Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M)
Type	Cruiser tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	-
Used by	British Army
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Manufacturer	Nuffield Organisation
Number built	4,016
Specifications
Weight	27.6 long tons (28 tonnes)
Length	20 ft 10 in (6.35 m)
Width	9 ft 6½ in (2.91 m)
Height	9 ft 3½ in(2.83 m)
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
Armour	3 inch (76 mm)
Primary armament	OQF 75 mm
Secondary armament	2 x 7.92 mm Besa MG
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol 600 hp (447 kW)
Power/weight	21.4 hp/ton
Suspension	Improved Christie
Operational range	174 miles (280 km)
Speed	40 mph (64 km/h)

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), 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 reasonable armour. Late in the war it was the most common British design in use, replacing the Sherman tank for some units. Its design formed the basis of the formidable Comet. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1180x743, 152 KB) Summary Description: Cruiser tank VIII Cromwell in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel. ... The cruiser tank (also called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank design concept of the inter-war period. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Nuffield Organisation was an automobile manufacturing company in the United Kingdom. ... Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets or shells, protecting the soldiers inside from enemy fire. ... Ordnance QF 75 mm, abbreviated to OQF 75 mm, was a British tank-gun of the Second World War. ... BESA machine gun Type medium machine gun Nationality UK (Czech) Era World War 2 History Date of design 1936 Production period 1939-1945 (?) Service duration 1939-1945 Operators UK War service World War 2 Specifications Type Caliber 7. ... The Rolls-Royce Meteor was a British tank engine developed from the Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine. ... Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol, in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. ... Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England, Scotland and Ireland into a republican Commonwealth and for the brutal war exercised in his conquest of Ireland. ... The cruiser tank (also called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank design concept of the inter-war period. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets or shells, protecting the soldiers inside from enemy fire. ... General characteristics Length: 5. ... The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. // Combat experience against the Germans in the Western Desert Campaign demonstrated to the British the inferiority of their tanks. ...

History

The Cromwell was the product of further development of British cruiser tanks, and was designed as the replacement for the Crusader tank, which was fast becoming obsolete. In late 1940, the General Staff set out the specifications for the new tank, and designs were submitted in early 1941. 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. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A General Staff is a group of professional military officers who act in a staff or administrative role under the command of a general officer. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

Due to the typical rushed production and lack of components, the first of these tanks to be accepted, the Cavalier, had far too many problems to see active combat service. One of the key problems was that its Nuffield-built Liberty engine was simply not up to the task. General characteristics Length 6. ... The Nuffield Organisation was an automobile manufacturing company in the United Kingdom. ... General characteristics Layout V-12 Cooling water Cylinders 12 Valve type Displacement 27 litres Rotation rate 1700 rpm Power 400 hp Power (300 kW Weight 383kg The Liberty L-12 was a 27 litre water-cooled 45 degree V-12 aircraft engine of 400 horsepower (300 kW). ...

A new engine, based on the powerful Merlin engine used in aircraft such as the Spitfire, was designed and called the Meteor. Rolls-Royce, the makers of the Merlin, were already fully committed to its manufacture and could not spare the facilities for the Meteor, and manufacture was passed to the Rover Car Company. A modified tank design, the A27 Mk VIII, was then drawn up to take advantage of the new power available, approximately 600 hp (447 kW), double that of the Liberty. The Merlin is an aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce. ... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used primarily by the RAF and many Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s. ... The Rolls-Royce Meteor was a tank engine developed from the Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine. ... Rolls-Royce Limited was a British car and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904. ... // Rover was a British automobile manufacturer and later a marque based at the former Austin Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ...

It would take considerable time for Rover to make ready production lines for the Meteor, so the initial A27s were equipped with the antiquated Liberty engine. These became known as A27L Centaur. It was not until a few months later, in January 1943, that sufficient Meteor engines were available and the A27M Cromwell began production. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Total A27 production consisted of 4,016 guntanks; 1,408 of which where Centaurs and 2,608 Cromwells. In addition 375 Centaur hulls were built to be fitted with an anti-aircraft gun turret; only 95 of these were completed.

The Cromwell still had revisions to make before service, most notably upgunning from the 6-pounder (57 mm) to the ROQF 75 mm gun (an adaptation of the 6 pounder design to fire the ammunition of the US M3 75 mm gun), and it was not until June 1944 that it first saw action during Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. It had a mixed reception by crews. It was faster and had a lower profile than the Sherman tank. However, while its armour was of equivalent thickness, it was less sloped and therefore less effective than that of the Sherman. The 75 mm gun, though able to fire a useful HE shell, was not as effective against armour as the 6 pdr or the 17 pounder that was fitted to the British Firefly variant of the Sherman. The QF 6-pdr 7 cwt was a British anti-tank gun of World War 2. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Ordnance QF 75 mm, abbreviated to OQF 75 mm, was a British tank-gun of the Second World War. ... A number of 75 mm guns were fielded for service by the United States in World War II, in both the Army and the Marine Corps. ... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... General characteristics Length: 5. ... (Redirected from 17 pounder) The 17-pounder (17-pdr) was a 77 mm anti-tank gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II. It was the best Allied anti-tank gun of the war, able to defeat all German armor and the equal of all their guns up... The Sherman Firefly (M4A4 VC Firefly) was a British variation of the M4 Sherman tank, fitted with the more powerful 17 pounder main gun. ...

The Centaur was chiefly used for training, only those in specialist roles saw action. The Close Support version of the Centaur^[1] saw service as part of the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group on D-Day and a number were used as the basis for combat engineering vehicles such as an armoured bulldozer The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core component of the countrys Rapid Reaction Force. ...

The Sherman remained the most common tank in British and Commonwealth armoured units. Cromwells were used to fully equip only one division, the 7th Armoured Division. The Cromwell was also used as the main tank in the reconnaissance battalions of British armoured divisions because of their great speed. The Cromwell in turn was succeeded by small numbers of the Comet tank. Although the Comet was similar to the Cromwell, and shared some components, it was a much better tank with the 77 mm gun (a version of the 17 pounder) The 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) of the British Army was the most famous unit of its type in British service during World War II. It was a regular division in the Middle East, designated the Mobile Division at first, renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) in September 1939, and... The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. // Combat experience against the Germans in the Western Desert Campaign demonstrated to the British the inferiority of their tanks. ...

Post war the Cromwell remained in British Service and was also used by Finland (Charioteer version). The Charioteer tank was a British tank destroyer, designed in the 1950s from the Cromwell tank. ...

Performance

The Cromwell was the fastest British tank to serve in WW2 ^{[citation needed]}, with a top (ungoverned) speed of 40 mph or 64 km/h . Unfortunately this speed proved too much for even the Christie suspension and the engine was governed to give a top speed of 32 mph or 51 km/h, which was still fast for its time. Thanks to its Christie parentage the Cromwell was very agile on the battlefield. The dual purpose 75 mm main gun fired the same ammunition as the US 75 mm gun and therefore it had around the same HE and armour-piercing capabilities as the 75 mm equipped Sherman tank. The Cromwell's armour ranged from 8 mm to 76 mm thick overall but the maximum thickness was later increased to 102 mm with appliqué armour plates which were welded on. This armour compared well with that of the Sherman although the Cromwell did not share the Sherman’s sloped glacis plate. The Cromwell crews in North-West Europe succeeded in the Cromwell with superior speed, manoeuvrability and reliability outflanking the heavier and more sluggish German tanks; however, the Cromwell was still not a match for the best German armour and British tank design would go through another stage, the Comet tank, before going ahead in the tank development race with the Centurion tank. Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... A British Comet with Christie suspension The Christie suspension is a suspension system developed by Walter Christie for his tank designs. ... General characteristics Length: 5. ... The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. // Combat experience against the Germans in the Western Desert Campaign demonstrated to the British the inferiority of their tanks. ... 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. ...

Variants

Centaur I

First draft. Armed with the RO QF 6 pounder (57 mm) gun (with 64 rounds of ammunition). It was used only for training. 1059 produced.^{[citation needed]}

Centaur IV

Centaur II

Mark I with wider tracks and no hull machine gun. Experimental only.

Centaur III

Centaur armed with the 75 mm ROQF Mk V gun. In 1943, most Centaur I's were converted to III's, but a few remained as such. 233 produced.^{[citation needed]}

Centaur IV

Centaur armed with a 95 mm howitzer (with 51 rounds of ammunition). This is the only version of the Centaur known to have seen combat, in service with the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group. The vehicles were fitted with wading gear to get them ashore. Trunking waterproofed the engine inlets and covers were fitted to the guns. 114 produced.^[2]

Centaur, AA Mk I

Used a Crusader III, AA Mk II turret with twin 20 mm Polsten AA guns. Were originally deployed in Normandy, but withdrawn as unnecessary due to Allied air superiority. 95 produced.^{[citation needed]}

Centaur, AA Mk II

Used a Crusader III, AA Mk III turret with twin 20 mm Polsten AA guns.

