Centurion (tank)

Centurion
Centurion Mk3
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1946–present (derivatives still in service)
Wars	Korean War Suez Crisis Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Six Day War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 War of Attrition Yom Kippur War Vietnam War South African Border War Operation Motorman (AVRE) Falklands War (BARV) Gulf War (AVRE)
Production history
Unit cost	£35,000 (1950), £38,000 (1952)
No. built	4,423
Specifications
Mass	51 long tons (52 t)
Length	Hull: 25 ft (7.6 m) Overall: 32 ft (9.8 m) with 20pdr
Width	11 feet 1 inch (3.38 m) with side plates
Height	9 feet 10.5 inches (3.01 m)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armour	51-152 mm
Main armament	105 mm L7 rifled gun 17 pdr 20 pdr
Secondary armament	.30 cal Browning machine gun
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor; 5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox 650 hp (480 kW)
Power/weight	13 hp/tonne
Suspension	Horstmann suspension
Ground clearance	1 ft 8 in (50.8 cm)
Operational range	50 miles (80 km) Mk 2/Mk 3
Maximum speed	22 mph (35 km/h)

The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-Second World War period. It is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing combat in the front lines into the 1980s. The chassis was also adapted for several other roles, and these have remained in service to this day.

Development of the tank began in 1943 and manufacture of the Centurion began in January 1945, six prototypes arriving in Belgium less than a month after the war in Europe ended in May 1945. It first entered combat with the British Army in the Korean War in 1950, in support of the UN forces. The Centurion later served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, where it fought against US-supplied M47 and M48 Patton tanks and it served with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in Vietnam.

Israel used Centurions in the 1967 Six Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and during the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon. Centurions modified as armoured personnel carriers were used in Gaza, the West Bank and on the Lebanese border. The Royal Jordanian Land Force used Centurions, first in 1970 to fend off a Syrian incursion within its borders during the Black September events and later in the Golan Heights in 1973. South Africa deployed its Centurions in Angola during the South African Border War.

It became one of the most widely used tank designs, equipping armies around the world, with some still in service until the 1990s. As recently as the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict the Israel Defense Forces employed heavily modified Centurions as armoured personnel carriers and combat engineering vehicles. The South African National Defence Force still employs over 200 Centurions, which were modernised in the 1980s and 2000s as the Olifant.

Between 1946 and 1962, 4,423 Centurions were produced, consisting of 13 basic marks and numerous variants. In British Army use it was replaced by the Chieftain.

Development

In 1943, the Directorate of Tank Design, under Sir Claude Gibb, C.B.E., F.R.S., was asked to produce a new design for a heavy cruiser tank under the General Staff designation A41. After a series of fairly mediocre 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 and reliability, the ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88 mm gun and providing greater protection against mines. Initially in September 1943 the A41 tank was to weigh no more than 40 tons; the limit for existing Mark I and Mark II transport trailers, and for a Bailey Bridge of 80 ft (24m) span. The British railway loading gauge required that the width should not exceed 10 ft 8 in (3.2m) and the optimum width was 10 ft 3 in (3.1m). A high top speed was not important, while agility was to be equal to that of the Comet. A high reverse speed was specified, as during the fighting in southern Italy, Allied tanks were trapped in narrow sunken roads by the German Army. The modified production gearbox had a two-speed reverse, with the higher reverse speed similar to second gear.

The department produced a larger hull by adapting the long-travel five-wheel Christie suspension used on the Comet with the addition of a sixth wheel, and extending the spacing between the second and third wheels. The Christie suspension, with vertical spring coils between side armour plates, was replaced by a Horstmann suspension with three horizontally sprung, externally mounted two-wheel bogies on each side. The Horstmann design did not offer the same ride quality as the Christie system, but took up less room and was easier to maintain. In case of damage by mines, individual suspension and wheel units could be replaced relatively easily. The hull was redesigned with welded, sloped armour and featured a partially cast turret with the highly regarded 17 pounder (76.2 mm/3 inch) as the main gun and a 20 mm Polsten cannon in an independent mounting to its left. With a Rover-built Rolls-Royce Meteor engine, as used on the Comet and Cromwell, the new design would have excellent performance.

But even before the Outline Specification of the A41 was released in October 1943, these limits were removed and the weight was increased from 40 to 45 tons, because of the need for heavier armour and a wider turret (too wide for the tank to be transported by rail) with a more powerful gun. The new version carried armour equal to the heaviest infantry tanks, while improved suspension and engines provided cross-country performance superior to even the early cruiser tanks. The War Office decided it would be wiser to build new trailers, rather than hamper what appeared to be a superb design. Historian David Fletcher states, "But was Centurion, after all, a Universal Tank? The answer has to be a qualified negative."

