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Britain's Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15

Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum	Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15 in 1940:	Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15:	Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15, AA Mk I: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum
Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader, A15, AA Mk II: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum

Design

Nuffield built the Crusader using many of the same parts from the A13 series.¹⁰ Used the Christie suspension and Liberty engine.¹⁰ The hull was riveted and turret welded with additional armor bolted on.¹⁰

Nuffield designed at about same time of the Covenanter but had a Liberty engine.¹

A total of 9 companies produced the tank.¹

Fuel tanks were located on each side of the engine with radiators fitted vertically between the tanks and the engine. Two cooling fans were fitted in the rear bulkhead. The drive chains were exposed and this posed problems in the desert and were replaced by a form of a shaft. The exhaust pipes went on each side of the engine, over the transmission, and ended inside the rear hull louvers. The concertina type air cleaners were mounted on the rear track guards in early models and were replaced by an oil bath type.

A pump provided compressed air for the steering and braking, while hydraulics were used for the turret power traverse. The gun is manually elevated by the gunner.

In early models the crew communicated through one way Tannoy speakers. This was later replaced by No. 19 wireless set which had an intercom.

On early models the auxiliary machine gunner sat on a small saddle which went round with the turret. There was a traversing handle on the left. The Besa ammunition boxes were stored in front of him. When closed down he could only see through the sighting telescope. In the desert many went into action without the auxiliary gunner.

Early models of the Crusader's engines would overhead as the cooling fan broke its drive shaft quite often. Some vehicles in North Africa had their engine governors opened and the Crusader was able to achieve speeds up to 40 mph which was very hard on the engine.

Suffered from unreliability due to it was quickly put into production before trials were completed.

Prototype

Prototype had small turrets in front of driver and gunner. These were removed after trials. Hull was lengthened and another road wheel was added. The turret hatch slid back to open. However, it would sometimes close on the commander unexpectedly. An initial order for 200, plus a pilot model, was placed in July 1939. The pilot was delivered in March 1940. In June 1940 the order was increased to 400, and then to 1,062.¹

Production

Crusader I:
Crusader II:
Crusader III: 144
- Production: May - July 1942
Total: 5,300^1,11, 5,700,
- Standard: 4,350⁷
- Specialized roles: 1,373⁷
- Production: 1940 - 1943¹¹

Variants

Crusader I (Mk VI):
Crusader I CS (Mk VI CS):
Crusader II (Cruiser Mk VIA):
Crusader II CS (Mk VIA CS):
Crusader III:
Crusader OP: Dummy gun and extra communications.¹⁰ Used only after rest of class was withdrawn from front line service. Issued to Royal Artillery batteries and carried Forward Observation Officers. Two No. 19 and one No. 18 wireless sets were installed.
Crusader III, AA Mk I¹¹, Crusader AA Mk I: Turret replaced by Bofors 40mm AA.^1,10 Open topped shield.¹¹
Crusader III, AA Mk II¹¹, Crusader AA Mk II: Turret replaced by twin 20mm Oerlikon AA.^1,10 Turret replaced by new enclosed turret.¹¹ First tests occurred in June 1943. Had a crew of 4, and carried 600 rounds of ammunition.
Crusader III, AA Mk III¹¹: Same as AA Mk II but with radio equipment by driver instead of turret.^10,11
Crusader AA with Triple Oerlikon: Used for training. Originally intending for every HQ squad in invasion of Europe, but not used because of air superiority. Disbanded in June 1944.
Crusader II, Gun Tractor Mk I: Crusader II chassis with open topped superstructure.¹⁰ Used to tow 17 pdr AT.^1,10 Used by AT regiments in NW Europe (1944-45).¹ Side extensions used for wading. Used by assault divisions in Normandy.
Crusader with AMRA (Anti Mine Roller Attachment) Mk. 1D: The Mark 1D weighed about 1.5 tons and had 4 heavy duty sprung rollers suspended from a frame. The tank could detach itself on the battlefield if necessary by setting off an electrically fired fuse. On sand it could detonate most anti-tank mines. On harder ground weight had to be added by removing a cap and filling the roller with anything that was available (sand, earth, rubble, water). Not sure if used in combat.
Crusader ARV: Inspired by the Germans ability to recover vehicles in the battlefield the British formed a Recovery Committee in the summer of 1942. Removed turret¹⁰ and added a 5-ton portable jib. Had a crew of 3. It is believed only 1 was made.
Crusader Dozer: The turret was removed, and a winch and jib were fitted for working dozer blade.¹⁰
Crusader Dozer and Crane (ROF): Used by Royal Ordnance Factory in bomb disposal.¹
Crusader Amphibious: Two large pontoons were attached to each side of the hull. Special blades were attached to the tracks to propel the vehicle in the water.

