Excelsior tank
| Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior) |
| Type |
Heavy tank |
| Place of origin |
United Kingdom |
| Production history |
| Manufacturer |
English Electric |
| Specifications |
| Weight |
40 tons |
| Length |
22 ft 8 in (6.9 m) |
| Width |
11 ft 2 in (3.4 m) |
| Height |
7 ft 11 in (2.4 m) |
| Crew |
5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver) |
|
| Armor |
114 mm |
Main
armament |
Ordnance QF 75 mm
64 rounds |
Secondary
armament |
2 x 7.92 mm Besa machine gun |
| Engine |
Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol
600 hp (447 kW) |
| Suspension |
Improved Christie |
Operational
range |
160 km |
| Speed |
24 mph, (off-road 12 mph) |
The Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior) was a British experimental heavy tank based on the Cromwell (A27) design developed in the Second World War when there were concerns as to performance of the Churchill tank.
Development
After the Dieppe raid in August 1942, there was concern that the Churchill was not as good as expected and a tank to combine the infantry and cruiser tank roles was planned.
English Electric built two prototypes on a Cromwell tank hull the first with the suspension of the US M6 Heavy Tank and the second with a widened Cromwell track. The design included extra armour and an Ordnance QF 75 mm gun. With the problems of the early Churchill models worked out, the project was dropped.[1]
Survivors
See also
References
- ^ Fletcher, David (1993). The Universal Tank. HMSO, for REME Museum. p. 87. ISBN 0-11-290534-X.
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