The design mockup built by AEC Ltd was viewed in May 1944. Subsequently, 20 pilot models were ordered with various armament combinations: ten with a 17-pdr and a 20 mm Polsten gun (of which half had a Besa machine gun in the turret rear and half an escape door), five with a 17-pdr, a forward Besa and an escape door, and five with a QF 77 mm gun and a driver-operated hull machine gun.

Prototypes of the original 40-ton design, the Centurion Mark I, had 76 mm of armour in the front glacis, which was thinner than that on the then current infantry tanks (the Churchill), which had 101 mm. However, 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 well armoured at 152 mm. The tank was also highly mobile, and easily outperformed the Comet in most tests. The uparmoured Centurion Mark II soon arrived; it had a new 118 mm-thick glacis and the side and rear armour had been increased from 38 mm to 51 mm . Only a handful of Mk I Centurions had been produced when the Mk II replaced it on the production lines. Full production began in November 1945 with an order for 800 on production lines at Leyland Motors, Lancashire 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.

Centurion Mk 3 at Eastbourne Redoubt

Soon after the Centurion's introduction, Royal Ordnance finished work on the Ordnance QF 20 pounder (84 mm) tank gun. By this point, the usefulness of the 20 mm Polsten had been called into question, it being unnecessarily large for use against troops, so it was replaced with a Besa machine gun in a completely cast turret. The new Centurion Mark III also featured a fully automatic stabilisation 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. 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 3s arrived, and the older tanks were then either converted into the Centurion Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) Mark 1 for use by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers or upgraded to Mk 3 standards. Improvements introduced with the Mk 3 included a more powerful version of the engine and a new gunsight and gun stabiliser.

The 20 pounder gun was used until the Royal Ordnance Factories introduced the 105 mm L7 gun in 1959. All later variants of the Centurion, from Mark 5/2 on, used the L7.

Design work for the Mk 7 was completed in 1953, with production beginning soon afterwards. One disadvantage of earlier versions was the limited range, initially 65 miles (105 km) on hard roads. Hence auxiliary external tanks and then a "monowheel" trailer were used, but the Mk7 had a third fuel tank inside the hull, giving a range of 101 miles (163 km). And it was found possible to put the Centurion on some European rail routes with their larger loading gauges.

The Centurion was used as the basis for a range of specialist equipment, including combat engineering variants with a 165 mm demolition gun Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE). 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 the Gulf War in January–February 1991.

Deployment in Western Europe

By early 1952 with the Cold War heating up, NATO needed modern heavy tanks to meet the T-34 versions with the Warsaw Pact countries, and to deter Soviet forces by stationing them with the BAOR in West Germany. The French had only the light AMX-13 and the Germans none. America was keen to have Centurions supplied to Denmark and the Netherlands under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program, as production of the M48 Patton would not start until April 1952. But (from World War II experience) America did not want the logistics problem of mixing American and British equipment. And Commonwealth countries plus others also wanted the Centurion. A Mk 3 cost £31,000 or £44,000 with ammunition. The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps deployed a regiment of Centurions to Germany to support the Canadian Brigade.

Service history

Korean War

On 14 November 1950, the British Army's 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, equipped with three squadrons of Centurion Mk 3 tanks, landed in Pusan. Operating in sub-zero temperatures, the 8th Hussars learnt the rigours of winter warfare: their tanks had to be parked on straw to prevent the steel tracks from freezing to the ground, with engines having to be started every half hour, with each gear being engaged in turn to prevent them from being frozen into place. During the Battle of the Imjin River, Centurions won lasting fame when they covered the withdrawal of the 29th Brigade, with the loss of five tanks, most later recovered and repaired. In 1953, Centurions of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment were also involved in the second Battle of the Hook where they played a significant role in repelling Chinese attacks. 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."

Vietnam War

Troops of the 1st Armoured Regiment during a briefing at Vung Tau

In 1967, the Royal Australian Armoured Corps' (RAAC), 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) Squadron transferred to "A" Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Vietnam. Although they successfully conducted combat operations in their areas of operations, reports from the field stated that their light-armour (M-113 ACAVs) were unable to force their way through dense jungle limiting their offensive actions against enemy forces. The Australian government, under criticism from Parliament, decided to send a squadron of Australian Centurion tanks to South Vietnam. The 20-pdr armed Australian Centurions of 'C' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment landed in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) on 24 February 1968, and were headquartered at Nui Dat in III Corps (MR3).

Colonel Donald Dunstan, later to be governor of South Australia, was the deputy task force commander of the Australian forces in South Vietnam Col. Dunstan had quite possibly been the last Australian to use tanks and infantry in a combined operation during World War II, during the Bougainville campaign and, for the first time since World War II, Dunstan would be commanding Australia's tanks and infantry in combat. When he temporarily took over command during Brigadier Ronald Hughes's absence, he directed that the Centurions be brought up from Nui Dat to reinforce the firebases at Coral and Balmoral, believing that they were a strong element that were not being used. Besides adding a great deal of firepower, Dunstan stated, he "couldn't see any reason why they [the Centurions] shouldn't be there". His foresight enabled the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) to inflict approximately 267 enemy casualties during the six-week-long Battle of Coral–Balmoral, as well as capturing 11 prisoners, 36 crew-served weapons, 112 small arms, and other miscellaneous enemy weapons.

After the battles at firebases Coral and Balmoral, in which the 1 ATF defeated the 141st and 165th NVA Infantry Regiments in May 1968; a third Centurion troop, which included two tankdozers, was formed. By September 1968, 'C' Squadron was brought to its full strength of four troops, each equipped with 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 three and a half years of combat operations, 58 Centurions had served in country; 42 had suffered battle damage with six beyond repair and two crewmen had been killed in action.

The Centurion crews, after operating for a few weeks in country, soon learned to remove the protective armoured side skirts from both sides of the tank, to prevent the vegetation and mud from building up between the track and the mudguards. Each Centurion in Vietnam normally carried a basic load of 62 rounds of 20 pounder shells, 4,000 rounds of .50 cal and 9,000 rounds of .30 cal machine gun ammunition for the tank commander's machine gun as well as the two coaxial machine guns. They were equipped with petrol engines, which necessitated the use of an extra externally mounted 100-imperial-gallon (450 L) fuel tank, which was attached to the vehicle's rear.

India vs Pakistan

In 1965 the bulk of India's tank fleet was older M4 Sherman tanks, but India also had Centurion Mk.7 tanks, with the 20 pounder gun, and also AMX-13 and M3 Stuart light tanks. The Centurion Mk.7 at that time was one of the most modern western tanks.

The offensive of Pakistan's 1st Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Assal Uttar on September 10. Six Pakistani armoured regiments were opposed by three Indian armoured regiments. One of these regiments, 3 Cavalry, fielded 45 Centurion tanks. The Centurion, with its 20 pounder gun and heavy armour, proved to be more than a match to M47 and M48 Pattons. On the other side, when Pakistani Army commanders made good use of M47 Pattons and M48 Pattons, they proved to be quite capable of destroying Centurion tanks, as witnessed in the Sialkot sector.

In 1971 in the Sialkot area two Pakistani tank regiments confronted the Indian First Armored Corps, which had Centurion tanks. This was the largest tank battle of the war and both sides suffered considerable casualties.

Middle East

Israeli Sho't variant

Destroyed Israeli Centurion in the aftermath of the Battle of Karameh.

Israel's formerly British Centurions, first delivered in the late 1950s, were renamed "Sho't" ("scourge" or "whip") by the Israelis and heavily upgraded following their purchase. When the Six-day War broke out in 1967, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had 293 Centurion tanks that were ready for combat out of a total of 385 tanks. During the war, Israel captured 30 of Jordan's 44 Centurion tanks.

The Israeli version of the Centurion earned its legendary status during the Battle of "The Valley of Tears" on the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Fewer than 100 Centurion tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade defeated the advance of some 500 Syrian T-55s and T-62s. The Sho't became emblematic of Israeli armour's prowess.

A Sho't tank in a memorial near the Valley of Tears, Golan Heights

The original Centurions had 20 pounder main guns, but these were quickly up-gunned to the British 105 mm L7. The vehicles went through a number of both major and minor modifications, culminating in the Sho't with Blazer reactive armour package seen in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and were retired during the 1990s. The biggest modifications were the upgrade of the engine, sights, and Blazer packages.

The engine was changed to a more efficient diesel design, fire control modernized, armour thickened, and an improved ammunition layout allowing more rounds to be carried. An improved fire extinguishing system, better electrical system and brakes, and an increased fuel capacity complete the modifications. The Sh'ot can be distinguished from the Centurion by its raised rear deck, to accommodate the bigger engine. They have American radios and either have the original 7.62 mm calibre MG on the commander's cupola or have it replaced by a 12.7 mm calibre HMG.

Many different variants were bought by Israel over the years from many different countries. Many components of these would find their way into the Merkava.

