![]() What this tank became was perhaps the finest tank ever made – the British Centurion, a tank in service for decades after the war, with hundreds of variants seeing combat around the globe. Even if it could not, the tank would be operationally deployed and the experience gained in a war zone would be invaluable in improving it. With some fighting still taking place there, it became a rush to get this brand new tank to Germany perhaps in the hope of some action. When this tank was finally ready, the war in Europe was all but over. Effectively, this would create a vehicle at least equal to the German Panther tank. The A.41 Cruiser Tank ‘Centurion’ had started life in October 1943 with a requirement for a 45-ton tank with a 650 horsepower engine, well sloped frontal armor, and carrying the new and powerful 17 pounder gun. The object of these first foreign Centurion trials was, therefore, to make use of the considerable battle experience of crews available in British forces in Europe and to conduct real-world trials under as near to combat conditions as possible. ![]() However, this new vehicle, the A.41 ‘Centurion’ could also be sent to mainland Europe for active trials in a war zone. The much-delayed project was finally ready by 1944 and passed initial domestic trials. In particular, by 1943, there was a desire to have a good cruiser tank, well protected and fielding the excellent 17 pounder gun. ![]() This, combined with the need to produce a large number of tanks to field against the Germans and their allies, had all contrived to hinder the design and production of new tanks. The United Kingdom, in particular, had by 1945, suffered terribly economically, industrially, and with the bombing of its civilians during World War 2. ![]() Even with the pressures of war taken into account, the process should be methodical to ensure that mechanically reliable vehicles with good fighting characteristics and survivability get to the front line. New tanks need to be designed, tested, and deployed carefully. ![]()
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