Centurion Mk 5/2

Type: Main Battle Tank
Nation: United Kingdom
Period: Cold War
Location: Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg, Netherlands

One size fits all

The Centurion is widely considered one of the best tank designs of all time. Its origins date back to 1943, when the development of a heavy cruiser tank was ordered. Up to that point, the British Army had strictly differentiated between fast cruiser tanks (such as the Crusader, Cromwell and Comet) and heavy infantry tanks such as the Matilda, Matilda II, Valentine and Churchill. Combining the merits of both classes, the Centurion was one of the first examples of a true „universal tank“, paving the way for the modern MBT.

Pure potential

During World War 2 the British had come up with various ways to put their superb 17-pounder on an armoured vehicle. But while the Valentine Archer, A30 Challenger and even the Sherman Firefly had all been makeshift solutions to some extent, the Centurion Mk I was designed to carry the 17-pounder from the start. The strength of its design lay in the vast upgrade potential. For the first time the width of the vehicle was no longer constricted by the British railway specifications, which allowed for a bigger turret ring and thus the possibility of installing a bigger main armament – for example the 20-pounder gun in the Centurion Mk III.

Bestseller

This particular vehicle at the Nationaal Militair Museum is a Dutch Mk 5/2, the first model to carry the legendary 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. This weapon was first introduced in 1958 to counter the Soviet T-54/T-55 and was to be installed in many western vehicles of the Cold War era, such as the American M60 and M1 Abrams, the West German Leopard 1 and even the Israeli Merkava Mk. I. Centurions were widely exported to around 20 countries, where they would sometimes be operated way into the 21th century. Starting in 1953, the Dutch Army received around 600 of them to replace their ageing Shermans and Rams. This vehicle is towing the awkward Monotrailer, which held over 900 litres of extra fuel to extend the thirsty Centurion‘s range. Trying to reverse with one of these on rough terrain could end in disaster, which is why the idea was dropped relatively quickly.