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Tempest Mk V (Vickers P)

2022-01-29T03:25:52Z

U74982389: Just some things to clear up

{{About
| about = British strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Tempest (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=tempest_mkv_vikkers
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.37]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,572 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 621 || 604 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 23.9 || 24.6 || 14.4 || 14.4 || rowspan="2" | 460
|-
! Upgraded
| 752 || 671 || 21.1 || 22.0 || 29.5 || 20.4
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 412 || 389 || 269 || ~14 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 440 || < 430 || < 530 || > 337
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,447 m || 2,085 hp || 2,585 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,981 m || 1,735 hp || 2,151 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 44.45 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
* 16.9 mm Steel - Armour plate in pilot's seat

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Vickers P (47 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 47 mm Vickers P cannons, wing-mounted (36 rpg = 72 total)

== Usage in battles ==

This plane with its 2 x 47 mm cannons on each side with only armour piercing ammo (by default) with no other armament is clearly made for the ground attack role. It's definitely not a fighter as the heavy cannons make it very hard to manoeuvre, but once fully modified it has the ability to be the most unstoppable plane in its role. The Tempest Vickers Mk V equipped with the Vickers 47 mm cannons is an absolute tank buster when used correctly. Engaging enemy planes should only be done when they are distracted, and make sure to keep your speed high so that you can disengage by running away.

The Tempest can easily take out any light, medium, and most heavy tanks when the attack is made from the correct angle. You can hit light tanks from any angle, medium tanks from side or rear and you want to take the heavies from the rear. Light pillboxes are also easily destroyed. In addition, the 76 rounds you get may not sound like a lot, but trust me you will find it more than enough more time than most.

The best defence of the Tempest Vickers P is its speed. Almost all of the planes it will face will not be able to match its level flight speed. However, stay alert for enemy planes, because if they come out of a dive, they will be able to catch up to you. If you spot an enemy plane in the distance, start running to friendly aircraft before the enemy gets too close. In a dive, the Tempest can easily reach speeds of close to 800 kph. In level flight, you will slowly reach about 620 kph using WEP, and 590 kph without it (note that these speeds are at sea level). The Tempest will lose a lot of energy in turns, so try to make smooth manoeuvres. Finally, your water and oil will start to overheat after prolonged use of WEP. Going to 100% power will cool your plane down again.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Auto control available || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Combined || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 2 x 47 mm guns great at destroying armoured targets
* Very high-level speed
* Great manoeuvrability at high speeds
* Big ammo supply
* Very agile for an attacker
* In hands of a skilled player, this plane can be used as a good fighter

'''Cons:'''

* Only real defence against other aircraft is its speed
* No bombs or rockets
* Lose a lot of speed in turn fighting
* Has only AP round
* Can't destroy pillbox
* Hard to aim, the cannon far from the centre of the plane
* Not recommended to use on maps with ships and pillbox
* Low rate of fire

== History ==


The '''Tempest Vickers P''' was a concept plane designed due to the lacking ability of the 40 mm armed '''Hurricane IID''' in destroying ''Tiger 1'' tanks in North Africa, The air staff put out an issue in 1942 for a 47 mm airborne anti-tank gun which would fire a 4 lb 9oz (2.07kg) solid AP shot at 2,650 fps (808 m/s) with a rate of fire no less than 60 rounds a minute.

Vickers was contracted to make the rounds, case piece was 326 mm long, the rim diameter at 59.7 mm with the body diameter at 52.3 mm, the shot was typical of most other British rounds of the time, solid AP shot with no HE filler, overall with the shot fitted the round was 474 mm long.

The gun itself was in contest by three firms of the time, Vickers, Rolls-Royce and the war office design department, the project was known as the "class P gun" as such the competing designs were known as PV (Vickers) PR (Rolls-Royce) PC (for the Chief superintendent of armament design in the war office).

Complete information about the three projects does not appear to have survived. The PR gun was designed with two different barrel lengths, a 70-calibre barrel (with which the muzzle velocity was calculated to be 2,675 fps or 815 m/s) which was about 4.3 m long overall, and a 52-calibre version. The gun was belt-fed and used a long-recoil design; the weapon recoiled 66 cm on firing, generating a peak recoil of just over 2,000 kg. The PC gun weighed 250-270 kg and recoiled only 30 cm, thereby generating a stronger peak recoil of 3,560 kg. This was magazine fed with two alternative designs; a 30-round flat box lying across the gun's body, and a 34-36 round drum wrapped around the rear of the gun. Overall length was 4.5-4.7 m respectively. No information is recorded about the PV gun.

The PV and PC guns were made but were not ready for firing until close to the end of the war. The PR gun was cancelled before completion during the war when Rolls-Royce was directed to cease work on guns. None of the Class P guns proceeded beyond the prototype stage. However a Tempest V was fitted with two of the Vickers guns in under-wing pods just after the war, but no records have been found concerning this installation.

