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Britain
Cruiser MK VIII (Challenger A30)

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The Cruiser MK VIII was designed in 1942, manufactured by Rolls Royce based on the existing fully tracked Cruiser Tank and was in use from 1944 to 1950.

Flag of World War 2 Britain
Photo of Cruiser MK VIII (Challenger A30)
Click photo for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cruiser MK VIII(Challenger A30) scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1944 - 1950
Quantity Produced200
Weight32 tonne
Crew5
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length8.10 mtr
Width2.92 mtr
Height2.77 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed32 mph
Max Cross Country Speed15 mph
Range Road120 miles
Range Cross Country48 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacity116 gal
Horse Power600 hp
Power/Weight18 hp/tonne
General Information
The Cruiser MK VIII was designed in 1942, manufactured by Rolls Royce based on the existing fully tracked Cruiser Tank and was in use from 1944 to 1950.

The vehicle was powered by Rolls Royce 'Meteor V-12' petrol powerplant producing 600 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 32 mph with a range of about 120 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 15 mph and a range of about 48 miles.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a 0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 17pdr which could penetrate 170 mm of flat plate at 400 metres

The Challenger tank was designed as a heavy cruiser tank that could rapidly move and provide good A/T performance, in appearance it looked like the Cavalier.

The vehicle had a rear Rolls Royce Meteor engine producing 600hp driving the tracks, towards the main front idler over the 6 large road wheels, round the idler and back under the roadwheels in the standard Christie style.

The Challenger was a redesigned Cromwell designed to take the 17pdr AT gun, however too many changes were needed and only a few vehicles saw service.

Armour Details
Turret
Front76mm@(76mm)
Side63mm@(63mm)
Rear57mm@(57mm)
Top20mm@81°(20mm)
Superstructure
Front63mm@(63mm)
Side32mm@(32mm)
Rear32mm@(32mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Hull
Front57mm@(57mm)
Side32mm@(32mm)
Rear32mm@(32mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 76 mm - Minimum 20 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4
(Machine Gun)
Blank
ManufacturerBrowning
Manufactured1919 - 1945
Calibre7.60mm
LengthL/80
Rate of Fire480 rpm
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
.30-06 Springfield
(BALL Standard Small Arms)
7.62mm 0.012Kg 820M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.15
Penetration(mm@30°) 2
Penetration(mm@0°) 3
Hit Probability(%) 98


Weapon Details
Flag
Ordnance Q.F. 17pdr
(Anti Tank Gun)
Blank
Manufactured1942 - unknown
Calibre76.20mm
LengthL/55
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
17pdr MkI - MkIII
(AP Armor Piercing)
76.20mm 7.65Kg 950M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 130mm@915m
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.22 0.44 0.94 1.5 2.13 2.85 3.69
Penetration(mm@30°) 174 161 147 129 113 97 84 71
Penetration(mm@0°) 201 186 170 150 131 113 97 82
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 98 88 60 34 22



17pdr HE/Red
(HE High Explosive)
76.20mm 6.1Kg 550M/Sec 0.480Kg explosive
Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.37 0.77 1.63 2.59 3.68 4.93 6.37
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.18 0.37 0.77 1.63 2.59 3.68 4.93 6.37
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 81 44 22 8 3
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill2 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill5 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill13 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr1 mm
An explosion within 2 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal.
An explosion within 5 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's.
An explosion within 13 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties.
The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 1 mm of the tank armour including the roof.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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