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You forgot the one most important technical difference that the Centurion had! It instantly made it the envy of any tank crew that came across it! The Hot Water boiler that was built into the tank. Many a British tank crew could 'Brew up' while on the go and soon as the laagered for the night have a ready supply of hot water for drinking and cooking their MRE's in. If your tank crew is happy?
I read in the Osprey books about a Indian Centurion tank commander in the Indo-Pakistani war kicking his gunner in the back for firing the main gun without being ordered too. The gunner said that he hadn't fired the main gun? It wasn't until later that the crew realised they had taken a direct hit from a Pakistani T-55, and survived. That's a tank the crews can trust.
If the Centurion MBT had been in time to serve in WW2, it would've been the dominant MBT in the field, anywhere in Europe. Bloody fine tank, in my humble, amateur opinion!
How come it took Britain until after ww2 to come up with a tank that was and above all of its predecessors ? Was it bad business practices, lackadaisical attitude? inadequate material supplies ? Red tape ?
@@matthewjones39 That was probably not true. The Soviets had their T-44s in production in 1944. The T-44 had armor and gun matching, if not superior to, the Centurion Mk 1 with the 17 pounder gun. The Centurion, with all its fine design features. was very short in operation range when compared with the T-44.
@@matthewjones39 On the American side, their M26 Pershing was in fact at about the same weight, armor level and gun power as the Centurion Mk 1. Its successor, the M46 Patton, was in fact the same tank as the M26 but with improved engine and transmission. So it is fair to say, the M26/M46 series were the first MBTs emerged from WW2.
People tends to forget that even before the 6 days war of 1967 the centurion tanks were successfully used by the Indian army in the Indo Pak war of 1965
We know the stories of the highly trained Israeli tank crews vs the Arabic T-62s. However, is there any report that the Indian tank crew is more experienced than the Pakistani crew?
I love the Centurion, I think the reason that it was so successful and became a standard for Western MBTs is that it started the trend of large but ergonomic tank design. Nothing on the Centurion is new but the design helped the crew make the most out of the features of the tank.
I was a Centurion commander and can testify to this machine being the precursor of both the UK and US main battle tank. Curiously, I had my best experience in a Swedish Centurion in 1996! Still truckin’
They served in Korea and apparently as much as the US loved their MBT the Centurion went sent to help American forces was great with happiness due to ability to climb really steel hills.
The centurion was superceded by the chieftain which was indeed the world's first mbt,first to have a centrally located driver in a semi reclining drivers seat to lower its profile first to use two piece ammunition for its 120mm rifled gun,if it wasn't lumbered with an unreliable multi fuel engine it would have been as successful as centurion
Funny. When I joined the Danish Army in 1984 we still had the Centurion as the main battle tank at my regiment. They were of course a little antiquated at that point, particularly when compared to the Leopard that later replaced them, but they were still magnificent brutes when seen from an infantry soldiers perspective. We also had the M41 Walker Bulldog that, as far as I recall, remained in service in an upgraded DK-1 version until the late 1990's.
Imagine a Centurion with: 1) Chobham armour 2) A modern diesel 3) 105mm smoothbore gun or rifle 4) Modern fire control and optics 5) Either gun launched top attack anti tank missiles or 6) Turret mounted TOW2 missiles 7) CROWS 8) An autoloader 9) Spotting drone launchers That would be pretty amazing I think.
@@craigwashbourne4204 And the south Africans pretty much built this tank, called it the Oliphant. I think the big limitation is Centurion was designed before the concept of the "power pack" These days, MBTs have completely modular drive systems, you unhook a few looms and bolts and the whole engine and transmission slides out. Stick a fresh one in, perform the maintenance on the first one while outside of the tank. Downtime for the tank is an hour at most.
Forget the auto-loader. The Centurion's ammo stowage is a life saver and and the extra crew- member is faster and an asset when it comes to maintenance. And the advantages of an auto-loader are exacly what? Besides something else that can go wrong.
i was stationed at fallingbostel in germany from 56 to 1959 and spent a lot of time driving cents they were not an easy tank to drive in heavy clinging mud ,the hills they would go up was amazing but you had to know what you were doing or the engine would stall,happy memories
I enjoyed this video very much, very well edited, scripted, and narrated. I really didn't know how widely used the Centurion actually was. Talk about the most successful British tank ever.
The one piece of the Centurion that is beloved by all tankers everywhere, even if they did not know it came from the Centurion, is the water heater built into it. Beforehand all tank crews had to get out an brew up outside. The builders built and fitted into the tank was a water heater. This allowed them to remain in the tank, hatches closed, and have a hot meal or cup of tea. I believe other tanks crews were envious of Centurion crews for just that piece of equipment! I also believe, though I may be wrong, that the American M1 Abrams has it fitted which is a direct copy?
From what I have heard the Boiling Vessel aka BV was actually part of the design process and requested by the tankers when asked... After the Centurion all British Tanks have had a BV in them so technically the British armies tanks are armoured kettles... we do not go to war without a cup of tea first...
You fill the BV with water and add your ration packs and clamp the lid down. Switch on, boil water, heat food, serve food and make hot drinks (tea, coffee, cocoa, Bovril, etc) and eat and drink. Then, with the rest of the hot water, you do the washing up. Genius invention.
Yeah, the British in WW2 were alarmed by tank crew casualties... but upon checking, were perturbed to find many were injured or killed while not within the protection of their tanks armour. It took a civilian (who's name escapes me now) to ask "Why"? Tankies explained you had to be outside the tank to make tea or heat up food...and that just how it had always been for everyone. Same civilian was stunned, and wrote a memo about being able to hear up food Inside to reduce casualties... And after almost a year it reached the desk of someone important enough to say essentially "never thought of That... Ok that's what we're doing from now on".
We Nuked one at Maralinga in Australia. Its still kicking about I believe display at a Armed Forces Base ( cant remember RAAF or Army ?) gate somewhere in South Australia. I think that particular Centurion went to Nam and took a hit that maybe killed(?) but definately injured some crew and it was driveable after. I read about it before forget all the details.
