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Britain
Cruiser Tank (Comet A34)
Ordnance classification - A34

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The Cruiser Tank was designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors based on the existing fully tracked Cromwell and was in use from 1945 to 1965.

Flag of World War 2 Britain
Photo of Cruiser Tank (Comet A34)
Cruiser Tank(Comet A34) scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1945 - 1965
Ordnance classificationA34
Quantity Produced1186
Weight32.5 tonne
Crew5
M.G's small2
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length7.72 mtr
Width3.08 mtr
Height2.69 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed29 mph
Max Cross Country Speed15 mph
Range Road123 miles
Range Cross Country49 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacity139 gal
Horse Power600 hp
Power/Weight18 hp/tonne
General Information
The Cruiser Tank was designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors based on the existing fully tracked Cromwell and was in use from 1945 to 1965.

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 167 mm of flat plate at 100 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
Front102mm@(102mm)
Side64mm@(64mm)
Rear57mm@(57mm)
Top25mm@90°(25mm)
Superstructure
Front76mm@(76mm)
Side29mm@(29mm)
Rear25mm@(25mm)
Top14mm@90°(14mm)
Hull
Front64mm@(64mm)
Side14mm@(14mm)
Rear25mm@(25mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 102 mm - Minimum 20 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm
(Machine Gun) x 2
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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 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)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
Flag
Ordnance Q.F. 77mm 3inch
(Anti Tank Gun)
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History
This was a slightly shortened 17pdr which was designed for Tank use which appeared to be more accurate at longer ranges.
Manufacturedunknown - 1945
Calibre76.20mm
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
AP
(AP Armor Piercing)
76.20mm 7.65Kg 792M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.13 1.8 2.56 3.42 4.42
Penetration(mm@30°) 144 134 122 108 94 81 70 58
Penetration(mm@0°) 167 155 142 125 109 94 81 68
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 77 44 25 15

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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