NationMaster - Encyclopedia: AC Sentinel (tank)

The Sentinel tank was designed in Australia in World War II in response the war in Europe, and to the threat of Japan expanding the war to the Pacific or even a possible Japanese invasion of Australia. Image File history File linksMetadata Sentinel_(AWM_101156). ... The metre (Commonwealth English) or meter (American English) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... The QF 2-pounder gun was a British anti-tank gun. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets or shells, protecting the soldiers inside from enemy fire. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as... The 1944 Invasion of Normandy An invasion is a military action consisting of armed forces of one geo-political entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, often resulting in the invading power occupying the area, whether briefly or for a long period, and sometimes permanently. ...

The AC1 tank was designated "Sentinel", and although initially intended to be a Cruiser tank, like the Canadian Ram it was based on the American M3 Medium engine, drive train, and lower hull but the Australian tank was built along the lines of a British Crusader, the design specifications quickly became more like an American Medium tank. The few Sentinels that were built never saw action as Australia's Armoured Divisions had been equiped by that time with British and American tanks. The cruiser tank (also called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank design concept of the interwar period. ... The Ram was a Cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank. ... The M3 Medium Tank was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called Lee and its modified version, with a new turret, was called Grant. As a rush job intended to be brought from design to production in a short period, the M3 was... One of the primary cruiser tanks of the United Kingdom during World War II, the Cruiser Tank VI Crusader was perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. ... Armoured units made a relatively small, but highly important, contribution to Australiaâ€™s war effort. ...

History

The Sentinel was developed initially as a 2 pounder gun-equipped design in 1940. Fabrication was by Sydney's Chullora Railway Workshops with serial production vehicles emerging in August 1942, the premises also being used as a testing ground. The design used existing parts where available from other tank designs, simplified where necessary to match the machining capacity present in Australia. The hull was cast as a single piece, as was the turret; a technique not used on the hull of any other tanks of the era. The QF 2-pounder gun was a British anti-tank gun. ...

The original vehicle was designed to mount a 2 pounder this was later changed to a 6 pounder, however none of these were available and the first 65 tanks were built with the 2 pounder. The Sentinel had a hull machine gun (deleted in later versions) and a second mounted coaxially beside the main gun. A supply of high powered engines suitable to power a 28 tonne tank was not available within Australia, and so the Sentinel was powered by the combined output of 3 Cadillac 346 in³ (5.7 L) V8 car engines installed in clover-leaf configuration. Sixty-five production vehicles had been completed by June 1943. The QF 6-pdr 7 cwt was a British anti-tank gun of World War 2. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the United States; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration :See also V8 (beverage) A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

The Sentinel was to be suceeded by the AC3, a much improved design with better armour protection, and increased firepower. The next step up in firepower available in Australia was the 25 pounder gun-howitzer, mounted in a fully traversable turret it gave the AC3 both armour piercing capability as well as an effective high explosive round. The hull machine gun and gunner were removed from the design to make room for stowage of the larger 25 pounder ammunition. Powered by the same three Cadillac V8 engines as the AC1, they were now mounted on a common crank case and geared together to form a single 17.1 L, 24 cylinder engine, very similar in some respects to the later A57 Chrysler multibank used in some varaints of the US M3 and M4 tanks. Ordnance QF 25 pounder Type gun-howitzer Nationality UK Era World War II Target general use + anti-tank History Date of design 1930s Production period Number built Service duration 1930s to 1967 Operators War service Specifications Carriage Fixed trail Calibre 3. ... Loading a WW1 British 15 in (381 mm) howitzer A howitzer or hauwitzer is a type of field artillery. ...

In an effort to further improve the firepower of the Australian produced tanks a turret was developed and mounted on one of the earlier development vehicles to assess the vehicle's ability to mount the foremost Allied anti-tank gun of the day - the British 17 pounder. This was achieved by mounting two 25 pounder gun-howitzers which when fired together would significantly exceed the recoil of a 17 pounder; it was later fitted with a 17 pounder and after sucessful gunnery trials the 17 pounder was selected for the AC4 design. When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries that fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of World War II. Other... The 17-pounder (17-pdr) was a 76. ...

The completed Sentinel tanks were used for evaluation purposes only and were not issued to operational armoured units.

In 1943 the 3rd Army Tank Battalion was equipped with a squadron of AC1 tanks which had been modified to resemble German tanks. These tanks were used in the filming of the movie 'The Rats of Tobruk'. This appears to have been the only time a squadron of Sentinels was used for any purpose [1] . The Australian 3rd Army Tank Brigade was an Australian armoured brigade. ... The Sentinel tank was designed in Australia in World War II in response the war in Europe, and to the threat of Japan expanding the war to the Pacific or even a possible Japanese invasion of Australia. ...

Surviving Sentinels can be seen at the RAAC tank museum at Puckapunyal Victoria (serial number 8030), at the Melbourne Tank Museum, and at the Bovington Tank Museum (serial number 8049). The only completed AC3 (serial number 8066) is located at the Treloar Technology Centre at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army. ... The Bovington Tank Museum is the foremost collection of armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom, and with almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the most wide-ranging collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in the world. ...

Variants

AC I "Sentinel"

The QF 2-pounder gun was a British anti-tank gun. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ...

AC III

Ordnance QF 25 pounder Type gun-howitzer Nationality UK Era World War II Target general use + anti-tank History Date of design 1930s Production period Number built Service duration 1930s to 1967 Operators War service Specifications Carriage Fixed trail Calibre 3. ...

