BRITISH CROMWELL MK.IV CRUISER TANK

The Cromwell A27M was a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built as early as 1941, but serial production continued in the period 1943-1945. In total, about 4,100 copies of this tank were built. Cromwell was powered by an engine Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 with 600 hp. It was armed with a single 75mm ROQF cannon and two 7.92mm Besa machine guns. Tank Cromwell was constructed as the successor to the Crusader tank. The technical requirements for a new tank for the British Army were already specified in 1940, and analytical work and the first prototypes appeared at the beginning of the next year. However, due to problems with serial production of the drive unit, serial production started only in 1943. The Cromwell, when it entered service, turned out to be a very successful tank, technically refined, and above all, having a lot of maneuverability. However, its poor armor and mediocre main armament were criticized, which was inferior to the 17-pounder cannon, which was the main armament of the Sherman Firefly tanks at the time. Despite this, Cromwell is recognized as one of the most successful British armored designs of World War II. Several versions of this tank were created in the course of serial production. Chronologically, the first was the Cromwell I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. Shortly after, the Cromwell V was created, in which the hull production technique was changed and the armor at the front of the car was strengthened (from 76 mm to 100 mm). There was also a version VII with even more reinforced armor and wider tracks - it was also the last production series. Cromwell tanks were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES), namely the 1st Armored Division.