Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger
Encyclopedia
The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It mounted the 17 Pounder gun on the Cromwell
Cromwell tank
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell ,The designation as the eighth Cruiser tank design, its name given for ease of reference and its General Staff specification number respectively and the related Centaur tank, were one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second...
chassis to add heavier anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank
Cruiser tank
The cruiser tank was a British tank concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the Second World War....
units.
The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis gave a tank with a powerful weapon but with less armour. The extemporised Sherman Firefly
Sherman Firefly
The Sherman Firefly was a World War II British variant of the American Sherman tank, fitted with the powerful British 17 pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon...
conversion of the US-supplied Sherman to take the 17 pounder was easier to produce and combined with delays in production meant that only 200 were built. It was however able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and used alongside them.
History
The driving force in the development of Challenger was Roy Robotham. Robotham had been a Rolls-Royce executive in the car division who, with no work to do, had led a team to develop a tank powerplant from the Rolls-Royce MerlinRolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
aircraft engine. The Rolls-Royce Meteor
Rolls-Royce Meteor
The Rolls-Royce Meteor was a British tank engine of the Second World War.It was developed from the Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine by W. A. Robotham and his chassis design and development division at Belper, as they were not involved in aero-engine work...
gave the British a powerful reliable engine which would power the A27M Cromwell tank
Cromwell tank
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell ,The designation as the eighth Cruiser tank design, its name given for ease of reference and its General Staff specification number respectively and the related Centaur tank, were one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second...
. Robothams contributions gained him a place in the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
and on the Tank Board despite his lack of experience in tank design.
Initially Vickers had been working on a "High Velocity" 75 mm (3 in) gun to be fitted to Cromwell but it was realised that the Cromwell's turret ring was too small to mount it. There were longer term plans to develop improved tanks to replace Cromwell - this would deliver the interim Comet tank
Comet tank
The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It was designed to provide greater anti-tank capability to Cromwell tank squadrons. It was armed with a 77mm HV, a derivative of the 17 pounder, with the result it was one of the few British...
and, at the end of the war, the Centurion tank
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
.
The General Staff brought forward a specification A29 for a 17 pounder armed cruiser tank. This was passed over for the alternate specification A30 for a 17 pounder armed tank.
In 1942, an order for a 17 pounder gun armed tank was placed with Birmingham Carriage expecting it to be based on the A27M components. Turret and gun mounting was in the hands of Stothert & Pitt. Birmingham Carriage had to modify the Cromwell hull to take a bigger turret.
Design
To accommodate the large weapon and a second loader, a turret larger than that of the Cromwell was required and the hull had to be enlarged. It was lengthened and an extra road wheel added. This change in length without a corresponding change in width across the tracks reduced mobility compared to the Cromwell.The hull machine gun was removed for stowage of the long 17pdr cartridges. It was expected that these large and heavy 17 pdr ammunition together with its stowage forward would require two loaders and this led to a larger turret.
In order to keep the weight under control, compromises had to be made and armour
Vehicle armour
Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, missiles, or shells, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include tanks, aircraft, and ships....
ing was reduced. It was not possible to reduce hull armour so it was reduced on the turret 63 mm on the front and 40 mm on the side compared to 75 mm and 60 mm on the Cromwell. The base of the turret was unprotected so to clear any jam resulting from enemy action a jacking feature was fitted.
The first Challenger was completed in 1942, the second tested at Lulworth. At that time the Challenger was criticized that although it would be effective at long range against the current best gunned tank in German service, the Panzer IV "Special" with the long 75 mm gun at shorter ranges it would be at a disadvantage due to slow firing rate and thin armour.
An order for 200 was placed in February 1943. In November of that year it was announced that no more would be ordered.
Service
Unfortunately, due to some short sightedness no provision had been made for deep wading trunking and the A30 was unable to participate in the Normandy landings, the tank having to wait until ports had been secured and the Mulberry harbourMulberry harbour
A Mulberry harbour was a British type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy....
s completed. The Challenger, despite its high centre of gravity was liked by its crews as it was somewhat faster and more agile than the equivalently armed Sherman Firefly
Sherman Firefly
The Sherman Firefly was a World War II British variant of the American Sherman tank, fitted with the powerful British 17 pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon...
. The Firefly design which had been a backup proved to be easier to build and production of the Challenger was stopped with about 200 built. Many of the A30s were issued to units using the Cromwell to ease maintenance as they shared many parts.
Variants
The Avenger or SP 17pdr, A30 (Avenger)was a variant on the Challenger idea with a differently shaped open topped turret to help reduce weight. With priority production at Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
for the Comet tank
Comet tank
The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It was designed to provide greater anti-tank capability to Cromwell tank squadrons. It was armed with a 77mm HV, a derivative of the 17 pounder, with the result it was one of the few British...
, those built in 1945 were not ready for use until after the end of the war in Europe. Some 250 were built and these formed part of the BAOR
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
in Germany.
Survivors
Two vehicles survive. One is at the Overloon War MuseumOverloon War Museum
The National War and Resistance Museum of the Netherlands is located at Overloon, municipality Boxmeer....
in the Netherlands. The other is awaiting restoration at the Isle of Wight Military Museum in the United kingdom. Once restored, it will be displayed at the Bovington Tank Museum
Bovington Tank Museum
The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the United Kingdom that traces the history of the tank. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the second-largest collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the world.The Musée des Blindés in France...
.