The engine used in the Centurion was called the RR Meteor (later the Meteor). Yes, it was a derivative of the Merlin, but it had many differences, such as the reversing of the direction of rotation of the engine, the omission of the supercharger, reduction gear, de-rating of the engine and the replacement of a lot of light alloy parts with cheaper, steel ones. Hence it got a new designation. Early engines were modified from aero-engines that had to be taken out of service, but later the engines were built specifically for use in tanks (and some other uses, such as fast sea going boats).
As a young British Soldier in the early 80s , based at Armoured Vehicle Depot Ludgershall , i drove one of these Tanks. Have you seen the size of the Gearstick on these things.
I heard CV that many Mothers in Israel once found out that their sons would served in Armor Corp: they insist that their sons served in Centurion equipped units.
Actually it was the Cheiftan that was the start point. The Israeli's really wanted Cheiftan with its 120mm gun. But the UK got cold feet due to relations with the Arab world and backed out of supplying them. A Cheiftan was actually trialled by the Israeli's however... If you think Centurion did well in 1973....Cheiftan would have obliterated the Syrians..
@@dogsnads5634 Well....Jordan did Field some Chieftains against Israel, but they never used, nor saw direct combat. Because King Hussein didn't want to be the biggest scapegoat this time and also He was thanking Israel for saving his life and his throne.
God that thing is GORGEOUS 🤤🤤 I love all of the relatively early cold war stuff, the stuff that feels like ww2 thought and doctrine taken to its logical extreme. Like the Strv103, centurion, grads, battle rifles and American prop planes used for CAS
The tank engine variant of the Merlin engine was a cut-down version called the 'Meteor', and used by the British for many years. FUN FACTS: Many (most?) of the Centurians used by European NATO forces were bought by the US and provided as military aid. AN Australian Cent is the only tank to serve (even combat in Vietnam!) after surviving a nuclear explosion!
The cut down versions was the Rover Meteorite V8. The RR / Rover Meteor V12 used in the Centurion was an unsupercharged Merlin early engines were built from Battle of Britain time expired or battle damaged or production reject Merlin blocks. Diesel Meteors and Meteorites were also built.
No other Tank has had the Service History the Centurion has, what kept it alive was the fact it could be modified with bigger guns & new power plants, the only complaints I heard was the the steering, the old lever method. Not bad for a Tank designed in 1943. Apart from Museums, will any of Todays Tanks be around in 70 years?
What made the Centurion as effective as it was was not the armour, gun or hull or electronics; it was the Austin 8 hip auxilliary generator. People forget the immense electrical loads upon armoured vehicles. Such kills more armour than other items.
Not hardly. Upgrades only go so far. It may have been a very great tank, but it is 3/4 century old, and its design, armor, gun, and capabilities are nowhere near modern MBTs like the Abrams, Challenger, Leopard II, and LeClerc. This thing had its time on the main stage, but it would be a deathtrap against modern MBTs, most of which could kill it well beyond the range at which a Centurion would have the slightest chance of ever getting a hit. That's kind of like saying the P-51 was the greatest fighter ever; it could stand up in aerial combat today with a few upgrades. No, it would be a manned target. Same for the Centurion.
@@mikearmstrong8483 You were doing fine until you made the P51 comparison. That was just silly. The P51 was made redundant by the jet. Development of aircraft technology and the ability to upgrade in the early years of the Cold War were completely different to tanks. The Centurion was able to compete for the best part of 40 years. The P51 was finished as a fighter after 7 years.
An elegant and good tank. My interest in tanks began when, as a teenager (in the mid-70s), I got to be a youth home guard at royal/ kunglig Göta pansarlivgarde ( P 1) and climb, just centurions. 😄
Centurion as versatile as the post war Sherman. Compliment given as a great tank, that could be modified and upgraded for many many years after introduction.
Worked on a MOD site in Dorset in the "90"s where they were developing the C2 , on the far side of the range were old stripped out centurion"s being used for target practice - There till the end! :)
The Vietnam Veteran Museum in Newhaven (Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia) has among it artifacts a Centurion. I was so damned surprised at how big it actually is when I stood next to it. Australia used Centurions quite effectively during the Vietnam War and proved it could be used in jungle warfare (after experience) quite well.
We in NZ sold all of our Centurions to Australia in the late sixties which led to me quitting the branch after we had to drive around in M113s and Scorpions!
Trust the Brits to develop the best main battle tank of the second world war just in time for the war to end and the first tank knocked out by a Centurion to be a captured British one. Thank God for the Navy!
hi i remember these at Lulworth army camp in 19B67,they had Rolls Royce engines, but were not automatic,good old days and loads of Bedford RLs at that time and land rovers
Nice video about British producing centurion versions M1,M2....M7 tanks with clear explaining of its characters and abilities with its production history..Israel armies used centurion with excellent talent against its aggressive neighbour's during 1967 war
1973 was the Hey Day for the Centurion in the IDF. Facing odds of up to 20 to 1. Israeli gunners trained so hard, that they were able to engage and kill enemy tanks at 4+ km. The L7 105mm Royal Ordanance Main Gun was a world beater, and is probably still a very dangerous gun.
@@doronstauber7285 thanks I knew that before your reply...Israel converted centurion tanks to Magak tanks for Synia desert and Shootkal tanks for Golan heights ..stay safe
At 2:24 pretty sure these are Marders, since the Archer was setup with the gun over the back deck - i.e. If they are Archers, then they are reversing at a speed a bit too high for Valentine chassis (oh and the road wheels are much more like Pz38(t) which formed the basis for the Marder)?
Not mentioned conflicts the Centurion was involved in was the 1956 Suez Crisis and Jordan used them in 1967 war with Israel against Centurions from Israel though Israel had the upgrades and captured about 30 Jordanian ones whom replenished there stocks after the war. Jordanian Centurion tanks where involved in combat in the 1970 war with Syria called Black September which the Jordanians did well against Syria in the end beating them back. The British used a version in the Falklands war a Beach armored recovery vehicle and Ironically the last user to use the Centurion in a combat zone was its maker the British but the AVRE version with the 165mm demolition gun.
The Brits used it during the Korean War as well. It's worth reading up on this if you can. Main battle tanks being used in mountain warfare, interesting.
I was quite shocked at learning how close Israel came to defeat on the Golan Heights in 1973. Good though the Centurion was, it was the IDF's speedy mobilisation of reserves that saved their position on that front.
