Britain Cruiser Mk VI (Crusader I C.S.) Ordnance classification - A15
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 1941 to 1944.
General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)
1941 - 1944
Ordnance classification
A15
Quantity Produced
5300
Weight
19 tonne
Crew
5
M.G's small
3
M.G's large(>10mm)
n/a
Length
6.05 mtr
Width
2.66 mtr
Height
2.26 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed
28 mph
Max Cross Country Speed
15 mph
Range Road
124 miles
Range Cross Country
49 miles
Fuel Type
Petrol
Fuel Capacity
120 gal
Horse Power
340 hp
Power/Weight
17 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 1941 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 3 light machine guns which were BESA Machine Gun 7.92mms. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 3inch Howitzer which could penetrate 102 mm of flat plate at 800 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.
Armour Details
Turret
Front
49mm
@
7°
(49mm)
Side
24mm
@
45°
(34mm)
Rear
30mm
@
32°
(35mm)
Top
12mm
@
90°
(12mm)
Superstructure
Front
20mm
@
60°
(40mm)
Side
14mm
@
0°
(14mm)
Rear
14mm
@
11°
(14mm)
Top
7mm
@
90°
(7mm)
Hull
Front
20mm
@
45°
(28mm)
Side
14mm
@
0°
(14mm)
Rear
14mm
@
11°
(14mm)
Top
7mm
@
90°
(7mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 49 mm - Minimum 7 mm
Weapon Details
BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm
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.
Manufactured
1939 - 1966
Calibre
7.92mm
Length
L/93
Rate of Fire
450 rpm
Number of Rounds
4500
Ammunition Details
Name/Id
Calibre Weight MVelocity
Explosive Content
Cartridge SA, 7.92(AP)
7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Range(Mtr)
100
200
400
800
1200
1600
2000
2400
Flight Time(Secs)
0.15
Penetration(mm@30°)
2
Penetration(mm@0°)
3
Hit Probability(%)
98
Weapon Details
Ordnance Q.F. 3inch Howitzer
Manufactured
unknown - 1945
Calibre
76.20mm
Number of Rounds
65
Ammunition Details
Name/Id
Calibre Weight MVelocity
Explosive Content
AP(AP)
76.20mm 7.65Kg 650M/Sec
Range(Mtr)
100
200
400
800
1200
1600
2000
2400
Flight Time(Secs)
0.16
0.32
0.65
1.38
2.19
3.12
4.17
5.39
Penetration(mm@30°)
118
109
100
88
77
66
57
48
Penetration(mm@0°)
137
127
116
102
89
77
66
56
Hit Probability(%)
98
98
98
90
60
25
15
6
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.