British tanks history- Centurion

[NemesisActual 2,474]

Short article I've written on the Centurion.

 

Genesis of the 'Universal Tank'

 

During the pre-war era, Britain fielded two main kinds of tanks- cruiser tanks, which were fast and designed to exploit holes in enemy defenses, and infantry tanks, which were heavily armoured and intended to support the infantry and create gaps in enemy lines, which would then be exploited by the cruisers.

 

 

A13 cruiser tank. Note the rear drive sprocket and Christie suspension. Armament consisted of a 40mm gun and one .303 Vickers machine gun.

 

 

In combat, it was found that the early cruiser tanks were too thinly armoured to be effective on the battlefield, and that the infantry tanks such as the Matilda II lacked mobility. The cruiser tanks also suffered from chronic reliability issues- especially the Crusader. The next generation of cruiser tanks had armour comparable to the medium tanks of their day. The Cromwell cruiser tank, (which was developed from the Cavalier) was comparable to the US M4 Sherman tank, although faster. It's Meteor engine and Christie suspension allowed for high speeds, while also solving the inherent reliability issues with the cruiser tanks. Armament consisted of a QF 75mm gun (essentially a re-bored 57mm gun firing US shells) and two BESA machine guns. Cromwells were used in combat in Normandy, along with Centaur cruisers armed with 95mm howitzers (the Centaur being a Cromwell with a Liberty engine). Although fast and decently protected, the 75mm gun was still not a sufficient anti-tank gun, although it could fire a good HE round.

 

 

Cromwell cruiser tank. Armour was 76mm maximum and largely unsloped. Some Cromwells were factory produced with 102mm armour maximum instead of 76mm.

 

Attempts to up-gun the Cromwell were made. The Challenger mounted a 17-pounder cannon in a new turret on a lengthened Cromwell chassis. This gun could knock out any German vehicle. To save weight, the Challenger had reduced turret armour of 63mm maximum. The Avenger was similar, with the same lengthened hull but with a different open-topped turret also mounting a 17-pounder.

 

 

Avenger (left) and Challenger (right). This Avenger is missing the 'roof kit' which provided some protection against grenades.

 

The next evolution of the cruiser tank was the A34 Comet, likely one of the best tanks of the War from a hardware perspective. With a maximum of 102mm of armour, a top road speed of 32.4 mph and the deadly armament of the Vickers 77mm HV, the Comet was a tank to be reckoned with. Comets remained in service until 1958 with the UK.

 

 

A34 Comet.

 

The Centurion - Early years

 

The main characteristics of the Centurion were decided upon in 1943, designed to have the 17-pounder from the start along with 76mm of glacis armour. This was similar to the German Panther medium tank.

 

The engine was to be the Meteor petrol engine. The A41 was developed by state-sponsored groups rather than any commercial organisations to help ensure the tank was the best that it could be. As the designers were worried about German towed anti-tank guns, they decided a weapon able to pierce the gun shield of an AT gun was necessary as a secondary. Thus, a 20mm Polsten autocannon was added the turret and operated by the loader. All ammunition was stowed below the turret ring. The Christie suspension of previous cruisers was inadequate for such a heavy tank, so Horstmann suspension was used instead, with three bogies per side each suspending two road wheels. Horstmann suspension would also be used on the later Conqueror and Chieftain tanks.

 

The Meteor 4B engine from the Centurion. There was also an 8 horsepower Morris car engine which provided power for the radio, batteries and gun control equipment without having to run the main engine.

 

Transmission assembly of the Centurion.

 

The firing of the Polsten was considered to be distracting to the loader, but it was kept regardless. Shortly before the invasion of Europe, the prototype was finalized. Manufacture of the first prototype began in January of 1945, designated the A41 heavy cruiser tank. Six prototypes arrived in Belgium shortly after VE Day, and were tested extensively. Opinion of the new tank was high, but the Polsten cannon was not liked by crews. After this a production order for 800 vehicles, 100 of which were to be the Mk I (with a BESA in place of the Polsten), and the remainder the Mk II. 

 

 

Centurion prototype. The 20mm Polsten cannon is easily identifiable.