We [4H] had mark 5s & 7s - One thing not mentioned is that if you raised the gun then the breech made a very good bed & you could lay back, relax & listen to radio Luxembourg on the 19 set - One more thing anyone remember the "screw retaining intermediate firing needle withdrawal lever" ?
1973. Yom Kippur War. In the Golan heights, Israeli Centurions destroyed over 500 Soviet built tanks for the loss of 50 of their own. Google " The Valley of Tears " for more info.
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING with a PERFECT balance between armour, firepower and mobility. The Syrians and the Egyptians would come to pay the price of underestimating it.
the centurion entered service in 1944 with 7th armoured div. it arrived on the front line in Germany 2 days after Germany surrendered. They swapped their challenger tanks for the centurion. 7th armoured got pulled out of the front line after D day tpo go back to the UK to be equped with the centurrion but as it was a lot motr complex to use than prevoius tanks it took them 6 months to learn how to use them. As for the cruiser tanks they had better armour than the German tanks til the panther and tigers came along. event the british light tanks had better armour than the German tanks and as for the heavy tanks they had better armour than the tiger 2. the MK 1 matilda used in 1938 had thicker armour than the tiger 1. British tank problems were more down to logistics than anything else. MOD tended to buy tanks from all the tank makers as long as they met the minimum specs. My foster dad was in 1st experiental div in 1938 later renamed 7th armoured div. it was 1 of Percy Hobarts creation and was the 1st armoured div in the world. It was made up of light tanks for scouting and breakthrough. cruiser tanks to take on German tanks if they met any that the light tanks were not able to take out. draggons mounted in rams whichh were cruiser tanks with the turret removed roof taken off and seat put inside to carry troops so they could keep up with the tanks. other tanks were convrted to carry mortars, artillery anti air guns and engineering equipement. it had RAF fighters and tactical bombers assigned to it for air support. It was a fully combined arms unit and no other country had anything like it. Rommel came across that div in Belgium 1940 and got destoyed by it so he coppied it and used it in the DAK in 1941 But they didnt have any decent tanks and not enough of them to convert any into troop carriers. At the start of the war Germany didnt really have any tanks that were combat ready. what tey had was PZ1 which had 10mm armour and 1 medium machine gun. the pz II which had 13mm armour and twin heavy machine guns. neither had anti tank capabilties. the only other tank they had was a Vickers A24 which Germany bought in 1938 and called it the PZ38(t) that was a a British reject as it didnt meet the minumum specs for a light tank as it had 28mm armour. minimum specs for British tanks was 30mm for light tanks. 50mm for cruiser tanks and 100mm for infantry tanks. Poland bought the A24 and called it the PT7. Soviets as the T24 and china as the type 24 they were the full version with 28mm armour and 20mm cannons. the version sold to Germany was downgraded to 26mm armour and heavy machine gun. Another very good vickers thank was the A32. again rejected by the British army as lacking armour and sold to the soviets with a production license. they called it the T32 at 1st as thats when they bought them. but they didnt make them to the plans and bolted on the armour instead of welding and riveting. during the border clashes with Japan in 1933 they found they leaked when it rained and when they got hit the bolts flew off inside the tank killing the crew. so in 1934 they went back to the factory removed the bolts and welded and riveted the armour instead and renamed it the T34. During the battle for Belguim and france no British tanks were knocked out at all. some were damaged or had mecahincal failures and were captured when the BEF was ordered to retreat after Germany surrendered after suffering heavy losses. but got rejected by the allies. germany took the caputured British tanks and repiared them and put german markings on them ans used them instead of their own tanks and if they couldnt get enough British and French tanks they used Italian tanks. they only used German tanks when they couldnt get enough of better tanks. Rommel tended to use mostly Captured British and French tanks in North Africa. But those were taken away from him to be sent against the soviets tanks. Only effective anti tank weapon Germany had early war was the stuka. they found by accident the 88MM anti air gun was good against the british tanks so started using that for anti tank work. that started being used by Rommel in North africa in 1941 when a battery of them were atacked by british tanks and they fired at them and knocked some out. which their own tanks could not do. By then they had the PZIII whih proved inefftive against British tanks but were very good against the US tanks which were called tommy boilers by the british as they burst into flames when they got hit by heavy machine guns with tracer rounds. Even now the centurion tanks r far suppiior to most other tanks in the world. its rated as the 4th best tank in the world behind the challenger II, challenger I, and cheiftain tanks. My artillery unit specilised in anti tank roles. we had 105mm light guns with HESH rounds and HE rounds. on r target range we had centurions and couldnt knock them out. the M60's we could take out with HE rounds. the M1A1 we could take out with HESH easy. During the 1st Gulf war a British challenger I came under fire from an M1A1 it got hit in the rear armour and didnt even dent the armour. the crew got on the radio and told command that a US tank is firing at them please kindly ask them to stop. After another 9 hits in the rear armour still no dents the crew got permission to fire back. so they swung the turret around 1 shot front armour no more M1A1. RTR was given an M1A1 for testing to see how good it was they couldnt take out the mk1 centrurions on the target range. The USA was caught stealing the plans for the Challengers Chobham armour to put on the M1A1. so the plans were altered a bit to make it totoaly useless lol. So the challeneger II was given new armour called Dorchester that was even better than Chobham armour. 1 of them came under fire in Iraq and the weak point was found. they just threw mud on all the extrior sighting equiments to blind it so it had to stop and wait for infanrty to come and rescue it. it was stuck for 12 hrs and being hit by everything except the kitchen sink at point blank range and the crew just sat their drinking tea till help arrived. not 1 single dent on it despite being hit by T55.s T60.s, T72, RPG's and everything else they could find to try and knock it out.
lol. Yeah they got rid of WP launchers only after they had reduced most of Salisbury plain's vegetation to ash in wildfires no doubt heh. Cheers for the upload.
From the centurians shape, you can see the similarities wiith the Churchill, more so with the earlier models, shame the British had a two tank doctrine, they could have had a battle tank a lot earlier.
The Israeli's loved the Centurion , and adapted them to the local theatre of war , over and over again .There are many examples of this venerable British tank on display at Yad La Shiryon , at Latrun in Central Israel .
