Excelsior tank

Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior)
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Manufacturer	English Electric
Specifications
Mass	40 tons
Length	22 ft 8 in (6.9 m)
Width	11 ft 2 in (3.4 m)
Height	7 ft 11 in (2.4 m)
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
Armour	114 mm (4.5 in)
Main armament	Ordnance QF 75 mm 64 rounds
Secondary armament	2 x 7.92 mm Besa machine gun
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol 620 bhp
Suspension	Improved Christie
Operational range	99 mi (160 km)
Maximum speed	24 mph, (off-road 12 mph)

The Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior) was a British experimental heavy tank based on the Cromwell (A27) design developed in the Second World War when there were concerns as to performance of the Churchill tank.

Development

After the Dieppe Raid in August 1942, there was concern that the Churchill was not as good as expected and a tank to combine the infantry and cruiser tank roles was planned.

While two lines of tanks were still policy, there was interest in standardizing on common components. The design used the Cromwell's combination of Rolls-Royce Meteor engine and Merrit-Brown transmission.

English Electric built two prototypes on a Cromwell tank hull the first with the suspension of the US M6 Heavy Tank and the second with a widened Cromwell track and armoured skirts. The design included extra armour and an Ordnance QF 75 mm gun. When the problems of the early Churchill models were worked out, the project was dropped.

Survivors

• The second pilot vehicle is on display at the Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK.

See also

• A38 Valiant - a light assault tank
• T14 Heavy Tank - US design to same specification

References

Notes

Bibliography

• White BT, British Tanks 1915-1945 Ian Allen p68-69