Usage

Principal tank from Spring 1941 onwards.¹⁰ It was the standard tank in the armored brigades in North Africa until they were replaced by Grants and Shermans.^7,10

In May 1941 was shipped to the 6th Royal Tank Regiment in the Middle East. First action was June 1941 (Capuzzo).^1,10 They were used in an attempt to relieve Tobruk (Operation "Battleaxe") in June 1941. The next unit outfitted with them was the 22nd Armored Brigade and they went into action in November in Operation "Crusader." Was in North Africa until May 1943.

The Crusader was then used as training vehicle.

	Cruiser Mk VI (A15) Crusader	Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader A
Crew	5^1,10,11	4²
Physical Characteristics
Weight	19 tons¹ 19,300 kg¹	18.8 tons²
Length w/gun	19' 6"¹, 19' 8"^4,7 5.994 m¹	5.98 m²
Length w/o gun
Height	7' 4"^1,4,7,10 2.235 m¹, 2.24 m¹⁰	2.24 m²
Width	8' 8"^1,4,7,10 2.64 m¹⁰, 2.642 m¹	2.77 m²
Width over tracks
Ground clearance	1' 4"	0.41 m²
Ground contact length
Ground pressure	15.5 psi	1.09 (kg/cm²)²
Turret ring diameter
Armament
Main	2 pdr OQF L/52 6 pdr (57 mm)¹	40 mm L/52²
Secondary
MG	1 or 2: 7.92 mm Besa MG^1,10	MG²
Side arms
Quantity
Main	110⁴	130²
Secondary
MG	5,000⁴	4,950²
Side arms
Armor Thickness (mm)	7 - 49¹, 51¹⁰
Hull Front, Upper		20-40²
Hull Front, Lower
Hull Sides, Upper		14+14²
Hull Sides, Lower
Hull Rear		14-28²
Hull Top		7²
Hull Bottom		6.4-10.4²
Turret Front		49²
Turret Sides		23.5²
Turret Rear		20 - 30.7²
Turret Top		12²
Engine (Make / Model)	Nuffield Liberty Mark III/IV^1,4,10 Liberty⁷	Nuffield²
Bore / stroke
Cooling		Water²
Cylinders	V-12¹⁰	12²
Capacity
Net HP	340¹⁰	340@1,500 rpm²
Power to weight ratio
Compression ratio
Transmission (Type)	4 forward, 1 reverse	4 forward², 1 reverse²
Steering
Steering ratio
Starter
Electrical system
Ignition
Fuel (Type)	Gasoline¹⁰
Octane
Capacity	120 gallons, 500 l + 136 l (auxiliary)	455 liters²
Road consumption
Cross country consumption
Performance
Traverse	360°⁴, hydaulic, 36°/sec	360°
Max speed	27 mph^4,10, 27.5 mph 43 kph¹, 44 kph¹⁰	41.8 kph²
Cross country speed	15 mph⁴
Road radius	100 miles¹⁰, 124.2 miles¹ 161 km¹⁰, 200 km¹ Extra fuel tanks: 100 miles⁴, 127 miles⁴ Main tank: 177 km²	160 km²
Cross country radius
Turning radius	29' 7"	9 m²
Elevation limits	-12.5° to +30°
Fording depth	3' 3"⁴ 0.96 m	1 m²
Trench crossing	8' 6"⁴
Vertical obstacle	2' 3"⁴
Climbing ability
Suspension (Type)	Christie^4,7	Christie²
Wheels each side	5⁷	5²
Return rollers each side
Tracks (Type)
Length
Width	10.75"⁴	246 mm²
Diameter
Number of links
Pitch
Tire Tread
Track centers/tread	7' 7"⁴

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
Panzer Truppen The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1933-1942, Thomas L. Jentz, 1996
Panzer Truppen The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1943-1945, Thomas L. Jentz, 1996
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
AFV 8: Crusader-Cruiser Mark VI, Major James Bingham
Tank Data, Aberdeen Proving Grounds Series, 1968?
The Illustrated Guide to Tanks of the World, George Forty, 2006
World War Two Tanks, George Forty, 1995