This article was designed to review Revell's new 1/72nd scale Cromwell IV kit and the S&S 28-30mm wargames Cromwell. I have broadened it to include some other Cromwell models, plus some general information on the Cromwell that I found while working on my Firefly book.

1. Cromwell. A quick guide.
2. Cromwell versions
3. Cromwell use in 1944 and 1945 - sample data from PRO files.
4. Cromwell Production.
5. 1^st Royal Tank Regiment Cromwells 1944.
6. Revell Cromwell IV - 1/72^nd
7. S&S Cromwell VII - 28-30mm (approx. 1/60^th).
8. Tamiya Cromwell IV - 1/35^th, plus notes on the Centaur IV kit.
9. Other Cromwell models.
10. Statistics and performance.
11. References.

1. Cromwell. A quick guide.

The Cromwell was a very important tank and does not get the credit it deserves. It was second only in importance to the Churchill as the prime British tank in 21^st Army Group. It was in service from 1943 until about 1960. It was the first British tank, to combine reliability, high speed, an acceptable general purpose gun and reasonable armour. In 1943 it would have been a winner as on most counts it was superior to the Sherman (especially if you factor in the far lower silhouette), but it did not reach the troops in a usable version until just in time for D Day. The 1943 versions, not being considered battle worthy. In 1945 it was in most categories of tank verses tank combat a liability. In 1950 it would have been a death trap, by 1960 I dread to imagine. It just shows how fast tank technology was advancing in this period. David Fletcher quotes Major General Duncan (then Director Royal Armoured Corps) in 1950 as saying that "The Cromwell 75mm is not a battle worthy tank. It is incapable of knocking out frontally any Russian tank...owing to our overall deficiencies it would be necessary to equip a formation with Cromwells in the event of mobilisation. I considered that this would be very unpleasant for the formation concerned." (1951). From Mr Fletcher's article in "Wheels and Tracks No 60 on the Charioteer.

Just what is a Cromwell? Well it was a boxy tank constructed of flat armour plates on a steel frame. It was based around the wonderful Christie suspension, used in British Cruisers going back to the A13 and the superb Rolls Royce Meteor engine. It had rear drive sprockets, a low silhouette and was armed with the 6 Pdr gun, 95mm close support gun or the British 75mm QF, although only the latter two weapons seem to have seen combat. Armour protection varied, but eventually got up to 101mm on the front plate in the up-armoured versions. Many Cromwells were of riveted construction, but later ones were welded, with their serial number having a "w" on the end to indicate this fact. It was the main equipment of the British Armoured Division's Armoured Reconnaissance Regiments and of the 7^th Armoured Division. Note that it only served in North West Europe (at least in WW2) and was not used in Italy, nor in the Middle or Far East, baring a few test vehicles, until after WW2. Post war it saw action in Korea and soldiered on as a training tank, until at least 1960. Exports seem few and baring use by the Poles and Czech's under British leadership it was not used by foreign nations, except for the odd test vehicle, like the one shipped to the US for comparative trials. The one exception would seem to have been the single one captured in Korea from the British and then used against them, until the Cromwells grandson (the Centurion) took it out with a well placed 20 Pdr shot.

The tank was a linear development of the A15 Crusader, via the A24 Cavalier (simply put a Cromwell hull and 6 Pdr turret, but with a Crusader type rear hull to accommodate the old Liberty engine.), and the A27L Centaur. It had been believed that many Centaurs were converted to Cromwells, by replacing the Liberty with a Meteor, but it now seems more likely that the contracts were changed and the tanks produced as Cromwells from the start.