1991 Gulf War

In the 1991 first Gulf war, 12 FV4003 Centurion Mk5 AVREs were deployed with 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment as part of British operations during the war. Three were lost in training in two separate incidents involving vehicle fires and detonation of munitions. One AVRE was destroyed on 5 February 1991 and two were destroyed in a second incident the next day. Four minor injuries were sustained.

Jordan

Fifty Centurion were purchased between 1954 and 1956 and by 1967 about 90 Centurion tanks were in service. Jordanian Army used its Centurion tanks in the Six Days war. In 1967 the 10th Independent Tank Regiment was equipped with 44 Centurion Mk.V tanks armed with 20pdr guns, but was initially deployed on East Bank. Later the unit was moved urgently to the Hebron area, in West Bank, in order to link with the supposed Egyptian advance. Some Centurion tanks were destroyed and about 30 captured by Israeli Army. Israelis entering Hebron captured 25 Jordanian Centurion tanks. The Royal Guards Brigade had one regiment equipped also with Centurions.

After the 1967 war, the army was rearmed and more Centurion tanks were purchased. In 1970 40th Armoured Brigade, the Jordanian elite armoured formation, was reequipped with Centurions. The Royal Jordanian Land Force used Centurions in 1970 to fend off a Syrian incursion during the Black September events. The reinforced Syrian 5th division, with up to 300 T-55s, encountered Jordanian units consisting of the 25th Infantry and elements of the 40th Armoured brigade around ar-Ramtha. The 5th Division's attack was repelled with heavy losses on 22 September mostly through the efforts of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

In 1972 Centurion tanks were reequipped with 105 mm guns. During the Yom Kippur war Jordanian 40th Armoured Brigade was deployed in the Golan front to support Syrian troops and show King Hussein concern for Arab solidarity. 40th Armoured Brigade moved northward towards Sheikh Meskin but its counterattack was uncoordinated and largely ineffective as Israeli were in prepared defensive positions.

In 1982-1985 293 surviving Centurions of the Jordanian Army were refitted with the diesel engine and transmission of the M60A1 tank in place of the original Meteor petrol engine, Belgian SABCA computerized fire-control system which incorporated a laser range-finder and passive night sight for the gunner, Cadillac Gage electro-hydraulic turret drive and stabilization system and a new Teledyne Continental hydropneumatic suspension in place of the Hortsman units. These upgraded vehicles were called the Tariq. After retirement from service with the arrival of ex-British Challenger tanks in the late 1990s several Tariqs were converted into heavy APCs.

South Africa

Modified South African Centurion.

The Centurion tank has been in use by the South Africans since 1957: initially 250 Mk 2 and Mk 3 Centurions bought directly from the UK, while later Mk 5 Centurions were bought from India and Jordan. Starting in 1970, the UN imposed ever-more-restrictive arms embargoes on South Africa, due to its apartheid practices and human rights violations. This forced South Africa to develop its own arms industry (with surreptitious help from Israel, France and the United States) and this included upgrading the Centurion tanks. Until the 1980s or so, South Africa's enemies had nothing to compare to the tanks that the South Africans were fielding at any particular time. The South Africans improved and upgraded their tanks throughout the Border War in Namibia and Angola.

The first upgrades made to the Centurions were simple, and primarily for test purposes. In 1972, the Centurion was fitted with a V-12 fuel-injected petrol engine developing 810 hp coupled to a new three-speed (two forward and one reverse) automatic transmission. This project was called the Skokiaan, but only eight conversions were made. This was followed by the Semel project in 1974, which involved fitting the eight Skokiaan vehicles and some unconverted Centurions with a modified engine and some other improvements and these were called the Centurion Mk 5A or Semel. A total of 35 of these vehicles was produced and some were used in the then-Southwest Africa.

The South Africans undertook a much more ambitious upgrade program in 1976, producing the Olifant (later the Olifant Mk 1 after further-upgraded versions were built). The Olifant Mk 1 entered service with the South African Armoured Corps in 1978. The Olifant program benefited greatly from the Israelis' Sho't program (the local rebuild of the Centurion). South Africa helped Israel in developing the Merkava armor plates and in exchange Israel helped the SADF in refitting its tanks. Olifant Mk1 had an upgraded engine, better suspension, turret drive, and night vision equipment. The commander had a hand held laser rangefinder.

The Olifant Mk 1 later received a major upgrade as the Mk 1A entered production in 1983 and entered service in 1985. This was because it was discovered that the Olifant Mk 1 and its 20-pounder main gun could not match the T-55 available to armed forces in Angola. Production stopped in the mid-1980s. Nonetheless, despite the numbers produced and the fact that the Mk 1A was meant to be an interim solution for use until the advent of the Mk 1B version.

