Centurion tank (GL)
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| Centurion | |
|---|---|
 A War of Lorican Aggression-era Centurion used by the Royal Zanarkian Armored Corps | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940 - Present |
| Used by | United Kingdom and others (see Users) |
| Wars | Second Europan War War of Lorican Aggression |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1937 |
| Manufacturer | Vulcan Foundry and others |
| Produced | 1938 - 1972 |
| No. built | 13,750+ |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 51 tons |
| Length | 32 ft (9.8 m |
| Width | 11 feet 1 inch (3.38 m) with side plates |
| Height | 9 feet 10.5 inches (3.01 m) |
| Crew | 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver) |
| Armour | 6 inches (153mm) |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 20 pounder (Mk.1) 105 mm L7 rifled gun (Mk.5/2) |
Secondary armament | .30 cal Theimer machine gun |
| Engine | Rein-Martin Meteor V12 |
| Power/weight | 13 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Horstmann Suspension |
Operational range | 450 km |
| Speed | 40 km/h |
The Centurion was introduced in 1939. It was the primary Lucian Main battle tank during the middle of the Second Europan War. It is widely considered to be the most successful tank design of the war and the very first Main battle tank ever made. Being immediately produced after the threat posed by Tiger IIs of the Imperial Army. It first saw action in 1940. The Centurion is considered to be the grandfather of the modern main battle tanks such as the Challenger 2s fielded by the Lucis Army.
It is also the longest serving main battle tank in the world as is it still in service with the Basel-Ebel Self Defence Force, the Thors Military Academy, and military academies as training and/or combat units. It is also still used by the Royal Gallian Militia as its standard tank.
Development
The Centurion was also the first tank to feature a fully stabilized gun system which meant that the gun would always remain aimed at the same spot despite moving and maneuvering around the field. The turret would automatically counter the hull's traverse, and the gun's elevation would counter the varying terrain slopes/bumps and rises the tank was driven over.
As a result, the firing on the move ability of the Centurion Mk III and all later variants possessed an unrivaled ability to accurately fire the main cannon when traversing over all types of terrain And as such, could fire just as accurately when the tank was in motion compared to when standing still. It also meant that after a manoeuvre or repositioning of the tank, the gunner would already have his target acquired in his sights and he could fire the main cannon at the target with outstanding accuracy faster than any other tank without such a system.
Service History
Second Europan War
Europan Front
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The Commonwealth forces were desperate for a new tank in 1937. Despite the Comet Cruiser Tank seeing some successes against the Imperial Tiger Is and Panthers, The Comet cannot be considered such as it's armament was lacking and with the appearance of the new Tiger II in early 1939, it was deemed that a new tank must be developed to accommodate a much larger calibre gun.
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As early as late 1937, The Lucis War Office had called for a new tank to be developed as a response to the Tiger IIs. At that time, the Centurions were still in prototype stage. Deliveries wouldn't start until in late 1938 with the introduction of the Mk. II variant, which was fitted with a new turret whilst retaining the same 17pdr gun. When the Tiger II first appeared in late 1939, the War Office was concerned that the 17 pounder would be insufficient and thus a request was made to develop a 20 pounder gun (84mm). The Centurions were immediately fitted with the new gun and were classified as the Mk. III. In addition, a new technology developed in Erebonia by Orbal Tech was fitted to the Centurion which was called as Vertical Stabliser, which were usually fitted on aircraft was experimented to tanks to test its capabilities on tanks. The technology became a breakthrough for armoured warfare as the Centurion would be come the first tank in the world to be fitted with stabilizers, meaning that the gun would remain in target while on the move. The design was finalised in late 1939 with deliveries commencing in the first half of 1940.
On September 15, 1940, The first batch of Centurion Mk. III's arrived in Gallia in time to participate in the Battle of the Barious Heights. The Centurions won lasting fame during which the Imperials, Archadians and Guado lost 400 of their initial strength of 800 compared to a loss of just 5 Centurions of the initial strength of 120 Centurions, 450 Comets and 17 pounder gun emplacements, The 5 Centurions were then recovered, repaired and placed back into service. The reliability and ease of use and maintenance during the battle proved invaluable.
After the battle, The Centurion would undergo a series of upgrades as Imperial Tanks got thicker and bigger starting in 1943 with the appearance of the Panzer VIII Mauschen and the further upgrading of the Quenminese tank project dubbed as the XT-43. The upgrades came with a revision the Meteor V12 Petrol engine used on the Comet and changing them with the Erebonian-made Entra V12 Watercooled Diesel engine, greatly increasing its range from 150kms to 400kms. The gun was upgraded to the new {{wp|Royal Ordnance L7|105mm Royal Ordnance]] gun. In addition, hull armour thickness was increased to 152mm flat. Spaced armour was fully enhanced and were given the capability to deflect HEAT shells.
Middle East Front
The Centurions were first deployed to the Middle East during the Second Battle of Seleucia, where 2 Centurions took damage and were temporarily disabled but did not get destroyed. The crew were able to safely bail out and the tank was immediately pulled out of the field for repairs. It was returned to service after 2 days. Though the introduction of the Centurions proved to be a massive blow to the Imperials, there were still in very few numbers. From 1941 to 1943, there were only 200 Centurions in the Middle East being there were still that were still Mk. II variants being fitted with the 20 pounder gun. Lucian Field Marshal Archibald Sugiyama didn't want the risk of having the Centurions be captured by the Imperials. As a result, Sugiyama delegated them mostly to second-line units or in long-range engagements where the Centurion's accuracy was vital.
