Cromwell 2 - Tank Design & Development

The only time Leyland made the right decision regarding an engine was putting the short block Chevvy in the Rover SD1...😁

To make things complicated, ask the British.
Isn't that just the truth, eh?

Excellent video!

It's not just the turret that looks like it came off a Churchill. The plate in front of the driver and hull gunner also looks like it came off a Churchill.

Oh well.. British tank development seems to be rather... unintuitive to understand at times! Thank you for making these videos about even the odd ends of such "niche" type vehicles. Always interesting to watch those!

I wanna drive that Metoer swapped Crusader

Very informative sir. Thank you for sharing the results of your investigation.

Last time I was this early I'd just lost my virginity.
Great content as always!

Theirs something about tanks that attracts all the best people, merry crimble Ed, aw ra best

I think we lack perspective or perhaps we have too much of it due to hindsight. I think we underestimate the panic or desperation in wartime Britain when facing an army of fanatical Nazis equipped with what must have seemed like super weapons. The tank board trying to get as many companies and factories to create the required war materiel without wielding the control and power of a total dictator who could dictate exactly what he wanted. In Germany if you failed to deliver what Hitler wanted you might simply die and I am sure that focussed the mind very keenly. Trying to make British automotive magnates do your bidding was probably as difficult as herding soup. That coupled with the desire to fulfil that army expectation of 9,000 tanks to face the might of the Nazis might cause a production panic where you just try to build as many tanks as possible. There was also a shortage of engine manufacturing capacity and a multiplicity of designs. At that time they could not know which design would fail and which would ultimately succeed. Sometimes the sufficient is the enemy of the best.

The mislabeling of an A9 cruiser as a 'valentine' in that Bermingham Railway poster really annoys me...

Cheeky buggers... thanks for your hard work!

Great video Ed!

cant help feel hes a author of 3 my books ...🤔

You are confusing the issue. The Cromwell II was the original reference to the A27L Centaur as you mentioned. The Vauxhall Cromwell was designated Cromwell MkII and is one of the original A27M Cromwell III family. You forgot to include the "Mk" (Mark) in your designation of the Vauxhall Cromwell and you forgot the mention the Vauxhall pilot had a hull that was one of the first all-welded types. It was later used for BRCW tanks but with later D Type engine deck layout entering service as the Cromwell MkVw or MkVIIw depending on the tracks.

That Meteor-powered Crusader that can do >80 km/h should definitely be added to War Thunder!

Note how much older Viscount Nuffield was than the other engineers...

I don't know what it was about the culture of that era in particular where the older engineers were slow to adapt to new technology & blindly went ahead with what they were already doing, to the detriment of their country in a time of need.

thanks ed for another interesting video! i was only aware of this vehicle from Chamberlain & Ellis' book on US & UK tanks of WW2.

What a convoluted and very British story. It seems sometimes the British defence industry hasn't changed much. Luckily it seems American industry didn't have problems like this with the Sherman.

I already finde the a and fv numbers confusing enough. And now thereis this 😄

It's like The Chieftain meets Ian McCullum (Forgotten Weapons)!
Hey, AA, The Chieftain sent me. Likey.

Excellent research. Thank you.

Don't worry about upside down casting numbers, I collect bricks, yup I'm a plintologist, anyway, I've a NORI brick, where the letters were placed into the mould as you read them, but came out back to front when produced. So the turret letters were placed in the mould as the worker read them the right way round, but were the wrong way round when the turret was cast.

Obviously should have said IRON

In what way did favouritism “run rampant” at the time? The use of weasel words doesn’t do your channel any favours.

I'm still annoyed that the matilda BP never went into combat.. they had the wide shouldered hulls but were just so damn slow in shoving Cromwell turrets on them... the ausies ended up using them with normal mat turrets but I'm sure they could have used the extra firepower....

It's almost like a version of the air ministry.. where people went out of their way to deny useful equipment to out men in a time relevent manner....

Savalier, Sentaur, Sromwell? Makes perfect kents. Perhaps it's the Seltic pronunciation. ;)

BTW, it's not really a Cromwell without all the nipples on the turret.

I only discovered your channel recently, and thanks to a pesky dose of CoVid, I've been binge watching them.
Thank you for an informative and entertaining series. In my mind's eye, I see you producing them in a potting shed at the bottom of your garden.
So thanks...and I wish you a happy Christmas ⛄ and prosperous New Year.

A new World of Tanks premium tier VI or VII British medium tank!

And people criticise German Engineering LOL. It seems to me that those in charge were too detached from the reality of the battlefield and how urgent it was to get good tanks to the boys doing the dirty work. Something to do with the class system?

Amazing that this late in the war, British tank designers took no notice of the development of sloped armour in tank design.

My Grandad was an AT Gunner in the Royal Artillery from 39-46, He talked about Testing the Centaur's Armour.

Poor commoners losing their lives in war while the rich bicker over who gets to profit.

How thick is the new turret?

Bloody good show sir!
I wish you and yours a very happy and prosperous 2022!
Carry on.

I would love to have been there to see a Crusader Tank come flying by me at 80 km/h, even by todays standards 80 km/h is very fast for a tank.

Your posts are great. However, the problem common to most of them is that they're too short. You obviously have a great depth of understanding of your subject, please spend more time sharing it. Thanks.

i wish these obscure british prototypes are seen more in tank games, they're so neat imo

OMG. How the Bloody Hell was any Tank ever Produced, with Every company pulling in differnt Directions.
Typical British B.S. and Red Tape. And I am British by Birth. Led to Believe it was all 'One for All and All for One..!'
Great Video and Research.

Toodle Pip old chap indeed.! And Gawd Help us..!

Cheers kim in Oz 😎

This was very interesting and had it entered service it might have been a successful design. It certainly seem to be resistant to 25 pdr shot. Thanks for sharing this as the Cromwell, Cavalier and Centaur were my favorite British tanks.

Normal history, the Germans was foolish in spend there R&D on many different tanks, insted of focus on a few, Great Britain hold my Tea.

And God said "Let there be Leyland" and behold there was Leyland and God said "WTF have i done!!!!" 😱

I enjoy these well researched videos. Thanks ❤

With a name like 'ROBOT-ham', he was BORN FOR that work. 😉

As an American I have to say I really prefer British designs for tanks from a strict visual profile. British tanks for me just look exactly like what I imagine tanks should look like

Leyland.....Hitler's other secret weapon! 😱

Great to see a new video from you. Well done.