Centurion (tank)

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Centurion
Centurion Mk3
Typemain battle tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1945 - 1990s (derivatives still in service)
Specifications
Mass51 long tons (52 metric tonnes)
Length25 ft (7.60 m)
Width11 ft 1 in (3.39 m)
Height9 ft 10.5 in (3.01 m)
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armour6 in (152 mm)
Main
armament
105 mm L7 rifled gun
Secondary
armament
.30 cal Browning machine gun
EngineRolls Royce Meteor
650 hp (485 kW)
Power/weight13 hp/tonne
SuspensionHorstmann
Operational
range
280 miles (450 km)
Maximum speed 21 mph (34 km/h)

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The Centurion was the primary British main battle tank of post WW2, and had proven itself be a successful tank design, mainly due to its thick armour, adaptability of its chassis to other roles, and numerous upgrades. Manufacture of the Centurion began in January 1945, and six prototypes arrived in Belgium soon after the war in Europe ended in May 1945.[1] The Centurion entered its first combat in the Korean War in 1950, where it went on to provide excellent service for the British Army, supporting allied forces during the conflict. The Centurion battle tank would later see service with the Australian Armored Corps in Vietnam, where it again would provide sterling service for the allied war effort against communist forces. It would go on to be one of the most widely used tank designs, equipping armies around the world, with small numbers still in service until the 1990s. As recently as the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, the Israel Defense Forces still employed heavily modified Centurions, as armoured personnel carriers and combat engineering vehicles.

History

In 1943, the Department of Tank Design was asked to produce a new design for a heavy cruiser tank under the General Staff designation A41. After a series of fairly marginal designs in the A series in the past, and bearing in mind the threat posed by the German 88 mm gun, the War Office demanded a major revision of the design requirements, specifically: increased durability, reliability, a maximum weight of 40 tons, plus the ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88 mm gun.

Tank Design responded by extending the long-travel 5-wheel suspension used on the Comet with the addition of a 6th wheel and an extended spacing between the 2nd and 3rd wheels. The Christie suspension with internal vertical spring coils was replaced by a Horstmann suspension with external horizontal springs. The hull was redesigned with welded sloped armour, and featured a partially cast turret mounting the highly regarded 17 pounder main gun and a 20 mm Polsten cannon. With a Rover-built Rolls-Royce Meteor engine, a version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin, the new design would have excellent performance.

Shortly after the programme commenced, it became clear that the requirement to withstand 88 mm artillery would be impossible to fill with the given weight requirements. The original specification had been set so that the A41 could be carried on the existing Mark I and Mark II transport trailers, both of which were limited to a 40 ton load. The War Ministry decided it would be wiser to build new trailers than hamper what appeared to be a superb design. Even before prototypes of the original 40 ton design were completed, the design of a heavier version was well underway. The new version carried armour equal to the heaviest infantry tanks, and cross-country performance superior to even the early cruiser tanks. The A41 was the first British tank that could "do it all", leading to the new designation, universal tank.

Prototypes of the original 40 ton design, the Centurion Mark I, had 76 mm of armour in the front glacis, thinner than the then current infantry tank designs like the Churchill which had 101 mm, but the glacis plate was highly sloped and so the effective thickness of the armour was very high - a design feature shared by other effective designs such as the German Panther tank and Soviet T-34. The turret was extremely well armoured at 152 mm. It was, however, extremely mobile and able to easily outperform the Comet in most tests. The uparmoured Centurion Mark II soon arrived, featuring a new 118 mm thick glacis and the sides and rear increased from 38 mm to 51 mm. Only a handful of Mk.I's had been produced when the Mk.II replaced it on the production lines. Full production began in November 1945 with an order of 800[2] with production lines at Leyland, the Royal Ordnance Factories at Leeds and Woolwich, and Vickers at Elswick. The tank entered service in December 1946 with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment[3].

Centurion Mk. 3 at Eastbourne Redoubt

Soon after introduction, Royal Ordnance finished work on the extremely powerful 20 pounder (84mm)[4] tank gun. By this point the usefulness of the 20 mm Polsten had been called into question, so it was replaced with a BESA machine gun in a completely cast turret. The new Centurion Mark III also featured a fully automatic stabilization system for the gun, allowing it to fire accurately while on the move, dramatically improving battlefield performance. Production of the Mk.3 began in 1948[5]. The Mk.3 was so much more powerful than the Mk.1 and Mk.2 that the earlier designs were removed from service as soon as new Mk.3's arrived, and converted into the Centurion ARV Mark 1 armoured recovery vehicle for REME use or upgraded to mk.3 standards. Improvements introduced with the Mk.3 included a more powerful version of the engine, a new gun sight and gun stabilizer.[5].