Jets? I would have to disagree … the number of RAF and Fleet Air Arm pilots killed in the Cold War period as they were having to fly UK junk jets was unforgivable. No denying the Hawker Hunter, Canberra, Harrier or Hawk (+ relevant Sea versions), but the Gloster Meteor, Vampire, Venom, Scimitar, Swift, Strikemaster, Gnat and that awful deathtrap the Sea Vixen were all terrible aircraft. The Tornado … arguably was wrongly deployed. An interceptor forced to perform other roles. The Jaguar, Buccaneer and Lightning were respectable but I’ve heard it argued they were third or fourth place to US, Russian and French designs. I don’t know enough to argue or disagree. (ps. The Italian Fiat G.91 anyone?)
All modern tanks have an indirect link to WW1.....It was the scene where the tank as we know it today, made it's debut. And the great-Grandfather of all modern MBT's, the FT-17 (in terms of hull & turret layout) took its bow.
@@navnig Well you are right about WW1 and the FT 17 was the prototype of all tank layouts. But honestly a Churchill has more to do with WW1 than a Centurion. Churchill came from ww1 ideas of what a tank should be. Centurion came from the cruiser linage. The cruiser Linage became progressively heavier throughout the war. Starting with Crusader, it became Cromwell, which became Comet, which became Centurion. In general what id call a rejection of the ideas of WW1.
I've never heard the Cold War divided into parts as the narrator has by referring to some of it as "the First Cold War". Could you tell me what the divisions are marked by with dates? This is a first for me.
I'd argue that in terms of combat record, the Challenger & Challenger 2 are better....No question that the Chally's are better tanks, but their record is exemplary. 0 lost in tank - tank combat. Only one that was ever destroyed was a blue on blue involving 2 Challenger 2's.
Only because the Israeli's "actually used them in combat" to a "Major" extent previously never done. OH and yes a mention needed about them in the Korean war , but the IDF did more with them. Upgraded to IDF standards and a wonderful machine, love them.
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You forgot the one most important technical difference that the Centurion had! It instantly made it the envy of any tank crew that came across it! The Hot Water boiler that was built into the tank. Many a British tank crew could 'Brew up' while on the go and soon as the laagered for the night have a ready supply of hot water for drinking and cooking their MRE's in. If your tank crew is happy?
Don't forget the centurion survived a nuclear blast.
i kept hearing "the first cold war" is there a second cold war i'm not aware of?
H&
I read in the Osprey books about a Indian Centurion tank commander in the Indo-Pakistani war kicking his gunner in the back for firing the main gun without being ordered too. The gunner said that he hadn't fired the main gun? It wasn't until later that the crew realised they had taken a direct hit from a Pakistani T-55, and survived. That's a tank the crews can trust.
Frontal or side?
Joshua N. Ajang I think it was a frontal shot on the gun mantle.
not from Oswaldtwistle are you?
Patrick Clayton Grew up there.
Great story
If the Centurion MBT had been in time to serve in WW2, it would've been the dominant MBT in the field, anywhere in Europe. Bloody fine tank, in my humble, amateur opinion!
How come it took Britain until after ww2 to come up with a tank that was and above all of its predecessors ? Was it bad business practices, lackadaisical attitude? inadequate material supplies ? Red tape ?
It also would have been the only MBT in the field.
@@matthewjones39 That was probably not true. The Soviets had their T-44s in production in 1944. The T-44 had armor and gun matching, if not superior to, the Centurion Mk 1 with the 17 pounder gun. The Centurion, with all its fine design features. was very short in operation range when compared with the T-44.
@@tvgerbil1984 Okay, but the T-44 was barely produced.
@@matthewjones39 On the American side, their M26 Pershing was in fact at about the same weight, armor level and gun power as the Centurion Mk 1. Its successor, the M46 Patton, was in fact the same tank as the M26 but with improved engine and transmission. So it is fair to say, the M26/M46 series were the first MBTs emerged from WW2.
People tends to forget that even before the 6 days war of 1967 the centurion tanks were successfully used by the Indian army in the Indo Pak war of 1965
And it beat up the Pakistani M47s M48s !
A.B. Tarapore
2 PVCs(highest war time gallantry award) Col. Tarapore and 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal
Centurions had already been used in Korea and Suez years before.
We know the stories of the highly trained Israeli tank crews vs the Arabic T-62s. However, is there any report that the Indian tank crew is more experienced than the Pakistani crew?
Centurion is my favourite tank and probably the best value tank ever.
Har du prøvet at skifte tændrør på den?... LOL love it.... hate the maintenaince...
@@kvaser68 How does it compare with greasing the bogies on a Conqueror?
I love the Centurion, I think the reason that it was so successful and became a standard for Western MBTs is that it started the trend of large but ergonomic tank design. Nothing on the Centurion is new but the design helped the crew make the most out of the features of the tank.
I was a Centurion commander and can testify to this machine being the precursor of both the UK and US main battle tank. Curiously, I had my best experience in a Swedish Centurion in 1996! Still truckin’
They served in Korea and apparently as much as the US loved their MBT the Centurion went sent to help American forces was great with happiness due to ability to climb really steel hills.
Why a Swedish Centurion ?
The centurion was superceded by the chieftain which was indeed the world's first mbt,first to have a centrally located driver in a semi reclining drivers seat to lower its profile first to use two piece ammunition for its 120mm rifled gun,if it wasn't lumbered with an unreliable multi fuel engine it would have been as successful as centurion
that was their MBT
Funny. When I joined the Danish Army in 1984 we still had the Centurion as the main battle tank at my regiment. They were of course a little antiquated at that point, particularly when compared to the Leopard that later replaced them, but they were still magnificent brutes when seen from an infantry soldiers perspective. We also had the M41 Walker Bulldog that, as far as I recall, remained in service in an upgraded DK-1 version until the late 1990's.
I think the loader at around 4:30 is wearing danish stuff isnt he?
@@Ukraineaissance2014 That is correct. It is the Danish Army's 1984 model camouflage pattern.
My uncle was a gunner in one of them in Angola he loved his tank and it did good by him
How many enemy tanks did the SADF capture or knock out?
@Brecconable You still around? Want an answer? Reply back.
@@robert-trading-as-Bob69 Yes I am.
The Centurion is also one of the best looking tanks in the world.
As a kid my pride and joy was a Centurion tank (Dinky I think) with the carrier vehicle. I also had a cannon that fired matchsticks.
