A27M Cromwell Mk. IV
Commenti
Robin (WhiteGlint)👀
Application of the star decal on top of the turret seems pretty daunting. Was it a "multi part decal"?
Nathan DempseyLooking great James. I have to agree, that star on the top of the turret is in a most difficult location!
James CThanks guys, and yeah it took a bit of time to get it to snuggle down over the top.
The outer circle is a separate decal from the star (thankfully) and was easy enough, but the stars (both top and rear) needed a lot of persuading to get them to conform. In the end I used a knife to slice the top star, where it settled in over the dome.
They took longer to do than the bearing markers on the Centaur's turret!
I have been playing around and experimenting with some new weathering processes, and just have a couple more finishing touches to do on both builds, and will finally call them done. In the meantime, I've added a few more images of progress so far...
James CThe Kit:
As with the previous Centaur build (from which this kit was tooled) I didn't encounter any assembly issues.
A nice surprise was the inclusion of a clear lens for the turret spotlight. Also included were the same single length tracks which can be secured using ordinary plastic cement.
The only (minor) annoyance I encountered was in regard to the "Desert Rat's" unit emblems, within which there was a highly visible "white line" across the top (against its red background) of both decals but which I had not noticed was there against the backing paper. By the time I did notice, I had already soaked the decal for removal from its backing paper in readiness for positioning. I'd recommend trimming both of these decals to remove it.
Again, while also a little dated now... this is definitely still a very enjoyable kit to assemble and I highly recommend it.
Youtube Video
JohnI think dated kits have a lot to offer. Thanks for making me feel old, by the way ; ) Great job though, love the hedgehog cutter too.
Simon NagorsnikOh, the second one- looks great too of course!!
Two brothers 😁
The bushes on the cutter are a really good idea to add some color and variety.
Album info
Continuing on from the A27L "Centaur"...
The most numerous example of the A27 was the A27M "Cromwell" of which some 3066 units were built.
The "M" designated this vehicle as being powered by the newly British designed "Meteor" engine, which was developed from the legendary Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine, producing 600 hp... nearly 200 hp more than the Nuffield Liberty engine of the A27 Centaur.
Its main armament was the Ordnance QF 75 mm main gun.
The Ordnance QF 75 mm (or OQF 75 mm) was initially created by boring out the Ordnance QF 6-pounder ("6 pdr") 57 mm anti-tank gun to 75 mm, in order to promote better effectiveness and in a similar fashion as was applied to the 75 mm M3 gun fitted to the American Sherman tank.
The QF designation signifies "quick-firing"... referring to the use of ammunition where the shell has a fixed cartridge. It was also sometimes known as ROQF or Royal Ordnance (the manufacturer) Quick-Firing gun.
This main gun was employed during both the Italian and the Normandy invasions (and possibly in Burma against the Japanese) until the end of the war. While the 75 mm gun was a conversion from the 6-pounder, some units retained a number of 6-pounder-gunned tanks, due to its superior anti-tank firepower over the 75 mm gun, and especially as the 6-pounder could use more effective APCR and APDS rounds.
Although the A27M's armor protection still lagged behind that of contemporary German and Russian tank designs (particularly in regard to the recent development of "sloped" armor protection) the British had, for the first time, finally developed a tank with much greater potential to survive against the odds due to the potency of both its main armament and more powerful (and reliable) Meteor engine.
The Cromwell tank first entered front-line service during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June of 1944.
It saw extensive action within the British Army, forming part of the 6th Airborne Division, 7th Armored Division, 11th Armored Division, Guards Armored Division, and 1st (Polish) Armored Division. The tank was also used by the 1st (Czechoslovakian) Independent Armored Brigade Group and the First Canadian Army at Dunkirk.
Cromwell's were also used as a main battle tank within armored brigades of the 7th Armored Division, and were additionally employed within armored reconnaissance regiments of other British divisions (such as the Guards Armored Division and the 11th Armored Division) within North-west Europe.
It excelled at these tasks and was praised for its speed and reliability, while its low profile also made it difficult to spot by enemy forces.
The standard 75mm gun could deal with the majority of German armored vehicles it encountered, and the HE shell was very effective, despite the fact it could not penetrate the frontal armor of heavier German tanks such as the Tiger 1 and Panther. Although a rare a rare sight on the battlefield during the Normandy invasion, it was within the British sector that the majority of these heavier German units were encountered.
The issue in relation to effectiveness of the Cromwell's 75mm gun was perhaps most pronounced during the Battle of Villers-Bocage, during which these vehicles were unable to engage German Tiger tanks frontally with any reasonable chance of success. However, several Tigers were none-the-less knocked out by British forces during this particular battle.
Post War:
During the Korean War, the British fielded a total of 14 Cromwell tanks, including six of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars Regiment and eight of the Royal Artillery 45th Field Regiment. Among these divisions, Cromwell tanks operated by the Royal Artillery became observation vehicles, with the main gun removed and replaced with extensive observation and communication equipment.
During December 1950, 14 tanks were organized into "Cooper Force" led by Captain Donald Ashley-Cooper, and were deployed to Jangheung, Yangju in support of the Royal Ulster Rifles Regiment 1st Battalion, whose duty was to defend northwest of Seoul.
On the night of January 3rd 1951, "Cooper Force" was forced to retreat, under orders from high command.
During this withdrawal, 157 soldiers were killed and all tanks were either destroyed or abandoned as they made their escape.
One of the Cromwell's (now captured by the Communist led forces) was destroyed by a British Centurion tank near Hangang Railway Bridge on February 1st. Another was recaptured by South Korean forces at Wolmido (near Incheon) on February 10th. American forces assisted the South Korean marines at repairing this recaptured vehicle. However, this particular Cromwell was operated by South Korean forces for only a few days before it was then returned to the British.
Other Cromwell tanks also saw limited service within units of both the Czechoslovakian and Israeli armed forces.
Completed 9th October 2022