The 20 pounder gun was used only for a short time before the Royal Ordnance Factories introduced the now famous 105 mm L7 gun. All later variants of the Centurion, from Mark 5/2 on, used the L7. A total of 24 variants and sub-variants were produced.

The design work for the Mk7 was completed in 1953 with production beginning shortly afterwards.[6].


The Centurion was used as the basis for a range of specialist equipment, including engineering variants with a 165 mm demolition gun (AVRE-Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers)[7]. It is one of the longest serving designs of all time, serving as a battle tank for the British and Australian armies from the Korean War (1950-1953) to the Vietnam War (1961-1972), and as an AVRE during Operation Desert Storm [8] in January-February 1991.

Between 1946 and 1962, approximately 4,423 Centurions were produced[9], consisting of thirteen basic marks of the Centurion tank.

Korean war

On 14 November 1950, the British Army's King's Royal Irish 8th Hussars, equipped with three squadrons of Centurion Mark 3 tanks landed in Pusan.[10] Operating in sub-zero temperatures, the 8th Hussars learnt the rigours of winter warfare, where their tanks had to be parked upon straw to prevent the steel tracks from freezing to the ground, and engines had to be started every half hour, with each gear being engaged in turn, to prevent them from being frozen into place.[11] During the Battle of the Imjin River Centurions won lasting fame when their tanks covered the withdrawal of the 29th Brigade, losing 5 tanks in the process. [12] Centurions were also involved in the second battle of "The Hook" where they played a significant role in repelling Chinese attacks. [12] In a tribute to the 8th Hussars, General John O'Daniel, commanding the US 1st Corps, stated: "...In their Centurions, the 8th Hussars have evolved a new type of tank warfare. They taught us that anywhere a tank can go is tank country-even the tops of mountains."[13]

Vietnam War

In 1967, the Royal Australian Armored Corp's (RAAC) 1st Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) Squadron transitioned to "A" Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. Although they successfully conducted combat operations in their areas of operation(s) (AO's), reports from the field stated that their light armor (M-113 ACAVs) were unable to force their way through dense jungle[14] thus limiting their offensive actions against enemy forces. Consequently, the Australian government, under a considerable amount of criticism from Parliament made the decision to send a Squadron of Australian Centurion tanks to South Vietnam.[15]

The 84mm gunned[16] Australian Centurions of "C" Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment (equivalent to a US Army battalion) landed in the Republic of South Vietnam on 24 February 1968. Aside from the US 90mm (medium) Gun Tank[17] M48A3 Patton, M24 Chaffee and 76mm (light) Gun Tank[18] M41 Walker Bulldog light tank, the Australian Centurions were the only other different type of tank used by the allied forces in the Vietnam War.[19] After the battles at firebases Coral and Balmoral in May 1968, a third Centurion troop was formed, which included two tankdozers. By September of 1968, 'C' squadron (equivalent to a US Army company/troop) was brought to full strength of four troops; each troop (equivalent to a US Army platoon) containing four Centurion tanks. By 1969, 'B' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry; 'A' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; 'B' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; and 'C' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, had all made rotations through South Vietnam. Originally deployed as 26 Centurion tanks, after 3 1/2 years of combat operations, 58 Centurions had served in country; at a cost of 42 battle damaged tanks, six of which were damaged beyond repair, and two Centurion tank crewmen had been killed in action.[20]