Their sure did.
Yes, I had one too and a 25 pounder artillery piece that fired matchsticks too.
I had a 25pounder, and a bren gun carrier, --both favourites
@@alexlanning712 Lol, excellent. Well made toys, lasted years despite a beating.
ANTAR tractor?
Imagine a Centurion with:
1) Chobham armour
2) A modern diesel
3) 105mm smoothbore gun or rifle
4) Modern fire control and optics
5) Either gun launched top attack anti tank missiles or
6) Turret mounted TOW2 missiles
7) CROWS
8) An autoloader
9) Spotting drone launchers
That would be pretty amazing I think.
it was fited with that amour the mk 13 had and the mk 10 to 13mk had the 105
@@craigwashbourne4204
And the south Africans pretty much built this tank, called it the Oliphant.
I think the big limitation is Centurion was designed before the concept of the "power pack"
These days, MBTs have completely modular drive systems, you unhook a few looms and bolts and the whole engine and transmission slides out.
Stick a fresh one in, perform the maintenance on the first one while outside of the tank.
Downtime for the tank is an hour at most.
Forget the auto-loader. The Centurion's ammo stowage is a life saver and and the extra crew- member is faster and an asset when it comes to maintenance.
And the advantages of an auto-loader are exacly what? Besides something else that can go wrong.
i was stationed at fallingbostel in germany from 56 to 1959 and spent a lot
of time driving cents they were not an easy tank to drive in heavy clinging
mud ,the hills they would go up was amazing but you had to know what you were
doing or the engine would stall,happy memories
This channel is a hidden treasure. Good, objective, accurate information.
Please keep up the great work.
saved a lot of Aussie infantry in South Vietnam
I enjoyed this video very much, very well edited, scripted, and narrated.
I really didn't know how widely used the Centurion actually was.
Talk about the most successful British tank ever.
The Centurion tank was the best tank that ever was period.
The one piece of the Centurion that is beloved by all tankers everywhere, even if they did not know it came from the Centurion, is the water heater built into it. Beforehand all tank crews had to get out an brew up outside. The builders built and fitted into the tank was a water heater. This allowed them to remain in the tank, hatches closed, and have a hot meal or cup of tea. I believe other tanks crews were envious of Centurion crews for just that piece of equipment! I also believe, though I may be wrong, that the American M1 Abrams has it fitted which is a direct copy?
From what I have heard the Boiling Vessel aka BV was actually part of the design process and requested by the tankers when asked... After the Centurion all British Tanks have had a BV in them so technically the British armies tanks are armoured kettles... we do not go to war without a cup of tea first...
@@hmmjedi Well of course not! Napoleon, “an army marches on its stomach”. British Army:- “Give us a cuppa first or we don’t go anywhere!”.
You fill the BV with water and add your ration packs and clamp the lid down.
Switch on, boil water, heat food, serve food and make hot drinks (tea, coffee, cocoa, Bovril, etc) and eat and drink.
Then, with the rest of the hot water, you do the washing up.
Genius invention.
Yeah, the British in WW2 were alarmed by tank crew casualties... but upon checking, were perturbed to find many were injured or killed while not within the protection of their tanks armour.
It took a civilian (who's name escapes me now) to ask "Why"?
Tankies explained you had to be outside the tank to make tea or heat up food...and that just how it had always been for everyone.
Same civilian was stunned, and wrote a memo about being able to hear up food Inside to reduce casualties... And after almost a year it reached the desk of someone important enough to say essentially "never thought of That... Ok that's what we're doing from now on".
The Centurion is my favourite tank. It was the roll model for all future tanks and the best tank in the world for decades.
But russian use T-44 and T-54 model US use MBT 70 and german use leopard 1 for roll model
@@ahmadariqdarwish2042 almost all Commonwealth's countries used it and lot of European country too
@@ahmadariqdarwish2042 Leo also used Centurion as a bench mark
@@stevenbreach2561 no. they use RU 251
Hi, I think you meant "role model" but that's ok, have a good day.
We Nuked one at Maralinga in Australia. Its still kicking about I believe display at a Armed Forces Base ( cant remember RAAF or Army ?) gate somewhere in South Australia. I think that particular Centurion went to Nam and took a hit that maybe killed(?) but definately injured some crew and it was driveable after. I read about it before forget all the details.
Mark Felton did a video about it.
ua-cam.com/video/8BJc50DfnCk/v-deo.html
It's called The Atomic Tank and it is Legend
The best selling Tank in its time. I crawled over this tank as a kid.
I'd say the Centurion was the best tank in the world up to the 1970's. A solid, good design.
The engine used in the Centurion was called the RR Meteor (later the Meteor). Yes, it was a derivative of the Merlin, but it had many differences, such as the reversing of the direction of rotation of the engine, the omission of the supercharger, reduction gear, de-rating of the engine and the replacement of a lot of light alloy parts with cheaper, steel ones. Hence it got a new designation. Early engines were modified from aero-engines that had to be taken out of service, but later the engines were built specifically for use in tanks (and some other uses, such as fast sea going boats).
Challenger every bit as good. Best tank of the Gulf war.
Of course it's 'every bit as good" it's a different generation of engineering !
OH Come on, two different "era's" of AFV's.
get real Sir, like comparing a Tiger MK 1 against an Abrams.
Centurions went to the Gulf war too.
As a young British Soldier in the early 80s , based at Armoured Vehicle Depot Ludgershall , i drove one of these Tanks. Have you seen the size of the Gearstick on these things.
A good vid. I didn't learn anything new of the Cent but I did hear for the first time ever of a "first" Cold war.
My first tank was a cent 105 engineer gun tank. Later a 165mm demolition centurion. Had them till at least 91 in the gulf war.
Centurion was good in Israel very upgraded version! With 105MM GUN and was kind of the start point of the Merkava project!
I heard CV that many Mothers in Israel once found out that their sons would served in Armor Corp: they insist that their sons served in Centurion equipped units.
With the British 105mm gun....
It was also up-engined and a new transmission.
Actually it was the Cheiftan that was the start point. The Israeli's really wanted Cheiftan with its 120mm gun. But the UK got cold feet due to relations with the Arab world and backed out of supplying them. A Cheiftan was actually trialled by the Israeli's however...
