The Centurion had better armor protection and survivability than the M48, whose transmission fluid was prone to catch on fire when the vehicle was hit. Australian troops successfully used Centurions in the Vietnamese jungle, while South African Olifants fought in Angola in the 1980s.Ī Centurion tank being loaded onto a truck. Ironically, most of the Centurion’s combat experience came in non-British armies. “Indeed, the United States bought the greatest number of new Centurions after the British Army,” according to Simon Dunstan’s Centurion Universal Tank 1943–2003. government ordered 500 Centurions for NATO armies in 1952. Impressed by the Centurion’s performance in Korea, the U.S. Other users included NATO members such as Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands-courtesy of U.S. The Centurion saw service in 14 nations, including Israel, India, South Africa, Austria, Sweden, and Switzerland. A few Centurion AVREs (Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers), armed with a big 165-mm cannon for demolishing fortifications, saw service in the 1990 Persian Gulf War. The British Army replaced its Centurions in the late 1960s with the 60-ton Chieftain, a powerful though underpowered tank, which never achieved the fame of its predecessor. Still, the Centurion wasn’t the most prolific of tanks.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |