Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger

Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30)[1]
Cruiser tank Challenger (A30)
TypeCruiser tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
Used byUnited Kingdom
Czechoslovak government-in-exile
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Czechoslovakia[2]
Production history
DesignerBirmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company
Produced1944–1945
No. built200
Specifications
Mass31.5 long tons (32.0 t)[3]
Length26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)[3]
Width9 ft 6.5 in (2.91 m)[3]
Height9 ft 1.25 in (2.77 m)[3]
Crew5 (Commander, gunner, loader, co-loader, driver)

Armour20–102 mm (0.79–4.02 in)
Main
armament
Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm)
42 rounds
Secondary
armament
0.30 Browning machine gun[4]
EngineRolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol engine
600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight18.8 hp (14 kW) / tonne
SuspensionChristie suspension
6 road wheels
Operational
range
105 mi (169 km)[3]
Maximum speed 32 mph (51 km/h)[3]

The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell tank to add anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced armour. However, the extemporised 17-pounder Sherman Firefly conversion of the US-supplied Sherman proved easier to produce and, with delays in production, only 200 Challengers were built. The Challenger was able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and was used with them.

  1. ^ Bishop, Chris (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7607-1022-7.
  2. ^ Fletcher (2006), p. 42.
  3. ^ a b c d e f White (1963), p. 54.
  4. ^ Fletcher (2006), p. 38.