History

Crusader tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. production: 5300 tanks Fast tank Crusader was a development version of tank Covenanter, but initially however was classified as a so-called heavy fast tank. In the competition for a new type of tank next to the A15 were participated among others A18 tank, which was enlarged version of the tank Tetrarch, and the A14 and A16 tanks. It was decided that tank 15 will be produced, which was developed using elements of the A13 Mk III tank, and therefore was quickly directed to the serial production. Moreover, the new A15 was well armored and had better traction when driving off-road. In July 1939 the Director of Mechanization ordered 200 tanks. In 1940 order was increased by 400, and then by about 1,062 tanks. Tank A15 has extended hull by inserting an extra pair of road wheels and was driven by carbureted engine Liberty. Initially, there were gearbox failures and bad engine cooling. Later those defects have been eliminated. Tanks A15 Crusader were used in combat in June 1941 during "Operation Battleaxe". Tank was respected by the Afrika Korps for its speed. The robust suspension allowed crews to exceed the theoretical maximum. Firepower and protection were not good, and the PzKpfw III with its 50mm gun - as well as German antitank gun crews equipped with 50mm, 75mm and 88mm guns - had no problems in confronting the Crusader. Tanks were used in combat to the end of the African Campaign until 1943. Later in combat were used only tanks in AA version. The AA guns were intended to be used as support for the invasion in north-west Europe in 1944. However, Allied air superiority meant that they were not required. The tank was also used in a fast gun tractor role for the 17pdr  anti-tank gun, and was used in the European theatre. It had an open-topped box superstructure with ammunition lockers, and side skirts were fitted for deep wading. A bulldozer and crane version was built by the ROF for handling unexploded bombs and shells, and extra armour was added to the hull roof.

Design

Crusader's speed speed comes from 5 large wheels which touch track top and bottom. Tank's drive comes from sprocket wheel in rear of track. Angular turret helped deflect enemy projectiles.

Specifications

version	Crusader Mk I	Crusader Mk I CS (Close Support)
crew	5	4
armor	hull:front: 26 mm, sides:  27 mm, rear 27 and 14 mm, bottom: 10 and 6 mm turret: mantlet: 39 mm, front: 20 mm, sides: 19mm,  rear:  24 mm, top: 9 mm	hull: front: 26 mm, sides:  27 mm, rear 27 and 14 mm, bottom: 10 and 6 mm turret: mantlet: 39 mm, front: 20 mm, sides: 19mm,  rear:  24 mm, top: 9 mm
main armament	2 prd (40 mm) Mk I, 110 rounds	Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer Mk I (76 mm), 64 rounds
secondary armament	2 x Besa 7,92 mm (2500 rounds)	1 x Besa 7,92 mm (2500 rounds)
weight (kg)	18800	18800
length (mm)	6311 mm (with fuel tank), 5982 mm	6311 mm (with fuel tank), 5982 mm
width (mm)	2768	2768
height (mm)	2235	2235
track centres (mm)	2305	2305
engine	Nuffield Liberty Mk II, 340 hp at 1500 rpm, 27000 cm3, water cooled	Nuffield Liberty Mk II, 340 hp at 1500 rpm, 27000 cm3, water cooled
transmission	4 forward, 1 reverse	4 forward, 1 reverse
fuel capacity (l)	500 + 136	500 + 136
fuel consumption (l) (road / off road)	350	350
range (road km/ off-road km)	300 / 220-180	300 / 220-180
speed (km/h)	43	43
number of links per track	118	118
ground clearance (mm)	406,4	406,4
manufacturer	Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Ltd, Foden, Wests Gas	Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Ltd, Foden, Wests Gas
serial numbers	T15546 - T15845	T15546 - T15845

 

version	Crusader Mk II	Crusader Mk II CS
crew	4	4
armor	hull:front: 32 mm, sides: 26 mm, rear 27 and 14 mm, bottom: 10 and 6 mm turret: mantlet: 49 mm, front: 30 mm, sides: 23 mm, rear: 30 mm, top: 12 mm	hull:front: 32 mm, sides: 26 mm, rear 27 and 14 mm, bottom: 10 and 6 mm turret: mantlet: 49 mm, front: 30 mm, sides: 23 mm, rear: 30 mm, top: 12 mm
main armament	2 prd (40 mm) Mk I, 130 rounds	Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer Mk I (76 mm), 130 rounds
secondary armament	1 x Besa 7,92 mm (2500 rounds)	1 x Besa 7,92 mm (2500 rounds)
weight (kg)	19000	19000
length (mm)	6311 mm (with fuel tank), 5982 mm	6311 mm (with fuel tank), 5982 mm
width (mm)	2768	2768
height (mm)	2235	2235
track centres (mm)	2305	2305
engine	Nuffield Liberty Mk III, 340 hp at 1500 rpm, 27000 cm3, water cooled	Nuffield Liberty Mk III, 340 hp at 1500 rpm, 27000 cm3, water cooled
transmission	4 forward, 1 reverse	4 forward, 1 reverse
fuel capacity (l)	500 + 136	500 + 136
fuel consumption (l) (road / off road)	350	350
range (road km/ off-road km)	300 / 220-180	300 / 220-180
speed (km/h)	43	43
number of links per track	118	118
ground clearance (mm)	406,4	406,4
manufacturer	Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Ltd, Foden, Milner's Safe, John Lysaght, MG Car, Rushton-Bucyrus	Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Ltd, Foden, Milner's Safe, John Lysaght, MG Car, Rushton-Bucyrus
serial numbers	T16558 - T16657 and T43652 - T45213, T46162 - T46261, T124478- T125117	T16558 - T16657 and T43652 - T45213

 

version	Crusader Mk III
crew	3
armor	hull:front: 32 mm, sides: 27 mm, rear 27 and 14 mm, bottom: 10 and 6 mm turret: mantlet: 51 mm, front: 32 mm, sides: 23 mm, rear: 29 mm, top: 12 mm
main armament	Ordnance QF 6-pounder (57 mm) 65, rounds
secondary armament	1 x Besa 7,92 mm (2500 rounds)
weight (kg)	19700
length (mm)	6311 mm (with fuel tank), 5982 mm
width (mm)	2768
height (mm)	2235
track centres (mm)	2305
engine	Nuffield Liberty Mk IV, 340 hp at 1500 rpm, 27000 cm3, water cooled
transmission	4 forward, 1 reverse
fuel capacity (l)	500 + 136
fuel consumption (l) (road / off road)	350
range (road km/ off-road km)	300 / 220-180
speed (km/h)	43
number of links per track	118
ground clearance (mm)	406,4
manufacturer	Nuffield Mechanization & Aero Ltd, Foden, Wests Gas, MI-E, Rushton-Bucyrus, Milner's Safe
serial numbers	T123633 - T124477 and T125118 - T127269