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Britain
Cruiser Mk VIII (Centaur IV)
Ordnance classification - A27L

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The Cruiser Mk VIII was designed in 1941, manufactured by Leyland based on the existing fully tracked A24 and was in use from 1944 to 1945.

Flag of World War 2 Britain
Photo of Cruiser Mk VIII (Centaur IV)
Cruiser Mk VIII(Centaur IV) scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1944 - 1945
Ordnance classificationA27L
Quantity Produced0
Weight27.5 tonne
Crew5
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length6.40 mtr
Width2.92 mtr
Height2.49 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed27 mph
Max Cross Country Speed14 mph
Range Road165 miles
Range Cross Country66 miles
Fuel TypeUnknown
Fuel Capacityunknown
Horse Power395 hp
Power/Weight14 hp/tonne
General Information
The Cruiser Mk VIII was designed in 1941, manufactured by Leyland based on the existing fully tracked A24 and was in use from 1944 to 1945.

The vehicle was powered by Nuffield 'Liberty' powerplant producing 395 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 27 mph with a range of about 165 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 14 mph and a range of about 66 miles.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 95mm Howitzer which could penetrate 59 mm of flat plate at 800 metres

The Centaur was the Leyland version of the Cavalier and were mainly used for training or special purpose roles.

Armour Details
Turret
Front76mm@(76mm)
Side63mm@(63mm)
Rear57mm@(57mm)
Top20mm@81°(20mm)
Superstructure
Front63mm@(63mm)
Side32mm@(32mm)
Rear32mm@(32mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Hull
Front57mm@(57mm)
Side32mm@(32mm)
Rear32mm@(32mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 76 mm - Minimum 20 mm



Weapon Details
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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
 
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
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Ordnance Q.F. 95mm Howitzer
(Field Gun)
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Manufacturedunknown - 1945
Calibre95mm
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
95mm APHE
(APHE Armor Piercing High Explosive)
95mm 6.72Kg 502M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.2 0.41 0.83 1.74 2.74 3.83 5.05 6.4
Penetration(mm@30°) 64 60 56 51 45 41 37 32
Penetration(mm@0°) 75 70 65 59 53 48 43 38
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 77 39 22 6 3



95mm HE
(HE High Explosive)
95mm 11.34Kg 320M/Sec ≈1.701Kg explosive
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.32 0.64 1.3 2.73 4.29 6.01 7.92 10.04
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.32 0.64 1.3 2.73 4.29 6.01 7.92 10.04
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 93 39 15 3 2 0
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill4 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill8 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill22 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr5 mm
An explosion within 4 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 8 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 22 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 5 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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