In the Mk 1A, the main gun was replaced with the 105mm L-7 rifled gun and eight smoke grenade dischargers were installed on either side of the turret. A new engine was also installed and the armour was upgraded. The laser range-finder was incorporated into the gunner's sight, and the night vision equipment was upgraded.

The Mk 1B was a new production vehicle, rather than an upgrade of existing Centurions or Olifants. Development of the Mk 1B started in 1983 and it entered production in 1991. The tank carries 68 rounds of ammunition for its 105 mm L7 rifled main gun, which is fitted with a thermal sleeve. The tank is also fitted with a co-axial 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun and a 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The driver's station is equipped with a day and night sight and the gunner's station is fitted with day and night sights and an integrated laser rangefinder.

An Olifant Mk2 tank at the Tempe Armour Base in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 2011

Because of the high number of mines deployed in neighbouring African countries, its belly armour was doubled and new side skirts added. The glacis plate and nose of the hull have been upgraded with the addition of passive armour and the turret has been fitted with stand-off armour. The vehicle can generate a smoke screen by injecting fuel on the engine's hot exhaust and a fire suppression system was added to the crew fighting compartment. A computerised fire control system was added and a searchlight over the main gun. In October 2003, Alvis OMC was awarded a contract for the upgrade of a number of Olifant Mk 1B MBTs. It included upgrades in the power pack, fire control and training systems.

Up to the end of 1987, South Africa was involved in a full intervention in the Angolan Civil War, and Olifant tanks were sent into combat, participating with success against Angolan forces near the Lomba River. On 1 September, tank combat occurred. Olifants ran across Angolan T-55s and T-34/85s, destroying some of them. At Cuito Cuanavale, Olifants and Ratel infantry fighting vehicles fought T-55s and T-34/85s, claiming that the only losses to the Olifants came from mines. The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces claimed that, during the same battle, the 50th Cuban Division T-62s halted South African tanks at the Chambingi River.

The Mk 2 is an up-armoured and fire control equipment turret which can be fitted with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon on the Mk 1B chassis.

Sweden

Swedish Centurion tank

At the end of World War II, it was clear that the mix of tanks in service with the Swedish Armed Forces was not just obsolete but also presented a large logistical problem. Kungliga Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning (KAFT, the weapons bureau of the army administrative service) conducted a study that concluded that the most cost-effective alternative would be to purchase the newly developed Centurion Mk 3, which, while quite modern, was judged to also have upgrade potential for future requirements. A request of purchase was sent to Great Britain, but the reply was that no deliveries could be made before the needs of the British Army had been satisfied, which was deemed to take between five and 15 years. Thus, in 1951, the vehicle bureau of KAFT was set to develop a Swedish alternative project, E M I L. Parallel with this, negotiations were initiated with France about buying the AMX-13.

The British stance altered in early December 1952, due to the economic necessity of increasing exports to earn scarce foreign currency. Britain offered to sell the desired Centurions immediately. Minister of Defence Torsten Nilsson arbitrarily placed an order of 80 Mk III around new year 1952/1953, with the first delivery in April 1953. A few years later, Sweden ordered a batch of 160 Centurion Mk V, followed by a third batch on 110 Centurion Mk X around 1960. The Centurions, together with the Stridsvagn 103, formed the backbone of the Swedish armoured brigades for several decades. The Mk IIIs and the Mk Vs were upgraded with a 105mm gun in the 1960s.

Between 1983 and 1987, the Centurions had a midlife renovation and modification (REMO) done, which included among other things night vision equipment, targeting systems, laser range finders, improved gun stabilisation, thermal sleeves on the barrel and exhaust pipes and reactive armour developed by the Swedish FFV Ordnance.

The Swedish Army gradually phased out its Centurions and Strv 103 during the 1990s as a consequence of comparative tests of the T-72, Leclerc, M1A1 and Leopard 2. They were replaced with the Stridsvagn 121.

Nuclear tests

An Australian Army Mk 3 Centurion Type K, Army Registration Number 169041, was involved in a small nuclear test at Emu Field in Australia in 1953 as part of Operation Totem 1. Built as number 39/190 at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Barnbow in 1951 it was assigned the British Army number 06 BA 16 and supplied to the Australian Commonwealth Government under Contract 2843 in 1952.