If you think Centurion did well in 1973....Cheiftan would have obliterated the Syrians..
@@dogsnads5634 Well....Jordan did Field some Chieftains against Israel, but they never used, nor saw direct combat. Because King Hussein didn't want to be the biggest scapegoat this time and also He was thanking Israel for saving his life and his throne.
God that thing is GORGEOUS 🤤🤤
I love all of the relatively early cold war stuff, the stuff that feels like ww2 thought and doctrine taken to its logical extreme.
Like the Strv103, centurion, grads, battle rifles and American prop planes used for CAS
Fantastic collection of footage. Cheers
The tank engine variant of the Merlin engine was a cut-down version called the 'Meteor', and used by the British for many years.
FUN FACTS: Many (most?) of the Centurians used by European NATO forces were bought by the US and provided as military aid.
AN Australian Cent is the only tank to serve (even combat in Vietnam!) after surviving a nuclear explosion!
The cut down versions was the Rover Meteorite V8. The RR / Rover Meteor V12 used in the Centurion was an unsupercharged Merlin early engines were built from Battle of Britain time expired or battle damaged or production reject Merlin blocks. Diesel Meteors and Meteorites were also built.
Thanx so much for this comprehensive history of my favorate tank.
The centurion is my favorite tank, great video!
It just looks right......even today.
Maybe because it is. Long live the Centurion.
It was the most successful tank because it was a great tank. In my opinion, all things considered, maybe the greatest tank ever made
Pound for pound it was the best tank ever made, even to date, according to many tank experts I've watched and read.
No other Tank has had the Service History the Centurion has, what kept it alive was the fact it could be modified with bigger guns & new power plants, the only complaints I heard was the the steering, the old lever method.
Not bad for a Tank designed in 1943.
Apart from Museums, will any of Todays Tanks be around in 70 years?
They’re already more than 40 years old, just 30 to go!
There'll be loads. The are lots of T-55s in service and they're 70 years old. M-1s have been around since the late 1970s and still going strong.
OH MY SOMEBODY TELLING THE TRUTH OUTSTANDING CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE. 👌
Tanks for the great video!
Terrific video with great use of contemporary film and pictures!
What made the Centurion as effective as it was was not the armour, gun or hull or electronics; it was the Austin 8 hip auxilliary generator. People forget the immense electrical loads upon armoured vehicles. Such kills more armour than other items.
Great job well done, one of the best researched videos I have seen on this subject, I like, cheers
Great vid on a great tank.
Great video on the Centurion thank you and thumbs up. :)
Another great video.
Keep’em comming lads! 😄🙏
Dont forget the Comet, which also had the 17 pounder, or a slightly downgraded version atleast. It did participate in last weeks of WW2.
I read it on my local magazine TSM so lovely ,it tell about Yom Kippur war in Gollan again the Syran forces and the AT -3 sagger atm
The could probably upgrade a Centurion today to rival modern MBTs. Very adaptable platform.
Not hardly. Upgrades only go so far. It may have been a very great tank, but it is 3/4 century old, and its design, armor, gun, and capabilities are nowhere near modern MBTs like the Abrams, Challenger, Leopard II, and LeClerc. This thing had its time on the main stage, but it would be a deathtrap against modern MBTs, most of which could kill it well beyond the range at which a Centurion would have the slightest chance of ever getting a hit.
That's kind of like saying the P-51 was the greatest fighter ever; it could stand up in aerial combat today with a few upgrades. No, it would be a manned target. Same for the Centurion.
@@mikearmstrong8483 You were doing fine until you made the P51 comparison. That was just silly. The P51 was made redundant by the jet. Development of aircraft technology and the ability to upgrade in the early years of the Cold War were completely different to tanks. The Centurion was able to compete for the best part of 40 years. The P51 was finished as a fighter after 7 years.
@@frankanderson5012
Same principle. Both served well in Korea. Both are obsolete now. The point stands.
@@frankanderson5012 actually with advanced avionics and the right missile could easily shoot down some 4th gen fighters
Check out the South African Oliphant/Elephant mk1B(very modified Centurion) still being used today
An elegant and good tank. My interest in tanks began when, as a teenager (in the mid-70s), I got to be a youth home guard at royal/ kunglig Göta pansarlivgarde ( P 1) and climb, just centurions. 😄
Centurion as versatile as the post war Sherman. Compliment given as a great tank, that could be modified and upgraded for many many years after introduction.
Amazing that the best tank ever built came from the British after their blocky, under-gunned, and heavy predecessors.
Worked on a MOD site in Dorset in the "90"s where they were developing the C2 , on the far side of the range were old stripped out centurion"s being used for target practice - There till the end! :)
Great video mate👍
Excellent informative video, these old tanks could still be very effective in modern warfare, top quality bit of kit.
The Vietnam Veteran Museum in Newhaven (Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia) has among it artifacts a Centurion. I was so damned surprised at how big it actually is when I stood next to it. Australia used Centurions quite effectively during the Vietnam War and proved it could be used in jungle warfare (after experience) quite well.
As a returned Vet, I challenge your claims, I never saw any of what your claiming, indeed what I did see, was they were a hindrance, more than a help.
We in NZ sold all of our Centurions to Australia in the late sixties which led to me quitting the branch after we had to drive around in M113s and Scorpions!
Trust the Brits to develop the best main battle tank of the second world war just in time for the war to end and the first tank knocked out by a Centurion to be a captured British one. Thank God for the Navy!
The best tank ever made change my mind
Thanks for the great video. My 1st long video of centurion tanks.
hi i remember these at Lulworth army camp in 19B67,they had Rolls Royce engines, but were not automatic,good old days and loads of Bedford RLs at that time and land rovers
Excellent video
The cents used in the Syrian attack on yom Kippur battle were simply superb...the milk ratio against t54,t55th was 8:1...
Nice video about British producing centurion versions M1,M2....M7 tanks with clear explaining of its characters and abilities with its production history..Israel armies used centurion with excellent talent against its aggressive neighbour's during 1967 war
1973 was the Hey Day for the Centurion in the IDF.
Facing odds of up to 20 to 1.
Israeli gunners trained so hard, that they were able to engage and kill enemy tanks at 4+ km. The L7 105mm Royal Ordanance Main Gun was a world beater, and is probably still a very dangerous gun.