 

Soon after, the Centurion Mk III arrived, featuring a re-designed turret with the powerful 20-pounder (84mm) cannon. Despite this, the Centurion was originally not intended to be in service for long, as the Military were convinced that the FV200 series would be the true 'Universal Tank'. The FV201 gun tank project was dropped in 1948 after one prototype had been made. The Centurion III saw action in the Korean War and gave a good account of themselves, impressing the Americans and the British.

 

A Centurion III nicknamed Caughoo engages a captured Cromwell tank along the Han river, in support of US infantry. The Cromwell was quickly taken out and the tank shelled enemy supplies behind the Cromwell. 

 

The Centurion III had an effective stabliser, which was effective over even rough terrain. All of this made the Centurion one of the best tanks in the world at that time.

 

A new generation 

 

Britain and the US quickly became very worried about the sheer number of Soviet tanks behind the Iron Curtain, especially the IS-3 which was well armoured, had a powerful 122mm gun and decent mobility. 

 

The US responded with the M103, which mounted a 120mm cannon capable of destroying the IS-3 at long range. The British quickly re-used an FV201 hull to produce two heavy tanks, the Caernarvon which used the turret of the Centurion (mounting either a 17-pounder or 20-pounder) and the Conqueror which mounted the same 120mm gun as the M103 in a new turret. The Conqueror had thick armour, a sophisticated hunter-killer system for its main fire control system, and good mobility for its size. However, it suffered from excessive weight which led to high fuel consumption and poor reliability. Regardless, it was frontally immune to the 122mm gun of the IS-3 at combat ranges and could easily destroy the Soviet heavy. Conqueror tanks provided long range fire support for Centurion tanks as part of the British Army of the Rhine, along with a number of Charioteer tank destroyers. In additon, the APDS round of the Centurion was thought to be sufficient to handle the majority of Soviet tanks.

 

During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Soviets deployed T-54 tanks as part of their invasion force. Several were destroyed by Molotov cocktails and Hungarian anti-tank guns, but one was driven to the British embassy in Budapest, where it was inspected. The British decided that the 20-pounder gun was inadequate to deal with T-54s and T-55s of the Soviet army. 

 

 

A Centurion III in desert colours, station in Libya as part of the British army in the Middle East, meant to protect some of the last vestiges of the British Empire.

 

The Mark 5 Centurion appeared in 1955, with a Browning 7.62mm machine gun instead of a 7.92mm BESA in the coaxial position. Around this time, fume extractors were fitted to the 20-pounder. After the excellent display in Korea, many countries purchased Centurions, including Australia, Canada, India, Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, Israel and Kuwait. 

 

The Royal Ordnance L7

 

The first trials of the 105mm L7 took place in July 1959, and the same year it was mounted on an up-armoured Mark 7 hull. In addition, the Centurion fleet was up-armoured with 50mm of extra armour on the glacis plate. The L7 was found to be an excellent gun easily able to handle the T-54/55. This outstanding performance was the final nail in the coffin for Conqueror, which was withdrawn from service in 1966 as it no longer had a tactical role. It would be Britain's last heavy tank. Once again the Centurion was the 'Universal tank' of the British Army and many other armed forces across the world. Australian Centurions were involved in the Vietnam War, including the 'Atomic Tank', a Centurion which survived a British nuclear test. The US licensed the L7 as the M68 and used it on their M60 MBt; it is still being used today on the M1128. 

 

Many nations modified their Centurions, particularly the Swedes and Israelis. Sweden obtained a number of 20-pounder vehicles in the 50s, which were later upgraded with the L7 in the 1960s. They had many more modifications for their vehicles, including reactive armour, enhanced night sights, a thermal sleeve for the main gun and laser range finders. Israel's Centurions, known as the 'Sho't' or Whip, were used extensively. Israel also captured the majority of Jordan's Centurions. They saw heavy action in the Yom Kippur War and the Valley of Tears against T-55s and T-62s. Eventually they were upgraded with Blazer ERA and the 105mm gun, along with a diesel engine. 

 

Centurion Variants

 

The Centurion AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) was first developed in 1963, and is armed with the 165mm L9 demolition gun firing a HESH round. They were used in Iraq by the British Army.

