Centurion Universal Tank 1943–2003

Osprey New Vanguard #68

by Simon Dunstan, Peter Sarson (Illustrator)

From 1943 the British began the design of a tank that bore distinct similarities to the German Panther tank. Designed as a Universal Tank, the design emerged in mid-1945 as the Centurion. It was last used in action by the British Army in 1991 during the Gulf War. It has also seen action with the Israeli Defence Forces, the Indian Army in the wars with Pakistan and the Australian Army in Vietnam. This book details all the variants of the Centurion used in these conflicts as well as covering the specialised variants last used by the British in the Gulf War.

Genres: History

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2003

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful addition to the library of anyone interested in the history and development of the Centurion tank. The major improvements from Mk 1 to Mk 13 are covered, together with the conflicts that influenced their developments. However the more minor changes from one Mk to another cannot be covered in a book of 48 pages. In addition to the Centurion gun tank, other Centurion variants, ARV, AVRE, ARK, bridgelayer, Dozer, & BARV are described. The Israeli upgrade SHO'T, and the South African upgrades, Semele & Olifant are also covered.