@@doronstauber7285 thanks I knew that before your reply...Israel converted centurion tanks to Magak tanks for Synia desert and Shootkal tanks for Golan heights ..stay safe
@@andreasleonardo6793 The M48's/M60's were converted to MAGACH.
The Centurions to Shot Kal.
@@doronstauber7285 thanks for correcting this information
At 2:24 pretty sure these are Marders, since the Archer was setup with the gun over the back deck - i.e. If they are Archers, then they are reversing at a speed a bit too high for Valentine chassis (oh and the road wheels are much more like Pz38(t) which formed the basis for the Marder)?
Good eyes. You are right. We apologize for our mistake.
The most handsome British Tank!
Not mentioned conflicts the Centurion was involved in was the 1956 Suez Crisis and Jordan used them in 1967 war with Israel against Centurions from Israel though Israel had the upgrades and captured about 30 Jordanian ones whom replenished there stocks after the war. Jordanian Centurion tanks where involved in combat in the 1970 war with Syria called Black September which the Jordanians did well against Syria in the end beating them back. The British used a version in the Falklands war a Beach armored recovery vehicle and Ironically the last user to use the Centurion in a combat zone was its maker the British but the AVRE version with the 165mm demolition gun.
The Brits used it during the Korean War as well. It's worth reading up on this if you can. Main battle tanks being used in mountain warfare, interesting.
Yes the 165 and 105 Centurion AVREs were used in the Gulf war.
About the Singapore, no documents that talk about the use of Centurion by the Singapore Army, only some Ex-Tanker that Claim that
Singapore bought substantial numbers of Centurions from Israel in the 70s to 90s. They have now been replaced.
The Centurion is the Chuck Norris of tanks
great video
I was quite shocked at learning how close Israel came to defeat on the Golan Heights in 1973. Good though the Centurion was, it was the IDF's speedy mobilisation of reserves that saved their position on that front.
I lost a friend in that conflict… a guy I had trained with in Centurions
We [4H] had mark 5s & 7s - One thing not mentioned is that if you raised the gun then the breech made a very good bed & you could lay back, relax & listen to radio Luxembourg on the 19 set - One more thing anyone remember the "screw retaining intermediate firing needle withdrawal lever" ?
Ken Hayes: I remember the Ki-gas atomizer (used to start in sub-zero temperatures).
magnificent video
The engine was a Meteor, the ground version of the Merlin.
Dave PB: Correct.....Rolls Royce Meteor Mk 4B (to be exact) developing 650 BHP.
Wonder if anyone has ever Compiled the Centurions Kill to Death ratio against Soviet/WP Built Armour?
1973. Yom Kippur War. In the Golan heights, Israeli Centurions destroyed over 500 Soviet built tanks for the loss of 50 of their own. Google " The Valley of Tears " for more info.
An interesting video. Thank you 👍
I like the storage bins on either side of the turret. It looks like the Centurion has ears :-)
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING with a PERFECT balance between armour, firepower and mobility. The Syrians and the Egyptians would come to pay the price of underestimating it.
the centurion entered service in 1944 with 7th armoured div. it arrived on the front line in Germany 2 days after Germany surrendered. They swapped their challenger tanks for the centurion.
7th armoured got pulled out of the front line after D day tpo go back to the UK to be equped with the centurrion but as it was a lot motr complex to use than prevoius tanks it took them 6 months to learn how to use them.
As for the cruiser tanks they had better armour than the German tanks til the panther and tigers came along. event the british light tanks had better armour than the German tanks and as for the heavy tanks they had better armour than the tiger 2. the MK 1 matilda used in 1938 had thicker armour than the tiger 1.
British tank problems were more down to logistics than anything else. MOD tended to buy tanks from all the tank makers as long as they met the minimum specs.
My foster dad was in 1st experiental div in 1938 later renamed 7th armoured div. it was 1 of Percy Hobarts creation and was the 1st armoured div in the world. It was made up of light tanks for scouting and breakthrough. cruiser tanks to take on German tanks if they met any that the light tanks were not able to take out. draggons mounted in rams whichh were cruiser tanks with the turret removed roof taken off and seat put inside to carry troops so they could keep up with the tanks. other tanks were convrted to carry mortars, artillery anti air guns and engineering equipement. it had RAF fighters and tactical bombers assigned to it for air support. It was a fully combined arms unit and no other country had anything like it.
Rommel came across that div in Belgium 1940 and got destoyed by it so he coppied it and used it in the DAK in 1941 But they didnt have any decent tanks and not enough of them to convert any into troop carriers.
At the start of the war Germany didnt really have any tanks that were combat ready. what tey had was PZ1 which had 10mm armour and 1 medium machine gun. the pz II which had 13mm armour and twin heavy machine guns. neither had anti tank capabilties. the only other tank they had was a Vickers A24 which Germany bought in 1938 and called it the PZ38(t) that was a a British reject as it didnt meet the minumum specs for a light tank as it had 28mm armour. minimum specs for British tanks was 30mm for light tanks. 50mm for cruiser tanks and 100mm for infantry tanks.
Poland bought the A24 and called it the PT7. Soviets as the T24 and china as the type 24 they were the full version with 28mm armour and 20mm cannons. the version sold to Germany was downgraded to 26mm armour and heavy machine gun.
Another very good vickers thank was the A32. again rejected by the British army as lacking armour and sold to the soviets with a production license. they called it the T32 at 1st as thats when they bought them. but they didnt make them to the plans and bolted on the armour instead of welding and riveting. during the border clashes with Japan in 1933 they found they leaked when it rained and when they got hit the bolts flew off inside the tank killing the crew. so in 1934 they went back to the factory removed the bolts and welded and riveted the armour instead and renamed it the T34.
During the battle for Belguim and france no British tanks were knocked out at all. some were damaged or had mecahincal failures and were captured when the BEF was ordered to retreat after Germany surrendered after suffering heavy losses. but got rejected by the allies. germany took the caputured British tanks and repiared them and put german markings on them ans used them instead of their own tanks and if they couldnt get enough British and French tanks they used Italian tanks. they only used German tanks when they couldnt get enough of better tanks. Rommel tended to use mostly Captured British and French tanks in North Africa. But those were taken away from him to be sent against the soviets tanks. Only effective anti tank weapon Germany had early war was the stuka. they found by accident the 88MM anti air gun was good against the british tanks so started using that for anti tank work. that started being used by Rommel in North africa in 1941 when a battery of them were atacked by british tanks and they fired at them and knocked some out. which their own tanks could not do. By then they had the PZIII whih proved inefftive against British tanks but were very good against the US tanks which were called tommy boilers by the british as they burst into flames when they got hit by heavy machine guns with tracer rounds.
