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For the Steel Division II unit see SD2:Cromwell V (Pol)

Cromwell V is a Polish Tank unit.

Overview[ | ]

Main article: Cromwell tank

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).

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.

Like most British based Armored Divisions, 1. Pancerna had the 10th Polish Mounted Rifle Regiment servings as the Armored Reconnaissance Regiment equipped with Cromwell tanks.

Strategy[ | ]

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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 units, 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.

Cromwell versus Sherman[ | ]

Players can usually opt for either the Sherman tank or the Cromwell tank in phase B. Whereas the Sherman is better armoured, the Cromwell enjoys a higher road & off-road speed. The British medium tank is also cheaper with its cost of 120 points.



Dywizja pancerna
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