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Britain's Heavy Cruiser, A41, Centurion
Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum
The Department of Tank Design was asked to design a heavy cruiser tank in 1943.1 It was to have a 76 mm (17 pdr.) gun and have good cross country speed.1 The 1st mock-up was completed in 1944 and in early 1945 and six prototypes were sent to Germany, but none saw action.1,4
An all welded steel hull that was divided into 3 compartments.1 The engine was behind a fireproof bulkhead.1
Air was fed to the engine through 2 fans in the roof of the engine compartment.1 Power was supplied to the traversely mounted transmission through the clutch.1
The driver sat in the front and to the right.1 The turret had an ammunition hatch on the left, and storage on each side.1 The loader was located on the left, the commander on the right, and the gunner in front of the commander.1
The commander had a cupola that had split hatches and had to be hand traversed.1 He also had 7 periscopes all around, and a periscopic day sight that had a ballistic pattern in it.1
The loader had twin hatch covers and a periscopic day sight.1
The suspension had 3 sets of pairs of road wheels.1 The front and rear wheels had shock absorbers.1
Six were sent to the 22nd Armored Brigade of the 7th Armored Division in May 1945.4 Never saw action due to end of war.1,4
| Heavy Cruiser, A41, Centurion | |
|---|---|
| Crew | Driver, gunner, loader, commander.1,2 41,2,3 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 42.5 tons1 43,182 kg1 107,520 lb2 |
| Length w/gun | 24' 6"1, 25' 2"2,3 7.82 m1 |
| Length w/o gun | |
| Height | 9' 8"2,3, 9' 11"1 3.01 m1 |
| Width | 11'2,3, 11' 2"1 3.39 m1 |
| Ground clearance | |
| Ground contact length | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament | |
| Main | 76 mm (17 pdr)1 17 pdr OQF2 17 pdr3 |
| Secondary | 20 mm Polsten cannon1,2 coaxial2 20 mm Polsten3 |
| MG | 7.92 mm Besa MG, Coaxial1,2 (in place of 20 mm)2 1 - 2: Besa MG3 (in place of 20 mm)3 |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | 702 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 17 - 1271 172, 1522 17 - 1523 |
| Hull Front, Upper | |
| Hull Front, Lower | |
| Hull Sides, Upper | |
| Hull Sides, Lower | |
| Hull Rear | |
| Hull Top | |
| Hull Bottom | |
| Turret Front | |
| Turret Sides | |
| Turret Rear | |
| Turret Top | |
| Engine (Make / Model) | Meteor1,2,3 |
| Transmission | |
| Capacity | |
| Performance | |
| Traverse | 360°2 |
| Max Speed | 21.4 mph2,3, 22 mph1 35 kph1 |
| Cross Country | 15 mph2 |
| Road radius | 60 miles2, 120 miles1 192 km1 |
| Turning Radius | |
| Elevation Limits | -15° + 45°2 |
| Fording depth | 4' 9"2 |
| Trench crossing | 11'2 |
| Vertical Obstacle | 3'2 |
| Suspension (Type) | Modified Horstmann.2 |
| Wheels each side | |
| Return rollers each side | |
| Track length | |
| Tires | |
| Track width | 2'2 |
| Track centers/tread | 8' 8"2 |
| Production |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- British and American Tanks of World War Two, The Complete Illustrated History of British, American, and Commonwealth Tanks 1933-1945, Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, 1969
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- Tanks of World War II, Duncan Crow, 1979
