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Cromwell MK IV King's Own Hussars, 7th Armoured Div., Operation Blackcok, Jan. 1945
General Background
In 1943 a decision was made to improve the Cromwell's firepower so a 75mm cannon became the standard. The 75mm was designed so ammunition could be interchanged with U.S. Army shells. As a result the Mk. IV appeared in October 1943. With speed and agility the Cromwell now had greater firepower and became more lethal. It had great success helping to drive the Germans out of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Cromwell led to the design of the arguably best WWII British tank, the Comet.
Even with fierce battles little is known about Operation Blackcock (a Scottish black male grouse) that occurred between January 14 & 26 1945. The purpose of the operation was to drive the Germans back across the rivers Rur and Wurm. The 7th Armoured Division, the "Desert Rats" applied a field coating of whitewash camouflage to their Cromwells obscuring its markings. The 7th was charged with liberating Montfort and capturing the bridge in Sint Odilienberg. This operation was successful and opened the way for the invasion of the Rhineland.
Even with fierce battles little is known about Operation Blackcock (a Scottish black male grouse) that occurred between January 14 & 26 1945. The purpose of the operation was to drive the Germans back across the rivers Rur and Wurm. The 7th Armoured Division, the "Desert Rats" applied a field coating of whitewash camouflage to their Cromwells obscuring its markings. The 7th was charged with liberating Montfort and capturing the bridge in Sint Odilienberg. This operation was successful and opened the way for the invasion of the Rhineland.
Specifications :
| Vehicle Type: | Cruiser Mk. VIII (A27M) Cromwell Mk. IVF |
| Manufacturer: | WD #: T185363 – T186510 Centaur C.S. MK.IV (CS tanks by John Fowler & Co.) |
| Production: | BRCW Co. Ltd – (riveted models) 256 (welded models) 123 |
| English-Electric – (riveted models) 803 (welded models) 1 | |
| John Fowler & Co. - (riveted models) 274 (welded models) 0 | |
| Leyland Motors - (riveted models) 735 (welded models) 0 | |
| Metro-Cammell - (riveted models) 300 (welded models) 0 | |
| Vauxhall Motors - (riveted models) 0 (welded models) 2 | |
| Total – (riveted) 2368 (welded) 126 the Mk. IV being the most numerous | |
| Crew: | 5 |
| Weight: | 27,500 kg – 60,627 lb – 27.06 (British long tons) 30.13 (US short tons) |
| Length: | 6.35 m – 20.8 ft |
| Width: | 2.91 m / 9 ft 6 in |
| Height: | 2.49 m – 8.17 ft |
| Ground pressure: | 14.7 lb/sq. in |
| Speed: | On road 52 kph – 32 mph |
| Off road 29 kph – 18 mph | |
| Range: | On road 265 km – 164.66 miles |
| Off road 134 km – 83 miles | |
| Main armament: | 1 x 75mm ROQF Mk. V or VA cannon with 64 rounds |
| Secondary armament: | 2 x 7.92mm Besa MG (coaxial, bow) with 4,950 rounds |
| Maximum armour: | 76mm – 2.99 in |
| Minimum armour: | 20 mm - .79 in |
| Powerplant: | Rolls Royce Meteor V-12 26.9 liters 600 hp@2550 rpm |
| Power to weight ratio: | 21.4 hp/t |
| Fuel: | Gasoline capacity 527 liters – 139 US gallons |