This leads nicely into a key problem with the whole Cromwell family. It is virtually impossible to tell versions apart as the identifying features are often hidden. The obvious changes such as the main gun or the hull crew hatches not withstanding, detail differences to the engine deck hatch layout and the welded or riveted hull form. Two Cromwells can for example be of different marks, but have the same hull form are hard to see. This makes them very difficult to model as it is harder to see every detail than it is say with a Sherman, a Panther or a Churchill. Examples were rebuilt, in some cases more than once. Basically on the basis of current research there were about eight marks and a whole plethora of sub marks using three main hull forms. Add in the three armament variations and the welded or riveted construction, you have a very confusing mess for the researcher, war gamer or model maker to work out. It was made by several manufacturers; probably Leyland, LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, plus English Electric for early examples. Given that records are incomplete one must be very careful about making categorical statements. The first modern attempt after Chamberlain and Ellis (British and American Tanks of WW2, 1969.) was by (in alphabetical order) John Church, David Fletcher and Dick Harley for Tankette Vol 14, No 5 in 1979. This article with 1/76^th scale plans was very important and is the standard, by which the subject can be judged. One must not forget the Profile by Major James Bingham and more recently "Cromwell Tank" by David Fletcher (HMSO) and David's Darlington Publications "Museum Ordnance Special Number 25". These have however concentrated on the Cromwell IV. In Polish we have Janusz Ledwoch's monograph "Cromwell", which is very good, with excellent photos and artwork and some English captions. But I can not comment on the text as my Polish is non-existent! For a bibliography, please see later in this article.

2. Cromwell versions.

As noted above it is very hard to tell Cromwells apart and unlike some tanks (such as Fireflies), there is some mileage in using serial numbers to assist. The following is from research done by Phil Greenwood and I am indebted to him for allowing me to reproduce this for this article:

"I have come up with the following info on who built the Cromwell, but it's not complete.

Table 1: Serials

T171964 -186999	Centaur (none seen converted) Built by Leyland
T187000 -187999	Cromwell MkIV & VI 'D' hull Built by Leyland
T188000 - 188999	Cromwell MkV 'F' Hull "
T189000 - 190500	Cromwell MkIV 'C' Hull LMS Railway ???
T217000 - 218500	Centaur (none seen converted) Morris Motors
T120415 - 120689	Cromwell MkVI D&F Hulls Metro Cammell
T121000 - 121999	Cromwell V/Vw/VIIw D* Hull Birmingham RC&W Co


* = 'Vauxhall' Drivers Hatch

Number blocks seem to have been allocated to manufacturers, tanks in the blocks certainly have similar generic features. I should point out the mark quoted is the main production mark, a few early tanks in the number blocks were pilots and MkI's. Also some number blocks have large gaps in them so cannot be used to calculate numbers built."

 

Table 2. Hull types:

Type	Description
A	Hull crew hatches in roof only (easily blocked by the turret), 4 stowage bins, no raised air intake. Cavalier similar and rear hull, no exhaust grille.
B	Hull gunners side hatch introduced, 3 stowage bins.
C	As B, but with Reshaped air intake fitted, armour thinner at rear.
D	Different pattern of engine deck hatches, very common other wise as C.
E	Externally identical to D, but with internal modifications to drive train to govern speed to 32 mph, reducing wear and tear.
F	As E, but with a side hatch for the driver, 1 less bin, often supplemented with standardised turret bins.

 

Table 3. The marks were as far as I can tell at the moment:

Mark	Main gun	Track width/Road wheel type	Riveted or welded hull (R or W)	Appliqué armour	Hull Types	Notes
I	6 Pdr	14 in/ Holes	R	No frontal 76mm base	A, B, C	Training only, but could be reworked to 75mm standard, becoming a later mark in the process.
II	6 Pdr , no hull Besa	15.5 in	R	No frontal 76mm base	A	No hull gunner or hull Besa. Dave Fletcher states that this version was never produced.
III	6 Pdr or 75mm	14 in/ Holes	R	No frontal 76mm base	A, B, C	Reworked Centaur I (sometimes called Cromwell X)
IV	75mm	14 in/Solid	R	No frontal 76mm base	B, C, D, E, F	Centaurs built as Cromwells. It was believed that these were converted Centaurs. Some sources provide for welded Mk IV's. Or should that be a Vw?
V	75mm	14 in/Solid	R	No frontal 76mm base	D, E	New build Cromwells, and rebuilt Mk I's?.
Vw	75mm	14 in/Solid	W	No frontal 76mm base	D, E	New build Cromwells
VI	95mm	14 in/Solid	R	No frontal 76mm base	D, E, F	Reworked or new build Cromwell
VIw	95mm	14 in/Solid	W	No frontal 76mm base	D, E, F	New build Cromwell?
VII	75mm	15.5 in or 14 in/Solid	W	Yes to 101mm std frontal	E, F	Upgraded Cromwell IV. Largely post-war, but did see service in 1945.
VIIw	75mm	15.5 in/Solid	W	Yes to 101mm std frontal	E, F	New build Cromwell or rebuilt Cromwell Vw
VIII	95mm	15.5 in/Solid	R	Yes to 101mm std frontal	D, E, F ?	Reworked Mk VI, possibly some VIIIw based on Vw hulls. Post war as far as I can see.
Centaur IV CS	95mm, no hull Besa	14 in	R	No	C, D?	114 built, less used.
Charioteer	20 Pdr , no hull Besa	15.5 in	W	No, but hull front thicker	F	1950 to about 1979 in foreign service.

