The Most Successful Tank Used by Foreign Forces

As the dawn of the Korean War enveloped the rugged terrain, a squadron of Centurion Mk 3 tanks advanced into a strategic position. These beasts, the latest in British armored warfare, bristled with anticipation.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the thunder of enemy tanks. The Centurions responded with rapid precision. Their 20-pounder guns, boasting a high muzzle velocity, unleashed a barrage of armor-piercing rounds. Explosions lit the horizon as enemy tanks recoiled under the Centurions’ mighty firepower.

Amidst the chaos, the Centurions' armor, up to 152 mm thick at the front, proved its worth. Enemy shells ricocheted off, unable to penetrate the well-angled frontal defense. Inside, the crew of five operated the tanks with clockwork efficiency, coordinating every move and shot.

The Centurions, weighing nearly 50 tons each, maneuvered with unexpected agility. Their Rolls-Royce Meteor engines, echoing the power of the Spitfire's Merlin engine, propelled them through the rugged landscape at speeds up to 21 mph. They climbed hills and traversed valleys, demonstrating their superior handling and stability in rough terrain.

As the Centurions pushed forward, their coaxial 7.62 mm machine guns rattled, providing cover for the infantry. They moved through mud and over frozen ground, adaptable and relentless.

Regrouped under the fading Korean skies, their journey was far from over. These machines were destined for battlefields across the globe. Their advanced design and proven combat effectiveness set them on a course to outpace their contemporaries, the American M48 Patton and the Soviet T-55.

[fredericksaxton]

I remember watching a US made documentary where a US Vet is taken to a tank museum and he heads straight to the British Centurion.
He said they saved the life of him and his platoon because the Centurion was able to climb quite steep hills to where his unit was under assault.

[audacity]

Israel & South Africa had good results using their Centurions in combat. The British 105mm gun became standard in Western tanks for many years.

[Joepops]

Apparently sometime during the Cold War, at least one Australian Centurion was tested in a nuclear bombed testing sight. Situated merely 400 meters from a 10 kiloton explosion, afterwards the tank was intact & fully functional! a Tank ! 😮

[gymw]

The biggest problem we had in WW2 was the tank's engines were around 350hp
That meant you could have a fast tank or a heavily armoured tank, not both in one vehicle
The Meteor with it's 600hp (812hp in later fuel injection versions) allowed this balance to be redressed
Of course, the Centurion was designed from the ground up to take the 17 pounder (and bigger) gun
So, a tank with the killing power, armour but not the weight of a Tiger (or even a Panther)

[stephensenior]

This is the tank that saved Israel in the Battle of the valley of tears in the 70's less than 100 ripped 500 T55 and T62's to bits . Can be seen at Bovington tank museum in Dorset in the U.K

[normmcrae]

A comment in the Commonwealth armies is that someone was "in the Army when Centurion was a RANK, - not a
The Centurion is STILL the Standard which all other tanks are measured by!

[stevesanders]

Suggest you proofread your scripts better. Centurion had a crew of 4 not 5. T55 was not involved in the Korean War. Someone has already pointed out that there wasn’t an American M45 tank.

[Idahoguy]

The Centurion was the west’s original main battle tank. Best of class

[robertpatrick]

It outclassed its peers and influenced tank development.

[jamesvandemark]

In addition to its other qualities, the Centurion boasted onboard tea brewing capability! A perfect war machine.

[CarlosGarcia-fiyu]

When the Centurion MK tank really shone was during the 1973 "Yom Kippur War" against the Syrian onslaught of T-55 and T-62's Soviet's MK tanks. This is of course, because the Israeli's upgrades along with the superb training by the I.D.F. which truly exploited the efficacy of this tank that is known in Medinat Yisrael as the "Shot-Kal" or the "Sling with a 105mm main bore canon.

[SteveDonaldson-rk]

There's an interesting anecdote from the battle of the Imjin river in the Korean war; when the British positions were overrun by Chinese troops, the centurions were swarmed by troops crawling over them, the crews radioed each other and decided to shoot at each others tanks with the coaxial machine guns to clear the Chinese off.

[bobhill]

I really enjoyed this because there's a Centurion outside a regemental museum that my grandad loves and I was so happy he got to see it move under it's own power.

[Kenshi_]

Whats funny when I noticed the thumbnail is that its not even a Centurion, its a Vickers mbt. Not only that that picture is taken from the videogame Sprocket: Tank design

[RpattoYT]

Under-appreciated tank. WoT was my first exposure to the Centurion and I was immediately drawn to it. It's design and proportions were strikingly modern for 1945. Clearly way ahead of its time, a pioneering design.

[smartiepancake]

The Centurion's greatest moment, one of the greatest moments in armoured warfare, gets no mention.

[andrewthorpe]

What held back British tank development was the lack of decent engines. From the start to the middle of the war, the most common tank engine was the Liberty, a 27 litre V12 with an output of 300-450 hp. It was a slightly modified WW ONE aero engine made under license. The Matilda and Churchill used their own unique engines.

It was the Meteor engine made from surplus Rolls-Royce Merlin engines that solved the problem and first fitted into a Crusader III for testing and first deployed in the Cromwell. First engines were salvaged from wrecks but later engines came from retired planes that used earlier marks of the Merlin. The Meteor was the same physical size, layout, and capacity as the Liberty, but was making 600 hp. Final variants were making 850 hp.

Although the Cromwell was a "Cruiser" tank, it had armour near that of an Infantry tank.

This was the engine that powered the Cromwell, Comet, and Centurion which spawned the "Universal Tank" which later became the Main Battle Tank.

[pincermovement]

It’s funny we started the war with the worst tanks and finished with the best .

[HDSME]

Centurion is masterful tank still in use in many places

[KUNALBISWAS-NEWS-TECH-SHORT]

During India Pakistani Wars both in 1965 & 1971, MK3 is responsible alone for destroying bulk of M47 pattons fleet & few M48 as they were rare sight over battlefield ..