Variants

UK variants

Centurion AVRE 165
Centurion ARK.
Centurion ARV Mk 2.
File:1 Wai Museum.JPG
Centurion tank on display at the QEII Army Memorial Museum - Waiouru, New Zealand.
FV3802
Self-propelled 25-pdr artillery prototype based on Centurion - engine at rear as in gun tank - no production
FV3805
Self-propelled 5.5in artillery prototype, again based on Centurion - engine at front - no production
FV4004 Conway
"FV4004 Self-propelled gun, 120mm, L1 gun, Mk 3" prototype based on Centurion 3 with a larger calibre 120mm L1 gun. To be an interim desing until Conqueror tank entered service. One built
FV4005
experimental 180 mm gun with concentric recoil and auto-loader mounted on Centurion - 183 mm version also built, with hand loading and conventional recoil.KNown as FV4005 Stage 1: gun in limited traverse open mount and FV4005 Stage 2: gun in enclosed mount.
FV4007 Centurion Mk 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8/1, 8/2
FV4011 Centurion Mk 5
FV4012 Centurion Mk 7/1, 7/2
FV4015 Centurion Mk 9
FV4017 Centurion Mk 10
A41 [20mm]
Centurion prototype with coaxial Polsten cannon
A41 [Besa]
Centurion prototype with coaxial BESA MG - later fitted with experimental CDL
FV4202 40 ton Centurion
Used to develop various concepts subsequently used in Chieftain
Centurion [Low Profile]
Variant with Teledyne Low-profile Turret
Centurion [MMWR Target]
Cobbled together radar target tank.
Centurion Marksman
Fitted with Marksman air defence turret
Centurion Ark aka FV4016
Assault Gap Crossing Equipment
Centurion ARV Mk I
Armoured Recovery vehicle
Centurion ARV Mk II
Armoured Recovery Vehicle with superstructure
Centurion AVLB
Dutch armored vehicle laying bridge
Centurion AVRE 105
Combat Engineer Version armed with 105mm gun
Centurion AVRE 165
Combat Engineer Version armed with 165mm gun
Centurion BARV
Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle
Centurion Bridgelayer aka FV4002
Class 80 bridgelayer
Centurion Mk 1
17pdr armed version
Centurion Mk 2
Fully cast turret
Centurion Mk 3
Fitted with 20pdr, 2 stowage positions for track links on glacis
Centurion Mk 4
Projected close-support version with 95mm CS howitzer
Centurion Mk 5
Browning machine guns fitted to coaxial and commander's cupola mounts, stowage bin on glacis
Centurion Mk 5/1 aka FV4011
Increased glacis armour
Centurion Mk 5/2
Upgunned to 105mm
Centurion Mk 6
Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 5
Centurion Mk 6/1
Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment
Centurion Mk 6/2
Mk 6/1 fitted with ranging gun
Centurion Mk 7 aka FV4007
Revised engine decks
Centurion Mk 7/1 aka FV4012
Uparmoured Mk 7
Centurion Mk 7/2
Upgunned Mk 7
Centurion Mk 8
Resilient mantlet and new commanders cupola
Centurion Mk 8/1
Uparmoured Mk 8
Centurion Mk 8/2
Upgunned Mk 8
Centurion Mk 9 aka FV4015
Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 7
Centurion Mk 9/1
Mk 9 with IR equipment
Centurion Mk 9/2
Mk 9 with ranging gun fitted
Centurion Mk 10 aka FV4017
Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 8
Centurion Mk 10/1
Mk 10 with IR equipment
Centurion Mk 10/2
Mk 10 with ranging gun fitted
Centurion Mk 11
Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
Centurion Mk 12
Mk 9 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
Centurion Mk 13
Mk 10 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
FV4010 aka Heavy Tank Destroyer G.W. Carrier
Malkara Anti Tank Guided Missile launcher vehicle

UK specialist variants

FV4003 Centurion Mk 5 AVRE 165
(1963) - AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) vehicle with 165 mm demolition gun and a hydraulically-operated dozer blade or a mine plough. Can carry a fascine bundle or a roll of metal Class 60 Trackway; and tow the Giant Viper mine-clearance equipment or a trailer for another fascine. This variant had a five man crew. The vehicle was used in the Gulf War/Operation Desert Storm (1991).
Centurion Mk 12 AVRE 105
- Ex-Forward Artillery Observer vehicles converted to AVRE role.
FV4019 Centurion Mk 5 Bulldozer
(1961) - Centurion Mk V with a dozer blade identical to that of the Centurion AVRE. One such tank was usually given to every Centurion-equipped squadron.
FV4016 Centurion ARK
(1963) - Armoured Ramp Carrier. Can span a gap of up to 75 feet, can bear up to 80 tons.
FV4002 Centurion Mk 5 Bridgelayer
(1963) - Mk 5 chassis with a No 5 Tank Bridge. The bridge can be launched in less than two minutes, can span a gap of 45 feet and can bear up to 80 tons.
FV4013 Centurion ARV Mk 1
(1952) - Based on Mk 1 / Mk 2 hull. Turret replaced by a superstructure housing a winch driven by a 72 hp Bedford QL truck engine. About 180 units were built, some of them were used in the Korean War. After 1959 were used as training vehicles only.
FV4006 Centurion ARV Mk 2
(1956) - Mk 1 / Mk 2 / Mk 3 hull with turret replaced by a superstructure housing a winch. The winch is powered by an auxiliary engine and is capable of pulling of up to 90 tons using a system of blocks. Armed with single .30 inch machine gun on the commander's cupola.
FV4018 Centurion BARV (1963)
Beach armoured recovery vehicle. The last Centurion variant to be used by the British Army. As of 2003, one vehicle was still in use by the Royal Marines. Now being replaced by the Hippo based on Leopard 1 chassis.

