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Products mentioned in this Article
--None--
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Crusader I or II (Cruiser Mk VI) (BR032)
with one Crusader tank with Crusader I & II 2pdr options & CS options.
In April 1939, the General Staff were asked to review all the potential tank designs in consideration for the role of standard heavy cruiser. Potential designs included the A18, A14, A16 and the A15; but the A15 emerged as the favourite for numerous reasons.
Check out the Crusader I or II in the online store here... |
First, it shared a majority of components with the A13 series and
therefore could be put into production faster. Next, it offered better
trench crossing abilities than the A13 Mk III and finally the armour
protection was superior to any of the other designs in consideration.
Right & Above Left: The Crusader I.
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"Remember, Cruiser Mk VI Crusader and Cruiser Mk VI Crusader CS tanks all use the Tally Ho! and Broadside special rules on page 156 of Hellfire and Back."
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The green light was given to begin manufacture of
the A15 in July 1939 with an initial order of 200 tanks. While some of
the preliminary teething problems were remedied, the Crusader I (Cruiser Mk VI Crusader in Hellfire and Back) as it
became known by late 1940 would always suffer from reliability issues
due to the haste in which it was rushed into production and the lack of
thorough field trails especially in a desert environment which was
destined to become its main theatre of operations. |
"The Cruiser Mk VI Crusader is rated as a Fast Tank. Fast tanks can move up to
32"/80cm At the Double. However, they still only go 12"/30cm during
normal movement."
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The Crusader I became the principal British tank from the spring of 1941
and first saw action near Capuzzo in June 1941. Throughout its service,
the Crusader I underwent a number of modifications including the
removal of the machine-gun turret mounted on the front of the vehicle
which offered little combat value and was very poorly ventilated; these
turrets were completely phased out with the introduction of the Crusader II
and many Crusader I had their turrets removed in the field with the
extra spaced created used for ammunition stowage. |
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“The Cruiser Mk VI Crusader is rated as Unreliable. This must be taken into
account if you plan on moving At the Double to take advantage of
its extra movement or try moving into rough terrain. Either can lead to the vehicle breaking down.” |
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The Crusader I was armed with the OQF (Ordnance
Quick Fire) 2pdr gun or the OQF 3” howitzer to fill the CS (Close
Support) role and protected by up 40mm of armour. In essence, the
Crusader II was simply an up armoured version of the Crusader I; with
the crew now enjoying up 49mm of armour protection. Like the Crusader I,
the Crusader II was also armed with either the OQF 2pdr or 3” howitzer.
Right: The Crusader II.
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"The OQF 2 pdr gun has No HE.
The lack of a High Explosive (HE) round means that hits from the 2 pdr gun cannot be
allocated to any Infantry or Gun teams. Don't overlook the importance of the 3" howitzer of the CS tanks." |
The Crusader was designed too late to incorporate any of the lessons
learnt from the campaign in France during 1940 and were outclassed by
many German tanks of the period. The last of the Crusaders were
withdrawn from frontline service during the middle of 1943 as they were
slowly replaced by the American made M3 Grant and M4 Sherman tanks. The
remaining vehicles were used for training purposes until the end of the
war or converted to fill other roles such as self-propelled
anti-aircraft tanks or ARVs (Armoured Recover Vehicles).
Designed by Tim Adcock
Painted by James Brown
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"Arm any or all Cruiser Mk VI Crusaders or Cruiser Mk VI CS tanks a Deck-turret MG for +5 points per tank." |
The Cruiser Mk VI Crusader in Flames Of War (Hellfire and Back) |
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Armour
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Name
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Mobility
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Front
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Side
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Top
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Equipment and Notes
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Weapon
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Range
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ROF
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Anti-tank
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Firepower
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Cruiser Mk VI Crusader
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Fully-tracked
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3
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2
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1
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Co-ax MG, Fast tank, Unreliable.
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OQF 2 pdr gun
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24"/60cm |
2
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7
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4+ |
Broadside, No HE, Tally Ho. |
Cruiser Mk VI Crusader CS
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Fully-tracked |
3
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2
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1
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Co-ax MG, Fast tank, Unreliable. |
OQF 3" howitzer
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24"/60cm |
2
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5
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3+
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Smoke, Broadside,Tally Ho. |
Firing bombardments
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40"/100cm
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-
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3
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6
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Smoke Bombardment
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The 2 pdr Gun Mantlet of the Crusader I with & without the Twin MG turret |
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The Crusader II in Flames Of War (North Africa)
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Armour
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Name
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Mobility
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Front
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Side
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Top
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Equipment and Notes
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Weapon
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Range
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ROF
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Anti-tank
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Firepower
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Crusader II
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Fully-tracked
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4
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2
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1
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Co-ax MG, Fast tank, Unreliable.
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OQF 2 pdr gun
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24"/60cm |
2
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7
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4+ |
Broadside, No HE, Tally Ho. |
Crusader II CS
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Fully-tracked |
4
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2
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1
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OQF 3" howitzer
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16"/40cm
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2
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5
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3+
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Smoke, Broadside,Tally Ho. |
Firing bombardment |
40"/100cm
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-
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3
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6
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Smoke bombardment. |
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The 2 pdr Gun Mantlet of the Crusader II with & without the Twin MG turret |
"Remember, Crusader II and Crusader II CS tanks all use the Tally Ho! and Broadside special rules
on page 226 of North Africa." |
The Crusader I (left) and the Crusader II (right)
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Last Updated On Friday, January 10, 2014 by Blake at Battlefront
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