Tank Destroyer Lovers Group
Hobbies & Interests
A tank destroyer, is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun, or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles. Many have been based on a [tracked] tank chassis, while others are wheeled. Since World War II, main battle tanks have largely replaced gun-armed tank destroyers although lightly armored anti tank guided missile (ATGM) carriers are commonly used for supplementary long-range anti-tank work. However, the resurgence of expeditionary warfare in the past twenty years has seen the emergence of gun-armed wheeled vehicles, sometimes called protected gun systems, that are tank destroyers in all but name
The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell tank to add heavier anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank units.
The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon, but with less armour. The extemporised Sherman Firefly conversion of the US-supplied Sherman was easier to produce and, combined with delays in production, meant that only 200 Challengers were built. However, it was able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and was used alongside them.
Type: Cruiser tank
Place of origin: United Kingdom
Service history
Used by:
United Kingdom
Czechoslovak government-in-exile
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Czechoslovakia
Production history
Designer: Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company
Number built: 200
Specifications
Weight: 31.5 long tons (32.0 t)
Length: 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
Width: 9 ft 6.5 in (2.91 m)
Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, co-loader, driver)
Armour: 20–102 mm (0.79–4.02 in)
Main armament: Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76 mm)
42 rounds
Secondary armament: 0.30 in Browning machine gun
Engine: Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol engine
600 hp (450 kW)
Suspension: Christie suspension
6 road wheels
Operational range: 105 mi (169 km)
Speed: 32 mph (51 km/h)