Cromwell I

Exactly the same as the Centaur I, but using the Meteor engine. Only 357 produced^{[citation needed]} due to the switch from the 6 pounder (57 mm) to the 75 mm gun.

Cromwell

Cromwell II

Increased track width and removal of the hull MG to increase stowage. None produced.

Cromwell III

Centaur I upgraded with Meteor V12 engine. Only ~ 200 produced^{[citation needed]} due to scarcity of Centaur I's.

Cromwell IV

Centaur III upgraded with Meteor engine. The most numerous variant with over 1935 units produced.^{[citation needed]}

Cromwell IVw

Meteor engine, and all welded hull.

Cromwell Vw

Cromwell built from the start with the 75 mm gun. Used a welded instead of riveted hull.

Cromwell VI

Cromwell armed with 95 mm howitzer. 341 produced.^{[citation needed]}

Cromwell VII

Cromwell IV and V upgraded with additional armour, wider tracks, and additional gearbox. These were introduced very late in the war and did not see much in the way of combat. ~ 1500 produced.^{[citation needed]}

Cromwell VIIw

Cromwell Vw reworked to Cromwell VII standard.

Cromwell VIII

Cromwell VI with same upgrades as VII.

Image File history File links self-made image. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2032x1524, 459 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Assault gun Cromwell tank Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2032x1524, 459 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Assault gun Cromwell tank Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Ordnance QF 75 mm, abbreviated to OQF 75 mm, was a British tank-gun of the Second World War. ... The Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys elite fighting forces. ... The Polsten was a low cost 20 mm autocannon developed from the Oerlikon gun in Poland. ... The Polsten was a low cost 20 mm autocannon developed from the Oerlikon gun in Poland. ... Image File history File links A Cromwell Tank http://212. ... Image File history File links A Cromwell Tank http://212. ...

Vehicles based on chassis

Centaur Dozer

Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30)

The design combined lengthened Cromwell chassis and the 17-pounder gun in a new turret.

SP 17pdr, A30 (Avenger)

An open turreted version of the Challenger.

Centaur Dozer

A Centaur with the turret removed and given a simple dozer blade operated by a winch. One of Hobart's Funnies. 250 produced.

Centaur OP

A Centaur with a dummy main gun, and extra radio telecommunications.

Centaur Kangaroo

A Centaur with turret removed to make space for passengers. (Few produced)

Centaur ARV

A Centaur with turret removed, and replaced with winch fitted instead, and an optional A-frame.

Cromwell Command/Observation Post

Cromwell IV, Cromwell VI, or Cromwell VIII fitted with extra radio equipment, and main gun replaced with a dummy gun.

FV 4101 Charioteer

Cromwell hull with a 20 pounder in the turret, designed in the 1950s. 200 produced.

Image File history File links Centaur_dozer. ... Image File history File links Centaur_dozer. ... Last surviving A30 Challenger in Overloon War Museum. ... 17-pounder in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. ... Badge of the 79th Armoured Division Amphibious DD tanks await blowing of breaches in the sea wall on Utah Beach. ... Kangaroo personnel carrier A Kangaroo was a World War II British or Commonwealth armoured personnel carrier, created by conversion of a tank chassis. ... Modern self-tailing winch on a sailing boat. ... An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight, economical manner. ... The Charioteer tank was a British tank destroyer, designed in the 1950s from the Cromwell tank. ... A Charioteer tank destroyer equipped with the 20 pounder. ...

Surviving vehicles

• Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset, England. Well preserved Cromwell IV displayed in interior location accessible to public on payment of entry fee to museum.
• Thetford Forest, Norfolk, England. Cromwell IV in outside location freely accessible to public. This tank is located on the A1065 two miles north of Mundford. Between January and May 1944 the area was occupied by armoured regiments of the 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) prior to their embarking for Normandy. The tank forms part of a 1998 memorial to the Division. It is in good display condition having been refurbished and painted as a replica of the tank ‘Little Audrey’ of 1st Royal Tank Regiment. ^[3]
• The RAAC Army Tank Museum, Puckapunyal, Victoria. Cromwell MkI shipped to Australia to assist with the up gunning of the Australian Cruiser tanks but did not arrive before that programme had been terminated. Repainted with the markings it arrived in Australia with, it is now under cover on display at the museum.
• The Israeli Armored Corps Museum in Latrun. Cromwell IV tank , that was used by the IDF in War of Independence (1948 - 1949).
• The Liberty Park in Overloon, The Netherlands. Cromwell IV tank, that remained on the battlefield after Operation Aintree during the Battle for Overloon in October 1944 in which the 11th Armoured Division was involved. This tank is on display in the museum, accessible to the public on payment of entry fee to museum.

