Britain Cruiser Mk VI (Crusader III AA MkII) Ordnance classification - A15
The Cruiser Mk VI was designed in 1942, manufactured by Nuffield based on the existing fully tracked A13 III(Covenanter) and was in use from 1943 to 1945.
General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)
1943 - 1945
Ordnance classification
A15
Quantity Produced
5300
Weight
20 tonne
Crew
5
M.G's small
n/a
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
112 miles
Range Cross Country
44 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 1942, manufactured by Nuffield based on the existing fully tracked A13 III(Covenanter) and was in use from 1943 to 1945.
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 112 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 15 mph and a range of about 44 miles.
Its main armament consisted of an Oerlikon 20mm L/70 which could penetrate 16 mm of flat plate at 100 metres
The Crusader tank was a redesigned A13 Mk III as a heavy cruiser tank that could rapidly move and provide good A/T performance.
The turret was a complex angular shape holding the twin Oerlikon 20mm guns in a high angle mount. The auxiliary machine gun turret was removed in this version.
Armour Details
Turret
Front
49mm
@
7°
(49mm)
Side
24mm
@
45°
(34mm)
Rear
30mm
@
32°
(35mm)
Top
12mm
@
90°
(12mm)
Superstructure
Front
30mm
@
38°
(38mm)
Side
14mm
@
0°
(14mm)
Rear
28mm
@
11°
(29mm)
Top
7mm
@
90°
(7mm)
Hull
Front
20mm
@
60°
(40mm)
Side
14mm
@
0°
(14mm)
Rear
28mm
@
11°
(29mm)
Top
7mm
@
90°
(7mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 49 mm - Minimum 7 mm
Weapon Details
Oerlikon 20mm L/70
History
Maufactured in Switzerland the first British imports arrived in 1940, and subsequently manufactured under licence in Ruislip London later in 1940. Two versions were manufactured with different barrel lengths L/70 and L/85 which gave muzzle velocities of 820m/sec L70 and 1050m/sec L/85. The L/70 could deliver shells at 450rpm and the L/85 at 900-1000 rpm.
Manufactured
1940 - Present
Calibre
20mm
Length
L/70
Ammunition Details
Name/Id
Calibre Weight MVelocity
Explosive Content
20x110RB L/70(AP)
20mm 0.12Kg 820M/Sec
Range(Mtr)
100
200
400
800
1200
1600
2000
2400
Flight Time(Secs)
0.13
0.27
0.62
1.63
Penetration(mm@30°)
13
11
8
5
Penetration(mm@0°)
16
13
10
6
Hit Probability(%)
98
98
98
81
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.