AC IV

Image File history File links Copied from other galego language wikipedia gl:Image:Sentinel-acIV.jpg. ... Image File history File links Copied from other galego language wikipedia gl:Image:Sentinel-acIV.jpg. ... The 17-pounder (17-pdr) was a 76. ... Ordnance QF 25 pounder Type gun-howitzer Nationality UK Era World War II Target general use + anti-tank History Date of design 1930s Production period Number built Service duration 1930s to 1967 Operators War service Specifications Carriage Fixed trail Calibre 3. ...

References

See also

Category: World War II tanks An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as... The Vickers 6-Ton Tank or Vickers Mark E was a British light tank designed as a private project at Vickers. ... The Light tank MkII to Mark V were a series of similar British small tanks produced in the years between World War One and World War Two. ... The Light tank MkII to Mark V were a series of similar British small tanks produced in the years between World War One and World War Two. ... The Light tank MkII to Mark V were a series of similar British small tanks produced in the years between World War One and World War Two. ... The Light tank MkII to Mark V were a series of similar British small tanks produced in the years between World War One and World War Two. ... General characteristics Length 4 m Width 2. ... The Mk VII Tetrarch light tank was a British design of tank produced during the Second World War initially for reconnaisance purposes but used by airborne forces. ... The cruiser tank (also called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank design concept of the interwar period. ... General characteristics Length 5. ... General characteristics Length 5. ... General characteristics Length 6 m Width 2. ... General characteristics Length 6 m Width 2. ... Covenanter The Cruiser Mk V Covenanter was a British Cruiser tank of World War II, influenced by the Soviet T-28. ... One of the primary cruiser tanks of the United Kingdom during World War II, the Cruiser Tank VI Crusader was perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. ... General characteristics Length 6. ... A27M Cruiser Tank VIII Cromwell was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. It was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed, and reasonable armor. ... The A27M Cruiser Tank VIII Cromwell, named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. It was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed, and... General characteristics Length 26 ft 4, m Width 9 ft 6, m Height ft 9, m Weight t Suspension Chrste Speed 32 mph, 52 km/h road 15 mph, 24 km/h off-road Range 120 m, 260 km Primary armament QF17 pdr Secondary armament 0. ... The Cruiser Comet was a British tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It is often considered the best overall British tank of the war. ... The Ram was a Cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank. ... The infantry tank was a concept developed by the British in the years leading up to World War II. They were intended to work alongside infantry. ... General characteristics Length 4. ... The A12 Infantry Tank II Matilda (sometimes referred to as Senior Matilda or Matilda II) was a British tank of World War II. In a somewhat unorthodox move, it shared the same name as the A11 Infantry Tank I. The name Matilda itself comes from a cartoon duck. ... The most numerous British manufactured tank of World War II, the Infantry Tank III Valentine was known mainly for its inexpensive cost and high reliability. ... General characteristics Length 24 ft 5 in, 7. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artilley or locomotive artillery) vehicles mount a large howitzer (or alternatively mortar or rockets) and are used for long-range indirect bombardment support. ... A self-propelled anti-tank gun, or tank destroyer, is a type of armoured fighting vehicle. ... The M113, one of the most common tracked APCs, on duty during the Vietnam War Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are light armoured fighting vehicles for the transport of infantry. ... The Bishop was a British self-propelled artillery vehicle based on the Valentine II chassis. ... General characteristics Length 20 ft 1 in/ 6. ... The Archer was a British tank destroyer used during World War II based on the Valentine chassis. ... The Universal Carrier, usually known as a Bren Gun Carrier (even when it was not carrying a Bren), was a small, tracked British-designed military vehicle, used widely by Allied forces during World War II. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, or as machine gun platforms. ... General characteristics Length 4. ... Kangaroo personnel carrier A Kangaroo was a World War II British or Commonwealth armoured personnel carrier, created by conversion of a tank chassis. ... Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ... The Daimler Scout Car, known in service as Dingo, was a British light fast 4WD reconnaisance vehicle also used in the liaison role during the Second World War. ... General characteristics Length: 4. ... The Rolls-Royce armoured car was an armoured car developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of World War II. It was a simple vehicle built on a Rolls Royce car chassis. ... General characteristics Length: 5. ... General characteristics Length 4 m Width 2. ... South African Reconnaissance Car, better known under its British designation Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car, was an armored vehicle produced in South Africa for the British Army during the World War II. // History In 1938 South African government initiated development of an armored car. ... General characteristics Length 26 ft 4, m Width 9 ft 6, m Height ft 9, m Weight t Suspension Chrste Speed 32 mph, 52 km/h road 15 mph, 24 km/h off-road Range 120 m, 260 km Primary armament QF17 pdr Secondary armament 0. ... General characteristics Length 7. ... The Centurion was the primary British Main Battle Tank of the immediate post-war era, and considered by many to be one of the best British tank designs of all time. ... The Excelsior was an experimental tank based on the Cromwell (A27) developed in the Second World War when there were concerns as to performance of the Churchill tank. ... General characteristics Length 10. ... The TOG 2 was a prototype British heavy tank design produced in the early part of the Second World War in case the battlefields of Northern France turned into the mass of trenches and craters that had happened during the First World War. ... The A39 Tortoise heavy assault tank was a British heavy tank design developed in World War II but never put into production. ... The Valiant was a British tank design of the Second World War, based upon the Valentine tank but only reached the prototype stage. ... The Alecto was an experimental self propelled gun developed by the British in World War 2 but terminated with the end of the war in Europe. ...