A27L Centaur tank – 75mm (British)

Description

The Centaur tank was a British cruiser tank that saw limited action during the Second World War. It was a variant of the Cromwell tank, sharing many features, but with a less powerful engine. Primarily used for training, some Centaur’s saw service as combat engineering vehicles or as support vehicles for the Normandy landings.

Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon (BRC&W) developed the Centaur in 1942, as part of the A27 cruiser program. The original design, called Cromwell II, had a 600 hp Meteor engine, derived from the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine used in Spitfire fighters. However, due to production delays and cooling problems, the Meteor engine was not available in time. Therefore, Leyland proposed to use the 410 hp Liberty engine instead, which was already in use in the Cavalier tank. This version became the A27L (L for Liberty) Centaur.

The Centaur had a five-man crew, consisting of a commander, a gunner, a loader/radio operator, a driver and a hull gunner. The main armament was a 75 mm gun, which could fire both high explosive and armour-piercing rounds. The secondary armament consisted of two 7.92 mm Besa machine guns, one coaxial with the main gun and one in the hull. The Centaur had a maximum speed of 25 mph (41 km/h) on roads and 18 mph (29 km/h) cross-country. The armour ranged from 20 mm to 76 mm, depending on the model.

Inferior engine performance and reliability meant that the Centaur’s saw only limited combat action. Only a few units were equipped with Centaurs for training purposes, such as the 79th Armoured Division and the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group. Some Centaurs were converted into specialized vehicles, such as bulldozers, bridge-layers, recovery vehicles or flamethrowers. The most notable use of the Centaur was as a gun platform for the Royal Navy. Some Centaurs also had their main gun replaced with 95 mm howitzers or 4-inch naval guns to act as support vehicles for the Allied landing on D-Day. These Centaurs fired from landing craft or from the shore, providing close fire support for the infantry.

By mid 1944, the Cromwell entered service and it replaced the Centaur in almost every role. The Cromwell was also the basis for the Comet tank, which had a more powerful 77 mm gun and improved armour. The Comet was one of the best British tanks of the war and paved the way for the post-war Centurion tank, which became one of the first main battle tanks.

• Model: Centaur tank – 75mm
• Country/Army: British & Commonwealth
• Dimension (mm) (WxLxH): 56 x 108 x 40
• Material: UV Cured resin
• Original Designer: Fylde Armouries
• Painted by: MarDav Miniatures
• These models are designed for modellers and collectors. They are not toys and are not suitable for children.
• Model supplied unassembled and unpainted. Additional finishing may be required during assembly.
• Finished colour of the product may vary from images shown.
• Photos and dimensions are at 28mm unless noted otherwise.
• All dimensions are complete with weapons unless otherwise stated.
• Other scales and dimensions may be available upon request.
• Models supplied at scales smaller than 20mm may be an alternative design more suitable for small scale prints. These are designed by Bergman or TigerAce1945.