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The Cromwell was built on the lessons learned with previous British tanks designs.It was the first wartime British tank to have a reliable engine the Rolls Royce Meteor,a derivation of the Merlin aircraft engine.Demand for the latter delayed its use in tanks leading to the Centaur.The Meteor-powered tank was the Cruiser Mark VIII Cromwell the A27M.Production was carried out by Leyland Motors from mid-1943 onwards.
The Cromwell had a well-tried suspension,a powerful engine with capacity for development,and good protection.The first models were armed with a 6-pounder(57 mm)gun although this was updated to a 75 mm(2.96 in)gun soon as they became available.The Cromwell Mark VI was armed with a 95 mm(3.75 in)close support howitzer.Some Centaurs were re-engined to become Cromwell Xs.Some Cromwells were converted to serve as ARVs.At last British tank crews were on par with their German opponents.Cromwells were not ready for action until May 1944 after which they became the most important in both numerical and quality terms,of the British thanks and remained in service until years after the war ended.
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