This is a very rough stab at a problem that will continue to vex researchers for many years to come. You can see why it's so complex!

Phil's list also notes "Type D* with the * equating to a Vauxhall type drivers hatch, which differed from the earlier pattern, by being split diagonally in two.

As this article is primarily aimed at gamers and model makers. I can suggest the following simple solution as none of us are going to solve this issue over night. That solution; is to model your Cromwell on a photo. You will be unlikely to be able to see all of the details, but you will have to a take a guess safe in the knowledge that with the best brains working on this topic no one has cracked the full details yet! For war gamers, the armament is the 75mm or 95mm guns, no matter what the hull and I suppose that the eight mph speed difference between D and E/F hulls could be of importance, as could the extra armour of the latter vehicles. This of course takes the late Cromwells to only 9mm less than the Tiger I's similar angled glacis, but with a far greater road speed, even though across country the Cromwells narrow tracks, might not have made up for its lighter weight. It might also be that the welded examples were less vulnerable to a non penetrating hit, but I have found no evidence of this and doubt if it would be important within a wargame. To model makers, pick your photo and model it. The differences are easy to model and in 1/35^th there are numerous conversion sets to help you.

The road wheels are referred to as "Holes" or "Solid". This is my shorthand for the Crusader style road wheels with tyres with holes in the outer face, or the later wheels with solid tyres, without holes. Fortunately for the model maker both are available in 1/72^nd and 1/35^th, with it being an easy modification in 1/76^th. Note that Centaur IV CS's used in Normandy seem to have had the "holes" road wheels, but some later Centaur conversions, such as the ARV may have had the solid wheels. The preserved Centaur IV CS in France is a post war rebuild for display and has post war wheels from a Centurion and should not be taken as representative of wartime tanks. The wheels with holes in are called "perforated" in some sources.

3. Cromwell use in 1944 and 1945 - sample data from PRO files.

Table 4. Sample returns from various files from Cromwell units in 1944: Figures show tanks with a unit fit or fit within 24 hours, KO or unfit within 24 hours are excluded:

Date	Unit	Cromwell 75mm	Cromwell 95mm	Notes
30th June	11th AD, 2 N Yeo	31 + 3 in Fwd Del Sqn	2	4 75mm in 11 AD HQ
30th June	256 Army Delivery Sqn	9	0
30th June	7th AD, 22 Armd Bde + 8th Hussars	189 + 8 in Fwd Del Sqn	24 + 1 in Fwd Del Sqn
30th July	5th Gds Armd Bde, 2nd W Gds	56 + 8 in Fwd Del Sqn	5
30th July	7th AD, 22nd Armd Bde + 8th Hussars	171 + 8 in Fwd Del Sqn	20
30th July	11th AD, 2 N Yeo	51	4
21st October	Czech Armd Bde	110	14
21st October	Gds Armd Div	63	4
21st October	7th Armd Div	175	17
21st October	11th Armd Div	44	5
21st October	1st Polish Armd Div	33	3

Table 5. December 1944 statistics:

Unit	Cromwell 75mm	Cromwell 95mm	Cromwell ARV
7th Armd div	196	23	12
11th Armd Div	49	7	3
29th Armd Bde	18	-	-
Guards Armd Div	70	7	3
1st Polish Armd Div	60	5	0
Czech Armd Bde	125	13	5
Other units	4	0	1
ARG's	98	9	3
Totals	620	64	27

 

Table 6. Holdings week ending 3^rd February 1945. From WO 219/3352.

