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Britain
Cruiser Mk VI (Crusader III C.S.)
Ordnance classification - A15

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The Cruiser Mk VI was designed in 1939, manufactured by Nuffield based on the existing fully tracked A13 III(Covenanter) and was in use from 1942 to 1944.

Flag of World War 2 Britain
Photo of Cruiser Mk VI (Crusader III C.S.)
Cruiser Mk VI(Crusader III C.S.) scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1942 - 1944
Ordnance classificationA15
Quantity Produced5300
Weight19 tonne
Crew5
M.G's small2
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length6.05 mtr
Width2.66 mtr
Height2.26 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed28 mph
Max Cross Country Speed15 mph
Range Road124 miles
Range Cross Country49 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacity120 gal
Horse Power340 hp
Power/Weight17 hp/tonne
General Information
The Cruiser Mk VI was designed in 1939, manufactured by Nuffield based on the existing fully tracked A13 III(Covenanter) and was in use from 1942 to 1944.

The vehicle was powered by Nuffield 'Liberty' petrol powerplant producing 340 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 28 mph with a range of about 124 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 15 mph and a range of about 49 miles.

It was armed with 2 light machine guns which were BESA Machine Gun 7.92mms. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 3inch Howitzer which could penetrate 113 mm of flat plate at 100 metres

The Crusader tank was derived from the same A13 basis as the Covenanter, the Crusader was less inclined to overheating than the Covenanter, but still suffered from a great deal of breakdowns and drive train issues, this was the Close Support version with the 3inch gun.

Armour Details
Turret
Front49mm@(49mm)
Side24mm@45°(34mm)
Rear30mm@32°(35mm)
Top12mm@90°(12mm)
Superstructure
Front30mm@38°(38mm)
Side14mm@(14mm)
Rear28mm@11°(29mm)
Top7mm@90°(7mm)
Hull
Front20mm@60°(40mm)
Side14mm@(14mm)
Rear28mm@11°(29mm)
Top7mm@90°(7mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 49 mm - Minimum 7 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm
(Machine Gun)
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photo of BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm from Wikipedia
History
Developed by BSA from the Czechoslovak ZB vz.53 heavy machine gun which used the German 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition. It was mostly used as the main armament of the Light Tank Mk VIC and Armoured cars such as the Humber Mk I to Mk III.

This 7.92mm gun was used in the armoured divisions as their supply lines were separated from the infantry who used .303 bullets. Once the British started capturing German ammunition this could be immediately used in these tank machine guns.
Manufactured1939 - 1966
Calibre7.92mm
LengthL/93
Rate of Fire450 rpm
Number of Rounds 4500
 
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
Cartridge SA, 7.92
(AP Standard Small Arms)
7.92mm 0.011Kg 785M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 11mm @ 1000mtr/0°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.16 0.37 1.1
Penetration(mm@30°) 10 8 5
Penetration(mm@0°) 12 10 6
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98


 
Cartridge SA, 7.92
(BALL Standard Small Arms)
7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.15
Penetration(mm@30°) 2
Penetration(mm@0°) 3
Hit Probability(%) 98



Weapon Details
Ordnance Q.F. 3inch Howitzer
(Field Gun)
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Manufacturedunknown - 1945
Calibre76.20mm
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
3 inch howitzer AP
(HE High Explosive)
76.20mm 6.3Kg 650M/Sec 0.600Kg explosive
Range(Mtr)10002000300040005000600070008000
Flight Time(Secs) 1.77 4.17 7.61 12.96 22.39 43.45 132.43
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.16 0.32 0.65 1.38 2.19 3.12 4.17 5.39
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 90 60 25 15 6
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill6 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill15 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr1 mm
An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 6 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 15 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties.
The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 1 mm of the tank armour including the roof.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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