It was placed less than 500 yards (460 m) from the 9.1 kt blast with its turret facing the epicentre, left with the engine running and a full ammunition load. Examination after detonation found that it had been pushed away from the blast point by about 5 feet (1.5 m), pushed slightly left and that its engine had stopped working, but only because it had run out of fuel. Antennae were missing, lights and periscopes were heavily sandblasted, the cloth mantlet cover was incinerated, and the armoured side plates had been blown off and carried up to 200 yards (180 m) from the tank. Remarkably, though, it could still be driven from the site. Were the tank manned, the crew would have likely been killed by the shock wave.

169041, subsequently nicknamed The Atomic Tank, was used in the Vietnam War. In May 1969, during a firefight, 169041 (call sign 24C) was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). The turret crew were all wounded by shrapnel as the RPG entered the lower left side of the fighting compartment, travelled diagonally across the floor and lodged in the rear right corner. Trooper Carter was evacuated, while the others remained on duty and the tank remained battleworthy.

The Atomic Tank is now located at Robertson Barracks in Palmerston, Northern Territory. Although other tanks were subjected to nuclear tests, 169041 is the only one known to have withstood a blast and to go on for another 23 years of service, including 15 months on operational deployment in a war zone.

Variants

UK variants

Centurion AVRE 165

Centurion ARK.

Centurion ARV Mk 2.

Centurion tank on display at the QEII Army Memorial Museum – Waiouru, New Zealand

Centurion tank Mk 7 on display at the Officers Training Academy entrance – Chennai, India

Centurion production mark numbers

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 95 mm 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 FV 4011

Increased glacis armour, two coax machineguns: one .30 Browning & one .50 caliber Browning for ranging the 84mm (20 pounder) main gun

Centurion Mk 5/2

Upgunned to 105 mm

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 FV 4007

Revised engine decks, and a third internal fuel tank

Centurion Mk 7/1 aka FV 4012

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 FV 4015

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 FV 4017

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

Prototypes

A41 [20 mm]

Centurion prototype with coaxial Polsten cannon

A41 [Besa]

Centurion prototype with coaxial Besa MG—later fitted with experimental CDL

Fighting Vehicle numbers

FV 4005 in the Bovington Tank Museum

FV 3802

Self-propelled 25-pdr artillery prototype based on the Centurion—engine at the rear as in the gun tank, but only five road wheels per side. The gun was fitted in a barbette with 45° traverse to each side. Accepted in principle in 1954, but abandoned in favour of FV3805 in 1956.

FV 3805

Self-propelled 5.5in artillery prototype, again based on the Centurion—engine at the front and driver over the trackguard. Project stopped in 1960 in favour of the FV433 105mm SP Abbot. The single surviving prototype of the FV3805, which had its 5.5 inch gun removed, is known to be located on the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England. This prototype was converted into an artillery observation vehicle. As of August 2015, there is currently a crowd-sourced restoration project in process, with the intent to have the vehicle in fully operational and running capacity by 2017, where it is hoped to be capable of driving in the 2017 Tankfest celebration at the Bovington Tank Museum.

FV 4002 Centurion Mk 5 Bridgelayer

(1963) – Mk 5 chassis with a No 5 Tank Bridge. The 52 ft by 13 ft bridge can be launched in less than two minutes, can span a gap of 45 ft (14 m) and with a height difference of up to 8 ft and can bear up to 80 tons.

FV 4003 Centurion Mk 5 AVRE 165

(1963) – AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) vehicle with a 165 mm demolition gun with a range of about 2,000 yards and firing a 60 lb HESH projectile for breaching obstacles. It was fited with a hydraulically operated dozer blade or a mine plough and could carry a fascine bundle or a roll of metal Class 60 Trackway, tow the Viper mine-clearance equipment or a trailer. This variant had a five-man crew and was used in the 1991 Gulf War.

FV 4004 Conway

"FV 4004 Self-propelled gun, 120 mm, L1 gun, Mk 3" prototype based on a Centurion 3 hull with a larger calibre 120 mm L1 gun in a turret made from rolled plate. To be an interim design until Conqueror tank entered service. One built before the project was cancelled in 1951.

FV 4005 Stage 2

An experimental tank destroyer with a 183 mm gun, which was a modified version of the BL 7.2-inch howitzer. Project started in 1951/52, and developed in July 1955. It used a lightly armoured, fully enclosed and traversable turret on a Centurion hull. By August 1957, the tank destroyer was dismantled.

FV 4006 Centurion ARV Mk 2

(1956) – Mk 1 / Mk 2 / Mk 3 hull with the 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 a single .30 inch machine gun on the commander's cupola.

FV 4007 Centurion Mk 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8/1, 8/2

FV 4008 Duplex Drive Amphibious Landing Kit

12 lightweight panels forming a skirt around a permanently fixed deck; the panels are jettisoned with explosive charges.