Unit	Mk IV/V 75mm	Mk VII 75mm	Mk VI 95mm	ARV	Tk Ops RAC	TK Ops RA
7th Arm Div	181	6	23	14	9	10
11th Arm Div	43	0	6	3	7	0
Gds Arm Div	67	2	7	3	0	0
1st Polish Armd Div	60	0	5	3	3	0
6th Airborne Div	8	0	0	0	0	0
12 Corps Trps	2	0	0	1	0	0
30 Corps Trps	0	3	0	0	0	0
8th Armd Bde	1	0	0	0	0	0
29th Armd Bde	20	0	0	0	8	16
Czech Armd Bde	143	3	16	6	4	4
Total unit holdings	525	14	57	31	31	30
Other holdings	270	14	53	16	0	0
Total reported holdings	795	28	110	47	36	30

 

 

Table 7, Holdings week ending 12^th May 1945. From WO 219/3353.

Unit	Mk IV/V/ VII 75mm	Mk VI 95mm	ARV	Tk Ops RAC	TK Ops RA
7th Arm Div	178	27	15	2	18
11th Arm Div/29th Armd Bde	10	29	18	8	8
Gds Arm Div	62	6	2	0	0
1st Polish Armd Div	53	5	3	3	0
6 Gds Armd Bde	1	0	0	0	0
8 Corps Trps	0	0	1	0	0
3rd Br Inf. Div	0	0	1	0	0
8th Armd Bde	2	0	0	0	0
Czech Armd Bde	159	21	6	8	4
Total unit holdings	468	88	28	21	40
Other holdings	228	62	10	1	7
Total reported holdings	688	150	38	22	47

Note that by now all 75mm Cromwells are recorded in the same column, so one can't say how many MK VII's there were. But this does prove that some MK VII's were used in WW2. But the numbers were quite low, compared to the MK IV and V. It is probable that the MK VII did not enter service until January 1945, but more work is required to confirm this. Note that no MK VIII were in use before the war ended on the basis of these records.

Within the above Divisions and Brigades the following Regiments used Cromwells:

Table 8. Cromwell Regiments 1944-45:

Regiment	Parent formation
10th Mounted Rifle Regiment	1st Polish Armoured Division
8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars	7th Armoured Division
1st Royal Tank Regiment	7th Armoured Division
5th Royal Tank Regiment	7th Armoured Division
4th County of London Yeomanry (to July 44)	7th Armoured Division
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (from July 44)	7th Armoured Division
6th Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment (RAC)	6th Airborne Division
2nd Battalion Welch Guards	Guards Armoured Division
2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry (to August 44)	11th Armoured Division
15/19th Royal Kings Hussars (from August 44)	11th Armoured Division

Table 9. An overview of Cromwell unit statistics from the Six Monthly RAC Progress reports:

Unit	June 44 75mm	June 44 95mm	June 44 OP	June 44 ARV	Dec 44 75mm	Dec 44 95mm	Dec 44 ARV	June 45 75mm	June 45 95mm	June 45 ARV	June 45 OP
7th Armd Div	201	24	8	14	196	23	12	90	31	13	-
11th Armd Div	62	6	0	3	49	7	3	95	26	-	8
Gds Armd Div	59	6	0	3	70	7	3	-	-	-	-De-mechanised.
Polish Armd Div	53	6	0	3	60	5	-	49	7	3	3
Total with units	375	42	11	23	522	55	24	154	64	18	13
UE	385	42	-	23	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
ARG/Depots	100	13	-	6	98	9	3	314	65	6	-
Res UE	124	15	-	8
Czech Armd Bde	116 (UE, none issued)	14	4	9	125	13	5	-	-	-	-
8th Armd Bde	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	5	-	1	2
12 Corps	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-
30 Corps	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	3	-	-	-
3 Inf Div	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-

Source WO/165/135-137

4. Cromwell production.

Cromwell production. I am not sure what the total production of the tank was at this stage. It is known that orders for about 3500 of all Cromwell marks were made. The following may be of interest:

File Avia 11/30 records that in 1944. 1935 Cromwells were built. Of those 1730 were to F.S. standard. I am not sure what this was, but it refers to a Cromwell that was fit for combat. To support these, plus other equipped tanks some 2,849 Meteor engines were made. This makes Cromwell in 1944 the most widely produced British tank, with about 800 more built than Churchill's in the same period.

