Britain Cruiser Tank (Comet A34)

World War 2 Tank and Gun Database

The Cruiser Tank was a Cruiser Tank designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors, it was based on the fully tracked Cromwell chassis and was in use from 1945 to 1965. It was commonly called a Comet A34.

General Details (Cruiser Tank)

Specifications
Operational Date(s)	1945 - 1965
Ordnance classification	A34
Quantity Produced	1186
Weight	32.5 tonne
Crew	5
M.G's small	2
M.G's large(>10mm)	n/a
Length	7.72 mtr
Width	3.08 mtr
Height	2.69 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed	29 mph
Max Cross Country Speed	15 mph
Range Road	123 miles
Range Cross Country	49 miles
Fuel Type	Petrol
Fuel Capacity	139 gal
Horse Power	600 hp
Power/Weight	18 hp/tonne

General Information

The Cruiser Tank was a Cruiser Tank designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors, it was based on the fully tracked Cromwell chassis and was in use from 1945 to 1965. It was commonly called a Comet A34.

The vehicle was powered by Rolls Royce 'Meteor V12' petrol powerplant producing 600 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 29 mph with a range of about 123 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. 77mm 3inch which could penetrate 122.3 mm of flat plate at 200 metres.

The Comet was a redesigned Cromwell which could to take the full 17pdr AT gun, this failed so a cut down 17pdr - the 77mm was fitted. The Cromwell chassis had to be extended and widened to take the new turret.

Armour Details

Turret
Front	102mm	@	0°	(102mm)
Side	64mm	@	0°	(64mm)
Rear	57mm	@	0°	(57mm)
Top	25mm	@	90°	(25mm)

Superstructure
Front	76mm	@	0°	(76mm)
Side	29mm	@	0°	(29mm)
Rear	25mm	@	0°	(25mm)
Top	14mm	@	90°	(14mm)

Hull
Front	64mm	@	0°	(64mm)
Side	14mm	@	0°	(14mm)
Rear	25mm	@	0°	(25mm)
Top	20mm	@	90°	(20mm)

Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)

Effective Armour - Maximum 102 mm - Minimum 20 mm


Ordnance Q.F. 77mm 3inch (Anti Tank Gun)
	History
	This was a slightly shortened 17pdr which was designed for Tank use which appeared to be more accurate at longer ranges.
	Manufactured	unknown - 1945
	Calibre	76.20mm

Ammunition Details
Name/Id	Calibre Weight MVelocity					Explosive Content
AP (AP Armor Piercing)	76.20mm 7.65Kg 792M/Sec
Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
Flight Time(Secs)	0.13	0.26	0.53	1.09	1.7	2.34	3.02	3.74
Penetration(mm@30°)	109	105	100	89	79	71	63	56
Penetration(mm@0°)	126	122	116	103	92	82	73	66
Hit Probability(%)	93	93	90	83	64	52	23	14


BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm (Machine Gun) x 2

	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	5175

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)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
Flight Time(Secs)	0.13	0.25	0.51
Penetration(mm@30°)	6	5	4
Penetration(mm@0°)	8	7	5
Hit Probability(%)	74	74	72

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
Cartridge SA, 7.92 (BALL Standard Small Arms)	7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec
Flight Time(Secs)	0.13
Penetration(mm@30°)	1
Penetration(mm@0°)	2
Hit Probability(%)	74

About Penetration Figures

All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns.

Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria:

German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest)
British: 1.02? (slightly looser)
American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate)
Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate)

For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful.

National Testing Standards
German:	1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest)
British:	1.02? - Complete penetration
American:	1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate
Soviet:	1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate
All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

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.