SD:Cromwell V (UK)

 is a British Tank unit. It was the first British cruiser tank that was on par with the ubiquitous sherman tank and the Panzer IV. Fulfilling a similar role as the Sherman, the Cromwell first saw action in Normandy, where its speed and reliability was well-liked, but suffered against the heavier German tanks.

It is good at dealing with soft targets and lighter vehicles, but its armour is inadequately protected against enemy anti-tank guns and enemy tanks. In effect, the Cromwell is a cheaper, quicker but more weakly armoured Sherman tank.

Overview
Finally the British forces possessed a medium tank that could measure up to other medium tanks of the period, though it was still outclassed by the later German tanks, such as the Panther, by the time it arrived. Its significance was also diminished because large quantities of the similarly performing Sherman tanks had become available thanks to US industrial might, and for reasons of logistical simplicity the British chose the Sherman over the Cromwell tank. Nonetheless, the Cromwell would see much action in Normandy and its chassis would serve as the basis for the Challenger tank and the Comet tank.

In the Guards Armoured Cromwell were used by 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards who served as the Armored Reconnaissance Regiment for the Division. With concept of the Armored Reconnaissance Regiment not being successful in the Normandy Campaign, 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards served as the fourth Armored Regiment of the Guards Armoured. 2nd Household Cavalry a Armored Car Regiment replaced the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards as the reconnaissance element of the Guard Armored Division.

A squadron of 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of 6th Airborne which landed in Normandy with Tetrarch had replaced them with Cromwell Tanks after the linkup with the Seaborne elements of the division.

22nd Armored Brigade of the 7th Armoured had all of the Regiments equipped with Cromwell Tanks.

Strategy
The Cromwell tank is in most respects a mediocre tank. Its gun is very similar to the gun mounted on Sherman tanks, but the tank itself is rather poorly armoured. Limited numbers can be fielded in phase A by some Commonwealth divisions, where they can let their presence be felt. But in phase B, the Cromwell tank faces more powerful enemy untits, most of whom can reliably turn the cromwell into a smoldering wreck if improperly managed. A slightly up-armoured variant, the Cromwell VII tank, is available to the Guards Armoured division.

The Cromwell tank plays somewhat like the Panzer IV tank. It acts as a good infantry support tank and deters enemy halftracks, but is more vulnerable to enemy tank & anti-tank units than its American counterpart, the Sherman tank. The Cromwell should best be employed in a supporting role alongside more beefy tank units or in hit-and-run attacks, leveraging its impressive speed on roads (just 2 km/h slower than infantry mounted in a Bedford, GMC, or any of the M3/M5 halftracks).