The end June 1944 RAC Progress Report notes the following:

"Cromwell IV, V, VI, VII, VIII"

"The Cromwell Series are all powered by the Rolls Royce Meteor engine, and are considerably faster than any other type of Cruiser Tank in Service. All Cromwells are fitted with geared elevation. Cromwell IV and V mount the 75mm and 7.92mm Besa coaxially and the VI mounts the 95mm How and 7.92mm Besa coaxially. These three marks of Cromwell are all fitted with 14" tracks. The later Marks VII and VIII are respectively developments of the MK V and VI, the MK VII mounting a 75mm and 7.92mm coaxially and the MK VIII mounting a 95mm How and 7.92mm coaxially. Both these later marks have 15.1/2 " tracks.

Earlier models of all Cromwell Marks were considered to be unbattleworthy owing to numerous defects, but all Cromwells reworked to FS Specification can now be used operationally."

Phil Greenwood gave me the following:

The 'battle worthiness' referred to with regard to the Cromwell may have been the floor plates. I believe that the Centaur had 8mm floor plates which was too thin, and may be why none were converted to Cromwell. Later tanks (Cromwell MkIV ?) had the armour under the fighting compartment increased to 14mm, but that under the engine bay remained 8mm. Final production (Cromwell MkV ?) tanks had 14mm overall. It is also worthy of note that most riveted tanks had their front plates reinforced by welding prior to D-Day. This was also part of the 'battle worthiness' programme.

Peter Brown thinks that FS could stand for "Field Service" or "Full Service", but this is conjectural at the present time. But it would make sense and fits known British terminology.

Table 10. Orders placed:

Mark	Order
IV	1935
V	170
VI	390
VII	100
VIII	No orders placed yet
Centaur IV, Liberty Engine	114, RM Support Group only

Peter also notes that at PRO he found files in the cabinet (CAB) series that show that Centaurs were still being produced after the first Cromwells. This is another example of how complex the A27 story is.

I will undertake to do more work at PRO to see if I can bottom out the details.

5. 1^st Royal Tank Regiment Cromwells 1944.

I have very detailed information for one unit in the build up to D Day. This is 1^st RTR, part of 7^th Armoured Division from their war diary:

Table 11. The left hand figure is the tanks on operational strength, with the right hand figure the training tanks:

Date	Mark 1	Mk IV	MK V	ARV	Centaur III/IV
1st April	0/6	18/20	10/8	3/0	0/4
14th and 21st April	0/6	33/20	10/8	3/0	0/4

 

 

Table 12. Cromwell used by 1^st RTR 6^th June 1944:

Squadron	Vehicle code (wireless station)	Commander	Name	WD serial number	Possible Mark
A	Control	Maj. RJ Crisp	Anewnoit	189689	IV C
A	2	Capt. JB Smethurst	Anwecandoit	120486	VI D or F 95mm
A	3	SSM R MacGregor	Andsodowe	190054	IV C
A	5	Lt HE Kirkham	Ajax	189865	IV C
A	5A	Sgt W Tibbles	Achilles	189511	IV C
A	5B	Sgt A Garvey	Anson	189522	IV C
A	6	Capt. PN Clapperton	Annous	189557	IV C
A	6A	Lt CH Gray	Apre Vous	121749w	Vw D*
A	6B	Sgt G Mckee	Apache	189521	IV C
A	7	Lt JM Storey	Angel	190032	IV C
A	7A	Sgt AW Davies	Astrid	121740w	Vw D*
A	7B	Cpl D Spencer	Antoinette	189560	IV C
A	8	Lt GA Roper	Andrea	121746w	Vw D*
A	8A	Sgt B Whiteland	-	190027	IV C
A	8B	Cpl B Shelsher	Ali Baba	189559	IV C
B	Control	Maj. RW Gillespie	Miss Blandish II	190057	IV C
B	2	Capt. BF Canham	Bertrand Du Gurschlin	190053	IV C
B	3	SSM EE Brown	Buonaparte	120482	VI D or F 95mm
B	5	Lt AM Walker	Oor Wullie	121747w	Vw D*
B	5A	Sgt W White?	Atlanta	190064	IV C
B	5B	L/Sgt E Tait	Lilli Marlene	190025	IV C
B	6	Lt EWC Smart	Lady Godiva	121750w	Vw D*
B	6A	2nd Lt P Fletcher	The Saint	189539	IV C
B	6B	Sgt F Williams	Fair maid O Perth	121745w	Vw D*
B	7	Lt B McEnrey	El Abugiesse V	189530	IV C
B	7A	Sgt T Taylor	Little Audrey II	189873	IV C
B	7B	Sgt A Elvy	Betty Boop I	189524	IV C
B	8	Lt DA Wickenden	Minerva	189517	IV C
B	8A	Sgt J McConnachie	Diana	190031	IV C
B	8B	Sgt F Wildgoose	Venus	189867	IV C
C	Control	Maj. CL Sproull	The Old firm	189517	IV C
C	2	Capt. J Mears	Tobruk Boy	190052	IV C
C	3	SSM W Ashwell	Champ II	120480	VI D or F 95mm
C	5	Capt. JAA Shambrook	-	121748w	Vw D*
C	5A	Lt HR Herrington	-	189872	IV C
C	5B	Sgt C McCarty	-	190024	IV C
C	6	2nd Lt EJ Prowse	Fuka Walad	121743w	Vw D*
C	6A	Sgt H Lincoln	Cumon Thith Way	189879	IV C
C	6B	Cpl M Gerrard	Marleesh	190022	IV C
C	7	Lt G Boak	Slaphappy	121742w	Vw D*
C	7A	Sgt L Dauncey	Miss - Kwoise	190026	IV C
C	7B	Sgt E Wainright	G.U.T.S.	187826	IV or VI D
C	8	Lt R Frost	Crippen I	189859	IV C
C	8A	Sgt HJ Smith	Lord Crump III	189875	IV C
C	8B	L/Sgt H Gerrard	Avenger II	190028	IV C

The regiment also had a VC Firefly with each Troop - see the authors book "Firefly" for further details and some M3 Stuarts and scout cars as the recce element. The list is detailed with information from Christopher Gray via Peter Brown. The possible mark and hull type is based upon Phil Greenwoods table listed above and from notes from Mr Gray. The list is also on "British Tank Names and Markings", By BT White.

6. Revell Cromwell IV - 1/72^nd

The Revell Cromwell is probably the most welcomed tank kit for many years and it's great that Revell have seen fit to make a simple kit at pocket money prices of something other than yet another Panzer. Airfix considered one in 1/76^th many years ago, but nothing came of it. Revells new range has been a little variable, with such poor kits as the Stug IV and great kits like the Panzer III's. The Cromwell falls into the later category. Revell seem to have taken the same route as Tamiya and replicated the Mk IV at Bovington's Tank Museum. This Cromwell is serial T190003 Type C hull and like Tamiya's kit the model looks just right and falls within acceptable dimensional accuracy. It includes Tamiya's option of a Cullin hedgerow device and a Normandy Cowl. Revell have also replicated some of Tamiya's marking options as they did with the reissued Firefly, which replicated some of Dragons options. The first one is the 4^th CLY tank knocked out at Villers Bocage. See "Villers Bocage Through The Lens" for a series of photos of the tank and the modifications you would need to model this vehicle. See my photo of my Tamiya Cromwell for this, with the book photo in the background. The second option appears as colour artwork in Les Blindes Allies En Normandie, P45. I have not managed to find a photo of this Cromwell though to back up the artwork. If the serial is correct this tank should be a IV or VI on a D Hull. This means that the engine deck hatch layout would need to be modified to D standard. Otherwise the IV and V should be practically identical externally.

