The British World War 2 Cromwell Tank

The British World War 2 Cromwell Tank despite entering production around 1943 as a replacement to the earlier Cruiser class tanks fielded by the British Army during World War 2, it had a much cruder appearance to the earlier cast steel turrets such as the Sherman, however this was due to heavy steel plates being bolted an internal steel skin.

Its official designation was the A27M and was a Centaur tank fitted with the Spitfire’s Merlin engine, which had been prioritised for the legendary Spitfire fighter aircraft and therefore was not available when the Centaur entered production.

The Meteor engine earn’t the tank a reputation as the fastest tank the British Army had. It first used a 75mm main gun and combined with the vehicles speed was the most capable and well-balanced tank the British Army had fielded, but it wasn’t until it mounted a 76mm main gun that it was able to give the more capable German tanks a good slap!

Cromwell Series

Cromwell I

Exactly the same as the Centaur I, but using the Meteor engine.

Cromwell II

Increased track width and removal of the hull machine gun to increase stowage. None produced.

Cromwell III

Centaur I upgraded with Meteor V12 engine.

Cromwell IV

Centaur I or III upgraded with Meteor engine, or built as such. The most numerous variant with over 1,935 units produced.

Cromwell VI

Cromwell armed with 95 mm howitzer. 341 produced.

Cromwell VII

Cromwell IV and V upgraded with additional armour (101 mm to front), wider (15.5 inch) tracks, and additional gearbox. These were introduced very late in the war and did not see much in the way of combat. ~ 1,500 produced.

Cromwell VII

Cromwell Vw reworked to Cromwell VII standard, or built as new to that standard

Cromwell VIII

Cromwell VI reworked with same upgrades as VII.