Author Topic: A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations  (Read 2942 times)

Offline Volkodav

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A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations
« on: December 23, 2018, 08:48:50 PM »
Just watched a build review of the Tamiya 1/35 Crusader (an updated re-boxing of the Italeri kit) and it got me thinking.  When I was a kid and knew nothing about anything I thought the Crusader was the coolest tank ever (except for maybe the Grant), it looked cool, its name sounded cool etc. Then as I got older reality intruded as I read about it poor armour, shocking reliability etc. and I was heart broken. 

Since then I have read (experienced) and learned more about defence projects in general and the root causes of the issues with many British tanks and the Crusader in particular.  For example they were driven from the transports to the loading docks for shipping overseas with no friggin oil in their engines.  Nuffield had the licence for the Liberty engine so refused to use (or for that matter produce) any other engine, no matter how much better (even in war profits are paramount).  Recommendations from France about improving protection on cruiser tanks being more important than anything else were ignored.

This leads me to wonder how easily, cheaply and quickly the Crusader could have been turned into an effective tank.

1. Nuffield is ordered to begin building the RR Merlin Tank engine for all future Cruiser tanks.
2. The Crusader is redesigned to fit the Merlin/Meteor
3. The extra power available is used to increase the base armour of the design, with corresponding improvements to suspension etc.

This vehicles hull would be slightly larger and the engine deck would look different, easy to do, just scalorama an Airfix 1/32 Crusader with 1/35 Turret and fittings from Tamiya / Italeri, maybe sourse road wheels and tracks from something more robust as well.

This slightly bigger, better armoured, tank with its superior drive train would have given breathing space to get the following Cromwell right, i.e. producing a vehicle that was basically a Comet with sloped armour in time for D-Day.

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Offline Volkodav

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Re: A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2018, 10:59:01 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOEuliX81Hw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79xG7Fm-rCo

Mmmm…… seen them before but thanks to the link and my autistic tendencies I have spent hours and hours watching (re watching The Chieftains Hatch videos of the last couple of days as well as Tank Museum vids as well.


Also watched the Covenantor and M-5 Videos and got thinking that Cruiser tanks were actually more like later light tanks (m-24, M-41 etc) than medium tanks.

Other things that struck me were that a modified Molins gun could have been an interesting addition to the Crusader / Covenanter with the Commander relocating behind the gunner and the auto loader magazine being arranged on the right (reduced in height / capacity to fit the turret).  Covenantor of course would need a rearranged cooling system that actually worked.

Offline jcf

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Re: A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2018, 06:28:54 AM »
Nuffield did not have a license for the Liberty, they produced a modified version
of the original, extensively modified by the time the Mk V version came about,
Morris (part of the Nuffield group of companies) switched to Meteor production
in 1943.

Anyhow the Liberty was chosen to power the new A13 Cruiser series on June 28, 1937
over the Thornycroft RY/12 60° V-12 marine engine and a modified version of the
Napier Lion W-12.

The first order for Nuffield Liberty Mk IIs (the Mk I were modified 1918 Liberties purchased
from the US), was let on January 28, 1939 (prep work went on throughout 1938) they were
used to power A13 Mk.IIs, production of this model was completed on January 10, 1940.

A15 development began in 1938 and continued into 1939, a contract for a pilot and 100
production vehicles was awarded on June 27, 1939, the pilot being delivered April 9, 1940,
production deliveries began early in 1941 and were completed by the fall.

The Meteor concept didn't come about until late 1940, no traction was gained until after a
meeting in March 1941, in May a contract was let to Leyland, who dragged their feet - they
really wanted their own diesel to be purchased, so the contract was cancelled on July 29, 1941.
Rolls-Royce Meadows continued with development, however by October 1941 only six
Meteor were in existence. The first production version wasn't under test until March 28, 1942.
Meadows, Rover and Morris combined had produced 1,490 engines by the end of February, 1943.

The timeline simply does not fit for Meteor powered A15s and the A15 was turned into a better
tank by development into the A24 Cavalier. Which in the end saw low production because the
A27 series was a better design, the A27L was Liberty powered the A27M being Meteor powered.
The engine bay was standardized around the Meteor so most A27L were converted to A27M once
enough Meteor were available.

Some 11,000+ Liberties of all Mks had been produced by the time production ended in 1943.

Robert J. Neal's A Technical & Operational History of the Liberty Engine: Tanks, Ships and
Aircraft 1917 - 1960
has an extensive section on the Nuffield Liberty and it's close interelation
with the Cruiser tanks, it also has detailed appendices on contracts and production numbers for
the tanks and which engine marks were used.
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conspiracy.”
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Offline Volkodav

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Re: A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2018, 10:12:22 PM »
Thanks, I will have to check that book out.

Offline Story

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Re: A15 Crusader Ideas and Inspirations
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2020, 02:59:12 AM »
Neat little video on building ITALERI's Crusader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDnSRUor0oM