The Crusader tank came up from a design ordered by the War Office in 1936. Early in 1939, after the purchase of an American Christie tank by the Nuffield company and a detailed inquiry into the good and bad points of the unique Christie "fast tank" suspension, a fast cruiser tank was designed, based on the previous A13 tank, known as Covenanter. It was named A15 and mounted a turret with a 7.92mm Besa machine gun on the left side of the hull, next to the driver, which distinguished it from the A13. The engine was the Nuffield Liberty V-12, a licensed American design. The engine was water-cooled and provided the tank with approximately 340 HP.
The original Mk. I variant, delivered to British troops in late 1940 and early 1941, had the weight of 18 tons and a quick firing 2-pounder (40mm) anti-tank gun. The Mk. II had thicker armour, Mk. III came in May, 1942, with a 6-pounder (51mm) gun, which was originally planned for the Cavalier design. Also, the armour plating of the Mk. III version was thickened and the turret crew was reduced to only two by the size of the new gun. Commander and loader became one person, the gunner remained on the left of the main weapon. The Mk. II and III were arriving to north Africa during 1942, the Mk. III in due time for the battle of El-Alamein.
Soon after the fielding of the tank in 1940 and 1941, the crews began pointing out the weak points of the construction. The armour was too thin to compete with German Panzers, the gun had too small a calliber to pierce the armour of the opponents. Improvements were made, but the Crusader tank remained |