Non-UK variants

Sho't Kal Alef
MAR-290 / Eshel ha-Yarden.
Olifant
Centurion tanks modernised by South Africa, considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent.[21]
  • Semel (1974): 810 hp fuel-injected petrol engine, three-speed semi-automatic transmission.
  • Olifant Mk 1 (1978): 750 hp diesel engine, semi-automatic transmission.
  • Olifant Mk 1A (1985): Retains the fire control system of the original Centurion, but has a hand-held laser rangefinder for the commander and image-intensifier for the gunner.[21]
  • Olifant Mk 1B (1991): Torsion bar suspension, lengthened hull, additional armor on the glacis plate and turret, V-12 950 hp diesel engine, computerised fire control system, laser rangefinder.[21]
  • Olifant Mk 2: redesigned turret, new fire control system. Can mount LIW 105 mm GT-8 rifled gun or 120 mm smooth bore gun.
Sho't
An Israeli designation of the Centurion.
  • Sho't Meteor: Centurion Mk.5 tanks with the original Meteor engine purchased in 1959.
  • Sho't Kal Alef/Bet/Gimel/Dalet: Modernised Centurion tanks with 105mm gun from 1963, a new powerpack (the Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine and the Allison CD850-6 transmission). Entered service in 1970; by 1974 all Israeli Centurions were upgraded to Sho't Kal (Mk.13 armour) and had a pintle mounted .50 cal HMG. Subvariants indicate upgrades received by Sho't Kal tanks during their operational life, including a new turret rotating mechanism, a new gun stabilizer, a new fire-control system and preparations for the installation of the Blazer ERA.
Nagmashot / Nagmachon / Nakpadon
Israeli heavy armoured personnel carriers based on Centurion tank's chassis.
Puma
Israeli combat engineering vehicle on Centurion tank chassis.
Eshel ha-Yarden
a quadruple tubular launcher for 290 mm ground-to-ground rockets mounted on Centurion tank chassis. The project was cancelled after a single prototype was built. Both this vehicle and an earlier version based on Sherman chassis are often referred to as MAR-290.
Tempest
Operated by Singapore, modernised with Israeli assistance, similar to Israeli variant, with diesel engine and new main gun, and possibly reactive armour. "Tempest" is the English translation of "Sho't".
Stridsvagn 81
Swedish Army designation for its 240 Mk 3 Centurions (20 pdr gun) with Swedish radios, etc.
Stridsvagn 101
Swedish Army designation for its 110 Mk 10 Centurions (105 mm gun) with Swedish radios, etc.
Stridsvagn 101R
Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 101 upgraded in early 1980s with laser range finder, etc.
Stridsvagn 102
Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 81 upgunned in early 1960s to 105 mm.
Stridsvagn 102R
Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102 upgraded in early 1980s with laser range finder, etc.
Stridsvagn 104
Swedish Army designation for 80 Stridsvagn 102 modernised in early 1980s with laser range finder and diesel engine, etc. (along the same lines as the Israeli Shot Kal).
Stridsvagn 105
Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102R upgraded with new suspension, etc. Prototype only.
Stridsvagn 106
Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 101R upgraded with new suspension, etc. Not built.
Bärgningsbandvagn 81
Swedish Army designation for Centurion ARV.

Operators

Combat history

References

Notes

  1. ^ Dunstan/Sarson p. 8
  2. ^ Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. p.40. ISBN 1861267010. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  3. ^ Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. p.46. ISBN 1861267010. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  4. ^ Starry, p. 113
  5. ^ a b Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. p.48. ISBN 1861267010. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. p.62. ISBN 1861267010. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ Dunstan/Sarson p. 36,37
  8. ^ Dunstan/Sarson p. 36, 37
  9. ^ Dunstan/Sarson, p. 22
  10. ^ Dunstan/Sarson p. 16
  11. ^ Dunstan/Sarson
  12. ^ a b Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. The Crowood Press Ltd. pp. pp.158-162. ISBN 1861267010. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  13. ^ Dunstan/Sarson p. 17
  14. ^ Dunstan
  15. ^ Dunstan
  16. ^ Starry
  17. ^ Hunnicutt
  18. ^ Hunnicutt
  19. ^ Starry
  20. ^ Dunstan
  21. ^ a b c Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. 96: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  22. ^ Tim Huxley, Defending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore p.131
  23. ^ C.F.F.Foss, Jane's Main Battle Tanks p.186

Bibliography

  • Dunstan, S., Badrocke, M. & Sarson, P. (2003). Centurion Universal Tank 1943-2003. Osprey Publishing Ltd (New Vanguard 68). ISBN 1-84176-387-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World. Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7603-0892-6.
  • unknown author (1973). British Tanks 1946-1970 - An Illustrated Record of the British Armoured Fighting Vehicle. RAC Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, Dorset. no ISBN. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  • Dunstan, Simon. "Vietnam Tracks-Armor in Battle 1945-75." 1982 edition, Osprey Publications. ISBN 0-89141-171-2.
  • Starry, Donn A. General. "Mounted Combat in Vietnam." Vietnam Studies; Department of the Army; First printed 1978-CMH Pub 90-17.
  • Hunnicutt, R. P. "Patton: A History of the American Main Battle tank." 1984 edition; Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1 (volumn 1).

External links

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