The kit builds up quite well, but the seven part lower hull (with separate outer hull sides) needs a bit of care to get it right. Tamiyas more modern single part lower hull is far easier to get right. I mention this as if you are war gamer intent on throwing together a few in an evening, think again as the kit will take a bit of care. The link and length track is also not something for speedy construction. It looks great once assembled, but again it takes time. Modern flexible track as used by Tamiya in recent kits is far easier to use and just as realistic. One problem with the kit track is that when I re modelled the suspension to show the flexibility of the Christie type, the long lengths of track did not have the flexibility to really take to the shape I wanted to put them into! But build the tank on the level and you should have few problems. The kits suspension is very easy to adapt like this as you can just carefully slice the axles away and bend them up or down, using the wheels to position it against the diorama surface. My model is based on a Cromwell crossing a railway line in 1945, from a photo in Dave Fletcher's recent book "British Tanks of WW2, (2) Holland and Germany 1944/45". The motorbike was a modified Nitto Harley Davidson, changed to represent a generic military motorbike. The base is a Matchbox M16 kit item, in a Homebase filler groundwork. The model is painted in Hannants Xtracolor Khaki Drab No 15 enamel. Decals come mainly from Fingerprint designs.

Hasegawa/Revell have issued a Crusader III kit in 1/72^nd and this can provide the holed tyre road wheels and parts useful for a Cavalier.

Overall the kit is very nice and I give it 9/10, only spoiled from the perfect 10 by the work needed on the tracks and the complicated fit of some parts. At £4.99 in the UK a steal.





 

 

 

7. S&S Cromwell VII - 28-30mm (approx. 1/60^th).

1. Tamiya Cromwell IV - 1/35^th, plus notes on the Centaur IV kit.

Just a quick mention of these kits to cover the inclusion of the model photo. These kits have been out for a few years and give the model maker a lot of kit, even at about £22.00 + in the UK at the moment. Basically they are the same kit, baring the perforated road wheels in the Centaur kit and the difference in armament. I have already built both kits, improving them a little to better represent the vehicles upon which they are based. See the photos for details (Cromwell on the left, Centaur on the right). One point is that it seems unlikely based on Phil Greenwoods recent work that any Cromwells had the internal track tensioning device, so the external one should be fitted to a Cromwell, with the other parts saved for an earlier conversion. They are excellent kits, that fit like a dream and have good decal sheets. Options for the Centaur are limited due to its limited use. The two most photographed examples are included and Hunter is the easiest to model, with a few modifications to the serial number and details. The alternative has the earlier pattern track guards, but these are available in the Eduard etched steel sets. Depending upon which vehicle (either Cromwell or Centaur) you are making you might need both detail sets as they provide some complimentary parts. Aber produce sets as well including an early conversion that would be useful. Accurate Armour make conversion and details parts as well including the 15 1/2 in tracks and sprocket and an F Type hull. As noted above be careful with the Centaur as the preserved vehicle has some non standard features fitted during restoration. The options for the Cromwell are nice. The 5^th RTR option may be depicted in "British Tank Names and Markings", P13, by BT White. Dick Harley says it's Ok straight from the box. Option 2 - Welsh Guards is OK from "D Day To Berlin", P 56, by T Wise. It's track guards are intact and the crew are wearing RAC helmets. Other than that its heavily camouflaged with a of stowage. Option 3 is the 4^th CLY OP tank at Villers Bocage included in the Revell kit. See the photo of the model for detailed modifications. It's a D type hull so should need the minor modifications to the engine deck. The fourth option is a Polish vehicle P 49 "D Day Tank Warfare", by Steve Zaloga. It's also depicted on the front cover of the Polish Cromwell book. This has a fixed turret as it's a command vehicle and many little details not catered for in the kit. The horseshoe is included in the Eduard set if you model this tank! This one does need a bit of work and can not be built right from the box. It should have been a MK IV or a MK VI D hull, before the gun was replaced with a dummy and extra radios. The next one is also a command tank, this time from 11^th Armoured Division. P132 "La Battaile du Bocage" or the Polish monograph on P 47. Again this is probably a MK IV D type hull. Many details need to be changed to represent this tank. In all highly recommended. Pity about the UK price though!





