- For the Steel Division: Normandy 44 unit see SD:Cromwell V (Pol)
Cromwell V is a Poland Tank unit in Steel Division II.
Background[ | ]
One of the cruiser tanks developed and employed by Great Britain, named after Oliver Cromwell, the A27M Cruiser entered service in 1944. The result of a long and complicated development history starting in 1940, the Cromwell was intended to be a replacement for the then-new Crusader as the A24 Cromwell. By 1942, different design ideas by the major British tank designers culminated in three different variants: The Nuffield A24 Cromwell I (eventually renamed Cavalier), Leyland A27L Cromwell II (Centaur), and the BRC&W A27M Cromwell III.
The Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon eventually became the Cromwell tank as it came to be known. Changing production circumstances and tactical requirements burther modified the design, leading to the inclusion of dual-purpose 75mm tank guns based on the performance of Lend-Lease M4 Shermans. Further improvements and modifications of the Cromwell until the first production variant, Cromwell IV, entered service. The distinguishing feature was the 600 HP Rolls-Royse Meteor aircraft engine, which gave the Cromwell an excellent power-to-weight ratio and made it the fastest tank in British service.
The V was a finalized production model, built in accordance with the Leyland Battle Cromwell model. The Final Specification from 2 February 1944 introduced a host of minor changes, including better armoring for the floor of the crew compartment, a 360 degree vision cupola for the commander, seam welding, and a standardized Meteor Engine and Merritt-Brown transmission. It still mounted the Royal Ordnance Quick Firing 75mm tank gun (a 6-pounder gun bored out to accommodate rounds for the M4 Sherman) with a coaxial 7.92mm BESA machine gun and another in the hull, and the usual armor of the IV (76mm max on the front, although the weight savings made with seam welding allowed for extra applique armor).
Like their British counterparts. 1. Pancerna (SD2) had a Armored Reconnaissance regiment in the 10th Mounted Rifles. These were equipped with Cromwell tanks.