=== In-game description ===
The Hawker Tempest Mk.V equipped with Vickers P guns was an experimental ground attack and strike aircraft developed for the RAF. The concept involved taking the new Tempest Mk.V and adding the 47mm P gun in a long pod beneath each wing. The Vickers P gun was itself a development of the earlier 40mm Vickers S gun which had been used successfully by the Hawker Hurricane MkIID. However, the introduction of the Panzer VI Tiger tank into the North African theatre highlighted the limitations of the Vickers S gun, resulting in the need for a new, more potent anti-tank weapon. Three designs competed against each other, all in 47mm: Rolls-Royce, Vickers and the War Office Design Department. Rolls-Royce were directed to concentrate their efforts elsewhere leaving only two competing designs, neither of which was ready before the end of the Second World War. Very little information has survived regarding either design, although at least one photograph has been found showing the Vickers P gun fitted in a long pod beneath each wing of a Hawker Tempest V. What little test data has been discovered shows that the P gun had a muzzle energy well in excess of both the British 2 and 3 pounder guns and would have been a formidable weapon.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=tempest_mkv_vikkers Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|ObEcMPqFBbE|'''The Shooting Range #259''' - ''Tips & Tricks'' section at 09:11 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Hawker}}
{{Britain strike aircraft}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T03:00:15Z

U74982389:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank II {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T02:52:49Z

U74982389:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T02:48:16Z

U74982389:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T02:47:36Z

U74982389:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank 2}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T02:46:56Z

U74982389: /* Description */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|Crusader Mk.II}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}

Crusader II

2020-05-05T02:45:39Z

U74982389:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank II}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's port'' || 14 + 4 mm || 14 mm (44-51°) ''Top'' (14-51°) 14 mm ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (6-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (40-49°) || 17 + 12.7 mm (36°) ''Top'' 9 mm (66°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 30 mm (1-32°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (3-67°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (1-3°) || 30 mm (5-6°) || 9 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 527|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 110 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 34.27 || 47.40 || 55.77 || 62.89 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.30 || rowspan="2" | 3.00 || rowspan="2" | 2.8
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.40 || 25.20 || 29.63 || 33.41 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 19 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''110''' || 89 ''(+21)'' || 67 ''(+43)'' || 45 ''(+65)'' || 23 ''(+87)'' || 1 ''(+109)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret & center empty: 45 ''(+65)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Hull || 4,950 (225) || 600 || ±10° || ±50°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Crusader Mk II is a quite effective low-range light tank, it is equipped with a fast firing 40 mm cannon, which is excellent at taking out tanks with a cramped interior and the crew close to each other, very fast reload, gun stabilization and its good handling makes up for shell doing not so much damage because of lack of the good explosive filler compared to other tanks in its battle rating range and even the last unlockable shell can take out enemy tanks so easily.

Since it is a light tank it does not have so much armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided whatever it is possible, unless there is enough of cover or the terrain shaped in a way so it is possible to use the hull down tactics at which this tank excels, because of its very low profile, excellent gun elevation and the turret shape which makes it hard to hit.

The combination of manoeuvrability, quite high speed and good acceleration makes it good at flanking and rushing the enemy positions, max speed could seem to be inferior to other light tanks and make think that it is not a good tank, but it is compensated by its acceleration, it can get to the high speed very fast and the turning ability is very good at any speed, except for moving in the same place, tank is also very stable and pleasant to drive.

Any frontal engagement with enemy SPAAG units should be avoided, it can work only at long distance and when flanking them. Dealing with other light tanks should not be an issue, the 40 mm cannon lacks in accuracy but the reload speed if fast and hitting the target should not be an issue at the close distance. Fighting against the medium tanks and other bigger vehicles could be a problem, against them is always required to know the crew position in the enemy tank and aim for them and since all available shells do not a lot of damage in most cases only one crew member will be falling unconscious, this means destroying the medium tank can take a lot of time and make you and your position exposed to the enemy team, long range engagements against them should be avoided.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 5 man crew
* Frontal armour can bounce the enemy shells when shot from certain angle
* High penetration 2 pdr cannon
* Low profile
* Very good acceleration with good handling
* Additional 4mm side skirts
* Smoke grenades which can be fired one at the time

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak armour
* Low maximum speed
* Most of shells have no explosive filler and can have trouble killing larger tanks, pinpoint shots are needed
* Crew is packed together, can be one-shotted easily by large calibre shells, notably the early Pz.IV models
* Flat surface on the front turret armour
* Any tank with a respectable gun will be able to penetrate and destroy the Crusader easily

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and '''Mk.II''' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat Usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain light tanks}}