Even now the centurion tanks r far suppiior to most other tanks in the world. its rated as the 4th best tank in the world behind the challenger II, challenger I, and cheiftain tanks.
My artillery unit specilised in anti tank roles. we had 105mm light guns with HESH rounds and HE rounds. on r target range we had centurions and couldnt knock them out. the M60's we could take out with HE rounds. the M1A1 we could take out with HESH easy.
During the 1st Gulf war a British challenger I came under fire from an M1A1 it got hit in the rear armour and didnt even dent the armour. the crew got on the radio and told command that a US tank is firing at them please kindly ask them to stop. After another 9 hits in the rear armour still no dents the crew got permission to fire back. so they swung the turret around 1 shot front armour no more M1A1.
RTR was given an M1A1 for testing to see how good it was they couldnt take out the mk1 centrurions on the target range.
The USA was caught stealing the plans for the Challengers Chobham armour to put on the M1A1. so the plans were altered a bit to make it totoaly useless lol.
So the challeneger II was given new armour called Dorchester that was even better than Chobham armour. 1 of them came under fire in Iraq and the weak point was found. they just threw mud on all the extrior sighting equiments to blind it so it had to stop and wait for infanrty to come and rescue it. it was stuck for 12 hrs and being hit by everything except the kitchen sink at point blank range and the crew just sat their drinking tea till help arrived. not 1 single dent on it despite being hit by T55.s T60.s, T72, RPG's and everything else they could find to try and knock it out.
lol. Yeah they got rid of WP launchers only after they had reduced most of Salisbury plain's vegetation to ash in wildfires no doubt heh. Cheers for the upload.
Excellent show. ++
From the centurians shape, you can see the similarities wiith the Churchill, more so with the earlier models, shame the British had a two tank doctrine, they could have had a battle tank a lot earlier.
11:06 🇮🇳🆚🇵🇰. Battle of asal utter. When American Patton were thought invincible then Indian centurians proved them wrong.
Had the pleasure of serving with 32 armoured engineers in Germany might fine tank and mighty fine blokes as well
I was there too but only from 1987 to 1990. Mine was a 165 AVRE in 1Tp 26AES.
The opening scenes is partly from Denmark
The Israeli's loved the Centurion , and adapted them to the local theatre of war , over and over again .There are many examples of this venerable British tank on display at Yad La Shiryon , at Latrun in Central Israel .
The Shot Kal, the Israeli version of the Centurion MBT, was a simply perfect tank for it's day.
The British are very capable people. They build beautiful jet and tanks. In order to continue their greatness they need to abandon sociclism.
We had a much more socialist system when we were building these beautiful things in the '50s and '60s you clown :D
Jets? I would have to disagree … the number of RAF and Fleet Air Arm pilots killed in the Cold War period as they were having to fly UK junk jets was unforgivable. No denying the Hawker Hunter, Canberra, Harrier or Hawk (+ relevant Sea versions), but the Gloster Meteor, Vampire, Venom, Scimitar, Swift, Strikemaster, Gnat and that awful deathtrap the Sea Vixen were all terrible aircraft.
The Tornado … arguably was wrongly deployed. An interceptor forced to perform other roles. The Jaguar, Buccaneer and Lightning were respectable but I’ve heard it argued they were third or fourth place to US, Russian and French designs. I don’t know enough to argue or disagree. (ps. The Italian Fiat G.91 anyone?)
You're so wrong about the Buccaneer as it's rightly regarded as the finest maritime strike aircraft of all time being far superior to the US Intruder
Nice video man, when are you gonna do the CV90 family? :)
Thank you for your interest. We also included the CV90 in our list. We will prepare the video as soon as possible.
It was very succesful in Israel as IDF even added early Blazer ERA package on it but the Strv 105 has better frontal ERA.
Magnificent vehicle, the most experienced of the Cold War in my opinion. The israelis showed why many times.
Good tank porn! This is my favourite British tank - ever.
Hi I thought you said the Centurion was linked to the First World War.
When you said First Cold War.
Anyway awsome video very interesting.
All modern tanks have an indirect link to WW1.....It was the scene where the tank as we know it today, made it's debut. And the great-Grandfather of all modern MBT's, the FT-17 (in terms of hull & turret layout) took its bow.
@@navnig
Well you are right about WW1 and the FT 17 was the prototype of all tank layouts.
But honestly a Churchill has more to do with WW1 than a Centurion.
Churchill came from ww1 ideas of what a tank should be.
Centurion came from the cruiser linage.
The cruiser Linage became progressively heavier throughout the war. Starting with Crusader, it became Cromwell, which became Comet, which became Centurion. In general what id call a rejection of the ideas of WW1.
The Sho't chassis is the basis of the Swedish Strv 104 upgrade of it's hull and powerplant.
Australia used these brilliant thanks in Vietnam...don't think the enemy liked them
I've never heard the Cold War divided into parts as the narrator has by referring to some of it as "the First Cold War". Could you tell me what the divisions are marked by with dates? This is a first for me.
Centurions are the reason that the NATO tank shoot is known as the Canada Cup.
Facta non verba.
Suprised you didnt mention the atomic tank, took a nuke survived than survived in vietnam.
The British infantry tank mission seems similar to the original mission of the Stug.
I'd argue that in terms of combat record, the Challenger & Challenger 2 are better....No question that the Chally's are better tanks, but their record is exemplary. 0 lost in tank - tank combat. Only one that was ever destroyed was a blue on blue involving 2 Challenger 2's.
As a South Korean I like a Centution mk.3
Only because the Israeli's "actually used them in combat" to a "Major" extent previously never done.
OH and yes a mention needed about them in the Korean war , but the IDF did more with them.
Upgraded to IDF standards and a wonderful machine, love them.
if we accept the term "first cold war": please help, than what means "second cold war"? or even "third cold war"?
Second cold war is what we are today...