FV 4010 aka Heavy Tank Destroyer G.W. Carrier

Malkara Anti Tank Guided Missile launcher vehicle

FV 4011 Centurion Mk 5

FV 4012 Centurion Mk 7/1, 7/2

FV 4013 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, they were used solely as training vehicles.

FV 4015 Centurion Mk 9

FV 4016 Centurion ARK

(1963) – Armoured Ramp Carrier. Built on a Mark 5, the vehicle itself is part of the bridge. It can span a gap of up to 75 feet, and can bear up to 80 tons.

FV 4017 Centurion Mk 10

FV 4018 Centurion BARV (1963)

Beach armoured recovery vehicle. The last Centurion variant to be used by the British Army. One vehicle was still in use by the Royal Marines until 2003. Replaced by the Hippo, which is based on a Leopard 1 chassis.

FV 4019 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.

FV 4202 40 ton Centurion

Used to develop various concepts later used in the Chieftain

Specialist variants

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 FV 4016

Assault Gap Crossing Equipment (Armoured ramp carrier)

Centurion ARV Mk I

Armoured Recovery vehicle

Centurion ARV Mk II

Armoured Recovery Vehicle with superstructure

Centurion AVLB

Dutch armoured vehicle laying bridge

Centurion AVRE 105

Combat Engineer Version armed with 105 mm gun

Centurion AVRE 165

Combat Engineer Version armed with 165 mm L9A1 gun

Centurion BARV

Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle

Centurion Bridgelayer aka FV 4002

Class 80 bridgelayer

Centurion Mk 12 AVRE 105

Ex-Forward Artillery Observer vehicles converted to AVRE role.

Centurion Target Tank

A Gun tank with most items removed from turret and dummy gun fitted(?), much thicker (1 inch?) Bazooka plates fitted and extra armour in places. Used on Lulworth Ranges (perhaps others?) c1972-5 to train GW missile crews using inert missiles. Nominally driver only.

Non-UK variants

Nagmachon APC

Nakpadon APC

MAR-290 / Eshel ha-Yarden.

Denmark

Centurion Mk V, 2

A Mk V upgraded with the British 105 mm L7A1 gun and the Browning co-axial machine gun replaced by the German MG3. 106 Mk Vs were upgraded from 1964.

Centurion Mk V, 2 DK

Mk V, 2 with laser range finder and night vision optics. 90 units were upgraded in 1985.

Israel

Sho't (English – "Whip")

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 105 mm gun from 1963, and new powerpack of the Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine mated to 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 stabiliser, 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.

South Africa

Olifant

Olifant tank

Centurion tanks redesigned and rebuilt by South Africa with the help of Israel, considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent.

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.

Olifant Mk 1B

(1991) Torsion bar suspension, lengthened hull, additional armour on the glacis plate and turret, V-12 950 hp diesel engine, computerised fire control system, laser rangefinder.

Olifant Mk 2

redesigned turret, new fire control system. Can mount an LIW 105 mm GT-8 rifled gun or a 120 mm smooth bore gun.

Sweden

The designations follows the pattern of main gun calibre in centimetres followed by the service order number. Hence the strv 81 is read as the first tank with an 8 cm gun, while the strv 101 is the first tank with a 10 cm gun that was accepted into service.

Stridsvagn 81

Swedish Army designation for both the initial 80 Mk 3 Centurions (20 pdr gun) and the 1955 purchase of 160 Mk 5 Centurions, all with Imperial instrumentation, Swedish radios, etc. Pre-NATO threading made the screws incompatible with the later strv 101.

Stridsvagn 101

Swedish Army designation for its 110 Mk 10 Centurions (105 mm gun) bought in 1958 with Swedish instrumentation and radios, etc.

Stridsvagn 102

Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 81 upgunned in 1964–1966 to 105 mm main gun.

Stridsvagn 101R

Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 101 upgraded in 1980s with Renovation/modification (REMO).

Stridsvagn 102R

Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102 upgraded in 1980s with REMO and frontal armour matching the 101R.

Stridsvagn 104

Swedish Army designation for the 80 Stridsvagn 102 which in addition to the REMO received the same powerpack as the Sho't Kal Alef, consisting of a Continental diesel and an automatic gearbox from Allison.