 

 

The Centurion was also the basis of some heavy tank destroyers. The FV4004 Conway mounted a 120mm gun in a well armoured turret, designed to defeat any Soviet tank. It did not enter mass production as it was too heavy and had problems with gun elevation. The FV4005 was armed with a 183mm cannon firing HESH ammunition, firstly in an open mounting with a 5 shell autoloader, and then an enclosed mount in the Stage 2, which had a 12 round loading tray instead of the autoloader. Stage 2 also had a hydro-pnuematic recoil system for the gun. Despite the immense power of this cannon, the L7 which was then in development left these tank destroyers without tactical niche.

 

 

 

FV4005 Stage 2, which had a true turret, as opposed to the open mount of the Stage 1. The turret was just 14mm thick. 

 

The Centurion ARV was the armoured recovery vehicle variant, designed to tow Centurion gun tanks. It had a cramped interior, and the extra weight decreased the already low range of the Centurion.

 

 

 

A number of Centurion self-propelled guns were also proposed, although none were mass produced. This includes the FV3805, which mounted a superstructure facing backwards, similar to the Archer tank destroyer of WW2. The Centurion ARK was a large bridge layer with a folding bridge. In addition, some Israeli Centurions were converted to heavy APCs.

 

 

Legacy

 

The Centurion was a globally successful tank, used by many countries around the world. It is still in use today, such as in the form of the South African Olifant, the newest models of which have a 120mm smoothbore cannon.

 

Thanks for reading :)

 

Sources:

Centurion Universal Tank 1943-2003 by Simon Dunstan

The Centurion tank in battle by Simon Dunstan and Peter Sarson

The Centurion Tank by Bill Monro

Edited August 27, 2015 by NemesisActual

[ValkyrieLitewing 1,659]

Good read.

[Smin1080p_WT 60,444]

Nice work mate, great read  :salute:

[piritskenyer 1,514]

Very nice :)

[ValkyrieLitewing 1,659]

Btw, we totally need the FV4005 Stage II in War Thunder. That thing would derp so hard in this game

[piritskenyer 1,514]

Btw, we totally need the FV4005 Stage II in War Thunder. That thing would derp so hard in this game

 

A wild T-44 appears!

 

FV4005 used HESH!

 

*Hit*

[Fighting_G00SE 338]

Good job! Was a very nice read. *HYPE*

[NemesisActual 2,474]

Thanks for the positive reception o7

[Nope 10,634]

Some things you have missed:

 

- In tests, the Centurion, despite being heavier and having a lower top speed, was said to have more mobility than a Comet.

- No mention of the L7's ammo evolution? The British design for APDS was interesting as they added ballistic caps. Without ballistic caps, the Centurion gets its butt kicked by the T-54. With ballistic caps, it's a whole different story.

- During the Cold War, it's likely that the Centurion was the most heavily armored RHA MBT along with the M60, but also being one of the slower ones.

[NemesisActual 2,474]

Some things you have missed:

 

- In tests, the Centurion, despite being heavier and having a lower top speed, was said to have more mobility than a Comet.

- No mention of the L7's ammo evolution? The British design for APDS was interesting as they added ballistic caps. Without ballistic caps, the Centurion gets its butt kicked by the T-54. With ballistic caps, it's a whole different story.

- During the Cold War, it's likely that the Centurion was the most heavily armored RHA MBT along with the M60, but also being one of the slower ones.

 

I wanted to do more on the L7, but I went over the image limit and didn't want to post a big block of text. Didn't think about those others though.

[Cairn_67 537]

An interesting read.

 

Here are a few pieces of info to add.

 

The Israeli Centurions were upgraded with the L7 before the Six Day War. Between 1967 and 1973 Israel's collection of Centurions were further upgraded with increased forward armour thickness and diesel engines. The IDF also used their Centurions in the 1982 Lebanon conflict, mostly as infantry support.

 

In general, the Centurions may have been slower than their contemporaries on level terrain but they had superior mountain climbing ability. The Centurion gun mount's generous amount of vertical travel gave the tank a noticeable edge when fighting from a hull-down position. The Centurions were also more mechanically reliable / less prone to engine, or transmission, or suspension failure while traversing difficult terrain (e.g. the Golan Heights).

[graisseu 504]

Nice article . Very interesting tank .

[Naam54673 1,537]

A wild T-44 appears!

 

FV4005 used HESH!

 

*Ricochet*

FTFY

[JEI2 5,766]

Good read