AC4 tank
Australian Cruiser Tank Mk. 4 | |
---|---|
Type | Cruiser tank |
Place of origin | Australia |
Production history | |
Designed | 1943 |
Manufacturer | New South Wales Government Railways |
Specifications | |
Mass | 30 long tons (30.5 t)[1] |
Length | 21 feet 6 inches (6.55 m) (Maximum)[2] |
Width | 9 feet (2.74 m) (Maximum)[2] |
Height | 9 feet (2.74 m) (Maximum)[2] |
Crew | 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader/Operator, Driver)[2] |
Armour | Hull front 2.5 inches (64 mm) sides and rear 1.75 inches (44 mm) Turret 2.5 inches (64 mm) all round[2] |
Main armament | 17 pounderwith 50-60 rounds,[2]or25 poundertank gun |
Secondary armament | one.303(7.7 mm)Vickers machine gun,2,500-4000 rounds[2] |
Engine | Perrier-Cadillac 397 horsepower (296 kW)[1] |
Power/weight | 13.2 hp/ton |
Suspension | Horizontal Volute Spring |
Operational range | 150 miles (240 km)[2] |
Maximum speed | 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)[2] |
TheAC4 (Australian Cruiser Tank Mk. 4)was acruiser tankdesigned in Australia in World War II as the intended successor to theAC3 Thunderbolt.Like its predecessors the AC4 was to have a one piece cast hull and turret. The AC4's most important characteristic would be the use of a17 poundertank gun.
History
[edit]Reservations about the utility of the25 pounderin the AC3, and the 25 pounder's limited ability to pierce armour led to experimentation with a 17 pounder mounted on an Australian cruiser.
A turret was built and mounted on one of the earlier development vehicles to assess the vehicle's ability to mount the foremostAlliedanti-tank gun of the day – the British 17 pounder (76 mm, 3 in). This was achieved by mounting two 25 pounder gun-howitzers which when fired together would significantly exceed the recoil of a 17 pounder.[3]In this configuration the tank was tested on 2 November 1942. It fitted with a 17 pounder and after successful gunnery trials on 17 November 1942 the 17 pounder was selected for the AC4 design. For the AC4 the 17 pounder was to be mounted in a new and larger turret, attached by a 70-inch (1778 mm) diameter turret ring, the space for which was accommodated by changes to the upper hull permitted by the compact nature of the "Perrier-Cadillac".[4]
A design for the tank had been established, however it was subject to a redesign to alter the internal stowage, and include new features not previously considered such as removal of the turret basket, addition of a gyro-stabiliser, and swapping a hydraulic traverse for the electrical system, and torsion bar suspension for the volute spring used up until that point.[5]
The programme was authorised to build a total of 510 AC4 tanks.[6][1]Of these 510 tanks, 110 were to be the "A" variant fitted with a 25 pounder tank gun instead of the 17 pounder.[4]While the AC4 did not receive a formal name the Director of AFV Production, Alfred Code, had the name "Woomera"in mind for the tank.[7]The design was not yet finalised when the programme was terminated in July 1943.[4]
Variants
[edit]- AC4A[4]
- one 25 pounder gun
- oneVickers machine gun
See also
[edit]- Tanks of comparable role, performance, and era
- AustraliaThunderbolt
- BritishCromwell
- CanadianGrizzly I
- GermanPanzer IV
- HungarianTurán III
- ItalianCarro Armato P 40
- JapaneseType 3 Chi-Nu
- SovietT-34
- SwedishStridsvagn m/42
- United StatesM4 Sherman
Notes
[edit]- Footnotes
- Citations
- ^abcMP730/13, 7A) Australian Tank Production Report by Colonel G A Green: B) Related Documents.National Archives of Australia.
- ^abcdefghiGeneral Staff Specification for Cruiser Tank A.C.4.
- ^Bingham 1972,p. 66.
- ^abcd"MP508/1, 325/703/3084G.S. Specifications Cruiser Tank AC3 and AC4".National Archives of Australia.
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(help) - ^"MP730/13, 18Tank Production in Australia: Stage V. Liquidation of Armoured Fighting Vehicles Directorate".National Archives of Australia.
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:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^Mellor 1958,p. 319.
- ^"Australian Military Vehicles Research: Australian Sentinel Tank".September 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2021.Retrieved3 June2021.
References
[edit]- Bingham, James (1972).Australian Sentinel and Matildas.AFV/Weapons Profiles 31. Windsor, United Kingdom: Profile Publications.OCLC220833374.
- Mellor, D.P. (1958).The Role of Science and Industry.Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil. Vol. V. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.OCLC4092792.