Stridsvagn 105

Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102R upgraded with new suspension, firecontrol systems 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

A map of Centurion operators in blue with former operators in red

Current operators

• Israel Gun tanks retired, many hulls converted to Nagmachon APCs, Nakpadon ARVs or Puma CEVs.
• Jordan Chassis re-used for the modern Temsah APC
• South Africa In service as the indigenously developed and upgraded Mk1A/B and Mk2 Olifant

Former operators

• Australia Replaced by Leopard 1.
• Austria Fixed in bunkers.
• Canada Initially ordered 274 Mk 3 Tanks, plus 9 Armoured Recovery Vehicles and 4 Bridge-layers and additional orders followed. The Mk 5 (upgunned to 105 mm) were used later. From 1969 to 1970 the Canadian Army lists 77 tanks based in Germany (mostly Mk 5 and Mk 11's) and the remainder in Canada (60 at CFB Wainwright AB, 59 at CFSD Longpointe PQ, 46 at CFB Gagetown NB, 30 at CFB Borden, 29 at CFB Meaford ON, 27 at CFB Calgary AB, 12 at CFB Petawawa ON, 6 at RCEME School Kingston ON and 1 at the LETE Test Establishment Orleans, CFB Ottawa ON) for a total of 347 Tanks (including 120 Mk 5's, 3 Mk 5 Recovery tanks and some Mk 11's with IR and ranging guns fitted). Replaced by Leopard C1. Many of the tanks were sold to Israel which converted them to diesel. Some are still in use as variants.
• Denmark Replaced by Leopard 1.
• Egypt Replaced by T-55s, T-62s, M60A3s and M1A1s.
• India Retired
• Iraq Retired
• Kuwait Given to Somalia c1977?
• Lebanon
• Netherlands Replaced by Leopard 1
• New Zealand 12 Retired without replacement.
• Singapore 63 Centurion Mk3 and Mk7s bought from India in 1975 and more from Israel in 1993-4, all upgraded to Israeli standard with new main guns and diesel engines It has since been replaced by the Leopard 2SGs.
• Somalia - Christopher F. Foss, writing in the second edition of Jane's Main Battle Tanks (ISBN 0 7106 0372 X, 1986) p. 186, said that 'Kuwait was believed to have supplied Somalia with about 35 Centurions.' The Military Balance 1987-88 (p. 112) listed 30 Centurions held by the Somali Army.
• Sweden Replaced by Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2A5S)
• Switzerland Replaced by Leopard 2
• United Kingdom Replaced by Chieftain

Combat history

• Korean War – United Kingdom
• Suez Crisis – United Kingdom
• War of 1965 – India
• Six Day War – Israel, Jordan
• Liberation of Bangladesh/War of 1971 – India
• Yom Kippur War – Israel, Jordan, Kuwait
• Vietnam War – Australia
• South African Border War – South Africa
• Operation Motorman – United Kingdom, 165 mm AVREs with dozer blades were used to destroy barricades set up by the IRA in Northern Ireland, the 165 mm demolition guns were pointed to the rear and covered up
• Falklands War – United Kingdom, single Centurion BARV
• Gulf War/Operation Desert Storm – United Kingdom as Centurion AVREs

See also

Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

• Soviet T-54/55
• United States M48 Patton

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Cecil, Michael K. (2009). Mud & Dust: Australian Army Vehicles & Artillery in Vietnam. New Holland Publishers (Australia). ISBN 9781741107678.
• Dunstan, Simon (1982). Vietnam Tracks-Armor in Battle 1945–75. Osprey Publications. ISBN 0-89141-171-2.
• Dunstan, Simon; Badrocke, M.; Sarson, P. (2003). Centurion Universal Tank 1943–2003. Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 68). ISBN 1-84176-387-X.
• Fletcher, David (1989). Universal Tank: British Armour in the Second World War - Part 2. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290534-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Hunnicutt, R. P. (1984). Patton: A History of the American Main Battle tank. Vol. 1. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1.
• McAulay, Lex (1988). The Battle of Coral: Vietnam Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral, May 1968. An Arrow Book (Random House Australia Pty Ltd). ISBN 978-0-09-169091-5.
• Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World. Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7603-0892-6.
• Munro, Bill (2005). The Centurion Tank. Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-701-0.
• Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum (1973). British Tanks 1946–1970. Wareham, Dorset: The Museum. OCLC 221053350.
• Starry, Donn A. General (1978). Mounted Combat in Vietnam. Vietnam Studies. Department of the Army. CMH Pub 90-17.

External links

• Centurion armour/technical data
• Centurion
• Australian Centurions
• Redoubt Fortress Museum Home of an example of a Mark III Centurion Tank
• Dutch Cavalry Museum has 2 Centurion tanks in its collection.
• Olifant Mk1B details on Army-technology.com.
• centurion mk 5 and 5/1 details on Australian mk. 5 and 5/1