![]() ![]() ![]() By the time production came to an end in 1962, almost 4,500 Centurions had been constructed, and the vehicle saw service with nineteen armies across the world, notably also fighting in Aden, India/Pakistan, the Middle East and Vietnam. The first Centurions entered service in December 1946, and the type saw its first combat in Korea in January 1951 with the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars. Notwithstanding its comparatively slow road speed and apparently insatiable thirst for fuel, it offered an excellent balance of firepower, protection and mobility, and was easily capable of being up-gunned. In fact, it would probably be fair to say that the A41 was the best tank of the Second world war that the British Army never had … but it would be equally true to say that, despite being the final iteration of the flawed British cruiser tank concept, the Centurion went on to prove itself one of the best tanks of the immediate post-war period, regardless of origin. ![]() Nevertheless, it was clear from the outset that the Centurion was an excellent machine and, even with the original 17-pounder (76.2mm) gun, may well have been capable of standing up to the heavier German Tiger and Panther tanks. However the first pre-production examples did not make it into Europe until after VE day, and came too late to affect the outcome of the war. ![]() “An impressive tribute to a superb vehicle.” - The Pegasus Archive Read moreĪlthough most people would rightly consider the A41 Centurion medium tank to be a post-war machine, the development process for the vehicle had actually started in the early autumn of 1943, more than twelve months before the D-Day landings. His book is an essential work of reference for enthusiasts. His expert account of this remarkable fighting vehicle is accompanied by a series of color plates showing the main variants of the design and the common ancillary equipment and unit markings. In addition, he traces the course of the Centurion’s subsequent career, as it was up-dated, up-gunned and adapted to operate in varied conditions and conflicts all over the world including Korea, the Indo-Pakistan wars, Vietnam and the Arab-Israeli wars. He tells the story from the design brief of 1943, through testing and trials to the tank’s entry into service. Pat Ware’s highly illustrated history of this remarkable tank covers its design and development, its technical specifications and the many variants that were produced. The Centurion was so successful that it served in the British Army and in numerous other armies across the world from 1945 until the 1990s. Conceived during the Second World War as the answer to the superior German Tiger and Panther tanks and to the lethal 88mm gun, this 52-ton main battle tank incorporated the lessons British designers had learned about armored fighting vehicles during the conflict, and it was free of the major faults that had impaired the other British tank designs of the time. “An in-depth illustrated history of one of the most successful post-war British tanks” from the author of Special Forces Vehicles (Forces Pension Society).įew tank designs have been as effective, versatile and long-lived as that of the British Centurion. ![]()
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