British Mark V; one of the few WWI tanks still in working order. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Thetford Forest is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk. ... Norfolk (IPA: //) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Mundford is a village about 8 miles north west of Thetford in the district of Breckland_(district), Norfolk, England. ... The 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) of the British Army was the most famous unit of its type in British service during World War II. It was a regular division in the Middle East, designated the Mobile Division at first, renamed the Armoured Division (Egypt) in September 1939, and... The Royal Tank Regiment is a unit of the British Army. ... 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 Sentinel tank was designed in Australia in World War II in response to a possible Japanese invasion. ... The Trappist Monastery The area of Latrun (Hebrew: ‎) (al-Latrun in Arabic) is a region of the Ayalon Valley, about 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla. ... Emblem of the IDF The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... Overloon, mun. ...

Notes and references

1. ^ with a 95 mm howitzer
2. ^ Leland Ness, Jane's World War Two Tanks and Fighting Vehicles, p. 22
3. ^ The Desert Rats, 7th Armoured Division, Thetford Forest Memorial. Retrieved on March 14, 2006.

is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cromwell tank

• WWII Vehicles
• OnWar specifications: Cromwell I, Cromwell IV
• LemaireSoft
• Henk of Holland
• Nase noviny
• Photo Gallery of WW2
• Shermanic Firefly

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

See also

• Vickers Tank Periscope MK.IV

v • d • e	British Commonwealth armoured fighting vehicles of World War II

v • d • e British Commonwealth Tanks of World War II
Light tanks	Vickers 6-Ton • Mk II • Mk III • Mk IV • Mk V • Mk VI • Mk VII Tetrarch
Cruiser tanks	Mk I • Mk II • Mk III • Mk IV • Mk V Covenanter • Mk VI Crusader • Mk VII Cavalier Mk VIII Centaur • Mk VIII Cromwell • Challenger • Comet • Sherman Firefly • Ram (Canada) • Sentinel (Australia)
Infantry tanks	Mk I Matilda • Mk II Matilda • Mk III Valentine • Mk IV Churchill

v • d • e British Commonwealth Self-propelled artillery of World War II
Bishop • Sexton • Deacon • Archer

v • d • e British Commonwealth armoured personnel carriers of World War II
Universal Carrier • Loyd Carrier • Kangaroo • Terrapin

v • d • e British Commonwealth Scout Cars and Armoured cars of World War II
Scout Cars	Daimler Dingo • Dingo Scout Car (Australia) • Humber Scout Car • Lynx Scout Car (Canada) • S1 Scout Car (Australia)
Light Reconnaissance Cars	Humber LRC • Morris LRC • Otter LRC (Canada)
Armoured Cars	AEC Armoured Car • Coventry Armoured Car • Daimler Armoured Car • Fox Armoured Car (Canada) • Guy Armoured Car • Humber Armoured Car • Lanchester Armoured Car • Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car (South Africa) • Morris CS9 • Rhino Heavy Armoured Car (Australia) • Rolls-Royce Armoured Car • Rover Light Armoured Car (Australia) • Standard Beaverette • Armoured Carrier Wheeled Indian Pattern (India)
Armoured Trucks	Bedford OXA • C15TA Armoured Truck (Canada)
Armoured Command Vehicles	AEC ACV • Guy Lizard ACV

v • d • e British Commonwealth experimental vehicles of World War II
Avenger • Black Prince • Centurion • Excelsior • TOG 1 • TOG 2 • Tortoise • Valiant • Harry Hopkins • Alecto • Thornycroft Bison

v • d • e British Commonwealth unarmoured vehicles of World War II
Artillery tractors	AEC Matador • Morris C8 Quad • Scammell Pioneer • Canadian Military Pattern
Trucks and lorries	Bedford QLD • Austin K2 • Morris 15 cwt
Tank transporters	Diamond T tank transporter • Scammell Pioneer Semi-trailer
British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II

British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II