Beschreibung
Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 29. Chapters: Centurion tank, Cromwell tank, Crusader tank, Covenanter tank, Comet tank, Sentinel tank, Cruiser tank, Ram tank, Cruiser Mk IV, Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger, Cruiser Mk II, Cruiser Mk III, Cavalier tank, Grizzly I cruiser, FV300 Series. Excerpt: The Centurion was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period, and was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades. The chassis was also adapted for several other roles. Manufacture of the Centurion began in January 1945, and six prototypes arrived in Belgium soon after the war in Europe ended in May 1945. The Centurion served in more wars than any other western tank. 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. 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 and reliability, a maximum weight of 40 tons and 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 sixth wheel and an extended spacing between the second and third 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 meet within the permitted weight. The original specif
