-litre V-12 petrol engine 340 bhp (254 kW) at 1,500 rpm Power/weight 17.2–18 hp/tonne Transmission Nuffield constant mesh 4-speed-and-reverse Suspension Christie helical spring Ground clearance 1 ft 4 in (0.41 m) Fuel capacity 110 Imperial gallons in 3 fuel tanks (+30 auxiliary) Colorized by me :P
Clik here to view.
in the Western Desert, 20 September 1942. The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. The Crusader's mobility made it a favourite of British tank crews and once upgraded with the Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun made it more than a match for the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks it faced in combat. Retained in service because of delays with its replacement, by late 1942 the lack of armament upgrade combined with the presence of Tiger I Tanks among the Afrika Korps and reliability problems due to the harsh desert conditions, led to the Crusader being replaced in the main line of battle by US-supplied M3 Grant and Sherman medium tanks. The next British cruiser to see combat would be the Cromwell heavy cruiser. Type Cruiser tank Place of origin United Kingdom Service history In service 1941–1945 Wars Second World War Production history Designer Nuffield Designed 1939/1940 Manufacturer Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Ltd Produced 1940–1943 Number built 5,300 Specifications Weight 18.8 to 19.7 long tons (19.1 to 20.0 t) Length 20 ft 8.5 in[1] (5.97 m)[note 1] Width 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)[note 2] Height 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Crew Mk III: 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) Mk I, II: 4 or 5 (+ Loader, hull gunner) Armour Mk I: 40 mm Mk II: 49, III: 51[note 3] Main armament Mk I, II: QF 2 pdr (40 mm) 110 rounds Mk III: QF 6 pdr (57 mm) 65 rounds Secondary armament 1 or 2 × Besa machine gun 4,950 rounds[2] Engine Nuffield Nuffield Liberty Mark II, III, or IV 27-litre V-12 petrol engine 340 bhp (254 kW) at 1,500 rpm Power/weight 17.2–18 hp/tonne Transmission Nuffield constant mesh 4-speed-and-reverse Suspension Christie helical spring Ground clearance 1 ft 4 in (0.41 m) Fuel capacity 110 Imperial gallons in 3 fuel tanks (+30 auxiliary) Colorized by me :P
