Covenanter

The title of this article is ambiguous. For a description of the political and religious movement in 17th century Scotland see Covenanters

Cruiser Mk V Covenanter

Bridge-laying armor

The Covenanter was a British cruiser tank during World War II, named after the Scottish grouping of the Covenanters in the 17th century.

As a further development of the prototype A 13, from which the Cruiser Tank Mk III emerged, the Cruiser Tank Mk V , which was nicknamed the Covenanter, was created in 1939 . 1771 pieces were built. Since it was supposed to be lower than its predecessor, a 12-cylinder boxer engine had to be installed for lack of space and the radiator had to be placed in the bow. Constant engine problems were the result, and the narrow tracks of the Christie drive caused high ground pressure . The covenanter was only used by the armored forces for training purposes.

In the field artillery, the Covenanter was used as a command and observation tank. Numerous copies were converted into bridge-laying tanks. These were also used by the Australian and exiled Czech armed forces.

Technical specifications

• Weight: 18.3 t,
• Length: 5.79 m,
• Width: 2.46 m,
• Height: 2.15 m,
• Armament
  • 1 × 40mm cannon,
  • 1 × 7.92mm Besa MG

literature

• David Fletcher, Peter Sarson: Crusader Cruiser Tank 1939-1945. Osprey Publishing, New Vanguard 14, 2000, ISBN 1-85532-512-8 .

Web links

Commons : Covenanter  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Britain's Cruiser Mk V Covenanter, A13 Mk III, wwiivehicles.com