 

2. Other Cromwell models.

S&S make some very basic 1/76^th scale Cromwells, which are cheap and cheerful, typical S&S! The masters in 1/76^th are the MMS white metal models. I don't have any of these, but they are very, very nice and good value at under a tenner. Milcast make a couple in resin as well and one imagines that Cromwell will be issuing one or two in their wonderful combat ready range in the near future. MMS also get a mention for their tank rider set of British infantry, which will fit nicely on theirs or someone else's Cromwell model.

Worthy of mention for those who like their games big is the Airfx Polythene model in their old 1/32^nd scale range. This is not bad, baring the inevitable simplifications and if you have a couple then use it in those big back garden summer wargames. If you want you could turn it into a better model with Airfix Crusader parts to make an early 6 Pdr armed, narrow track, perforated wheel version. But unless you simply must have 1/32^nd scale, get the Tamiya kit. Before the Tamiya kits came out there were expensive Resin examples in 1/35^th. These were good, but superseded by the Tamiya kit at under half the price. There are bound to be other wargames models I do not know about from various firms. I do have Skytrex's little 1/300th models and these are OK for those that game in the smaller scales. I have also seen their 1/200^th model and that OK as well. The next model was the very old Modakit vacform kit from the 1960's. This came part built from the estate of Maurice Condon and while I was writing this article I cam across it and decided to finish it. The original kit came complete with vacform wheels, but I chose to use Matchbox Comet Road wheels and sprockets, with Airfix Crusader idlers and track (a bit small, but it looks OK). The gun and Besa's came from Airfix's Churchill (spare after a 3in Gun Carrier conversion, so nothing wasted!). I added turret stowage boxes and Normandy cowl from Skytrex and finished it as a late WW2 example. A challenge if you come across one.

In summary the Cromwell is well catered for now that these new kits have come out. Support the makers, as if we don't who knows when we might see decent kits of British tanks again.

3. Statistics and performance.

Table 13. Dimensions of Cromwell VII and VIII. All measurements are for a vehicle on the level. Mk IV/V and VI similar, except where stated:

Measurement	Figure
Length A/O end of front track guard to end of rear track guard	21 ft 0.5 in, 20 ft 9 in with earlier pattern track guards.
Length of track on ground from centre of front and rear road wheels	12 ft 3 in
Length centre of lifting eyes front and rear.	17 ft 4 1/4 in.
Angle of track to ground front	28 degrees
Angle of track to ground rear	21 degrees
Height from bottom of track to top of hull	4 ft 5 in. Fording depth 4 ft.
Height overall to top of antenna base	8 ft 3 in
Width of turret over lifting eyes at front	5 ft 2 in
Width of hull O/A inc. track guards	9 ft 5 1/4 in
Width of tracks	15 1/2 in (14 in on earlier marks). 15 1/2 in tracks have 18 teeth sprockets and 14 in tracks have 20 tooth sprockets. If the 15 1/2 tracks are used a tank should only have the solid road wheels. The 14 in track can use either type.
Width of hull front between lifting eyes upper glacis	6 ft
Depth of tracks from top to bottom if correctly adjusted	3 ft 6 in.
Width of hull front between lower glacis shackle eyes	4 ft 5 1/4 in
Weight	28 tons 27.5 tons - Mk IV, V, VI
Speed	39 MPH, more with tuning, 32 1/2 MPH in E type hull models with different gear ratios.
Armour max and min	63mm or 101 with appliqué armour frontal max. 14-8mm minimum (floor). Varies in detail between marks, e.g. early type A hull had a thicker engine deck.
Ground pressure	14.7 per Sq. in - MK IV.
Power to weight ratio	21.8 to the ton. At 600 hp
Fuel capacity and range	110- 116 gal sources differ, range upto 150 miles on average, 170 miles road, 80 cross country.
Trench crossing width	7 ft 6 in.
Armament	1 X 75mm QF, 2 X 7.92mm Besa or 1 X 95mm and 2 X 7.92mm Besa. Earlier marks 6 Pdr and 1 or 2 Besa. Centaur IV 1 X 95mm, 1 x 7.92mm Besa.

Data taken from various Tank Museum drawings and documentary sources.

4. References.