Charioteer tank destroyer
| Charioteer | |
|---|---|
 Charioteer tank destroyer. |
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| Type | Tank destroyer |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | - |
| Used by | British Army |
| Wars | Operation Litani |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Robinson and Kershaw Ltd, Cheshire |
| Number built | 442[1] |
| Specifications | |
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| Main armament |
Ordnance QF 20 pounder |
| Suspension | Improved Christie |
The Charioteer tank destroyer officially known as FV4101 Cromwell Heavy AT Gun[2] was a British tank destroyer, designed in the 1950s from the Cromwell tank and used to add firepower to units serving in West Germany.
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[edit] Development
In the early 1950s, in an attempt to give extra firepower to the units of the Royal Armoured Corps, some Cromwell tanks received a 20 pounder gun (the same as the Centurion) in a new but lightly armoured turret. The resulting vehicle was designated as the FV 4101 Charioteer tank destroyer. About 200 units were converted by Robinson and Kershaw Ltd in Cheshire.
[edit] Service
In practice the Charioteer was used by British Territorial Army units only and during mid and late 1950s most of the vehicles were sold to Austria, Finland, Jordan and Lebanon.
[edit] Survivors
- A Charioteer is on display at the Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK.
- A Finnish Charioteer is on outdoor display in the Parola tank museum.
- A Charioteer tank destroyer is on outdoor display in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel.[3]
[edit] Operators
Austria – Austria purchased 56 vehicles in 1956.
Finland – Finland bought 38 "Charioteer Mk VII Model B" by 1960 and they remained in use until 1979. The tanks were stored until 2007 when they were auctioned out.
Jordan – Jordan equipped two squadrons (24 vehicles) of their 3rd Tank Regiment in 1954. Some of the Jordanian Charioteers were sold to Lebanon.
Lebanon – Lebanese Army (43 vehicles), passed on in 1976 to several Lebanese or Palestinian warring factions.
United Kingdom
[edit] Non-state operators
Lebanese Arab Army – unknown number in service (1976-77).- Lebanese Forces – unknown number in service (1980-1993).
Palestine – several ex-Lebanese vehicles employed by the PLO against Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon during the 1978 South Lebanon conflict.- Tigers Militia (Lebanon) – unknown number in service (1976-1980).
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: FV 4101 Charioteer |
- ^ Finnish Defence Forces sale of used equipment
- ^ "Fighting Vehicle 4101 Cromwell Heavy Anti-tank gun
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charioteer-latrun-2.jpg
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