Knowing that the Imperials would attempt to engage the Centurions through the rear or on the side, Sugiyama often ordered Centurion squadrons to stick in diamond formations such that when one Centurion gets charged by infantry, those behind it could fire back. The decision was also made that Centurions would frequently stick with infantry formations. Smoke dischargers were installed on the tank such that when they were in the open, the crew can fire a full smoke screen and pull out of the field. Smoke dischargers were also installed on the rear and on the side of the tank to prevent soldiers from trying to charge onto the tank. Crew hatches had locks fitted to prevent soldiers from opening the hatch and dropping a grenade. Anti-infantry and anti-tank measures were used to great effect. In the case of being captured, the crew often activated the tank's drain system that flushed its fuel and destroyed its electrical system, making it of no use to the enemy. However, this feature was later removed in 1944, when the threat of anti-tank infantry charges was no longer a problem. As a result, the Imperials were never able to capture nor to inspect a fully intact Centurion in the field.
Asianna Front
The Commonwealth Forces in Asianna didn't receive the Centurions until 1942. It first saw action against the Archadian and Guadosalam Tanks in the Coral Campaign. The Centurion was popular with Commonwealth tank crews but the Engineers still preferred the Matilda II as modifying Centurions were still complex at that time. The Centurion proved very reliable in Jungle Combat as well as in city attacks.
The Centurions didn't face Quenminese Tanks until the Guinea Campaign in 1943 where it proved its value against Quenminese Tanks in Jungle Terrain. The Quenminese did not have any guns to destroy the Centurions effectively and mostly relied on artillery.
Joyonghea
The Commonwealth forces in Joyonghea did not receive Centurions until 1942. The Centurions were served in the Zanarkian 3rd Hussars. In the mountains, It was reliable and because of the reliability, The Centurion became the main tank of choice for the Commonwealth from 1943. During the November Offensive, 2 Centurions faced with 75 Quenminese and Archadian tanks. In a course of a 1 hour tank battle, The 2 Centurions remained intact before being relieved by the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. On the other side, The Quenminese-Archadian losses were high and were forced to retreat.
The Joyongheans were impressed by these tanks and many Joyonghean commanders voted that it was the best tank of the whole war.
War of Lorican Aggression
By the War of the Lorican Aggression in 1950, The Centurion fought alongside with the Quenminese Xe Thép Type 50, which was of Gallian origin but was unfit for service in the Gallian Army. The Centurion went up against M52s and Type 6 Heavy Tanks of the People's Lorican Army and has met with several successes. The M52s was a simple and impressive design having 50,000 of these tanks built but the Centurion's robust design proved much superior. The Type 6s were the only tanks that could face the Centurions but during this time, The Commonwealth had withdrawn their Mk. III Centurions and replaced them with much better armed and armored Mk. 5/2s that was armed with the 105mm Royal Ordinance and it was more than enough to go through the Type 6s Armor despite being sloped.
The Royal Bethausian Army received their Centurions by 1945 and they saw to little of use as the war neared its end but the Bethausians were more than happy to have the Centurions replace their fleet of Covenanters. Crusaders and Cromwells. In fact, Bethausia was the only one who carried on with the use of the Mk. III Centurions. The 20 pounder AP rounds could not pierce well against the M52s so the solution was to fire APCR rounds made by the Lucians. It proved to be successful until the 1960s when the Bethausians finally received their first 105mm armed Centurions.
On the other hand, The Joyongheans received their Centurions after their Cromwells, which was the best tank the Joyongheans fielded at the early stages was outgunned by the M52s and the Joyongheans were badly begging for Lucian Armored Vehicles. The Joyongheans fielded the Theimer Fireflies which was basically an upgunned Theimer Tank made by the Commonwealth but saw too little successes against the M52s. The first to react was the Zanarkians who immediately shipped the Centurions to Pusan. The Lucis Army also delivered Centurions to the Joyongheans and when it had arrived, Zanarkian, Lucian and Joyonghean engineers worked fast to modify them for the use of the Joyonghean Sovereign Army. It was given the designation of Cheolbonghwang M46. The Joyongheans would soon received the upgunned Centurions and gave it the designation of M46-B. The Joyonghean Centurions won lasting fame during the Pusan Offensive by the Loricans. Despite being low in numbers, The Joyonghean Centurions with support from the Commonwealth Centurions managed to force the Loricans into retreat, thereby saving Pusan and had the Loricans into retreat.
In Quenmin, The Centurions fought alongside the Xe Thép Type 50 and formed the bulk of the joint Quenminese-Commonwealth tank brigades.
Views
The Centurion proved to be the best tank that the Commonwealth had ever fielded. Many allies, including enemies praised the tank's performance in battle. Many had considered it to be the best tank of the Second Europan War. Brigadier General Kokonoe of the 2nd RTR commented that:
"I spoke to a gunner from the Royal Accordoan Greys. He thought that it (the Centurion) was the best tank he's ever seen or has ever used and I think if it was a girl, He would've married it." - Brigadier General Sougo Kokonoe, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
During the War of Lorican Aggression, The Centurion proved more than reliable than the M52s or the Type 6s Heavy Tanks that the Loricans had fielded. In fact, The Centurion was the only tank not to suffer a single loss in the early years of the war. Lieutenant General Kiriya Yokodera's experience in the field analyzed the performance of both the Quenminese Type 50 and the Centurions:
"How many Quenminese Type 50s were destroyed? Maybe a handful. How many Centurions were destroyed? none."
It had even received praise from the Imperial Generals. Selvaria Bles, a female general commented that:
"They have tarnished the reputation of My Grace's army with this beast"
One of the largest figures in the Imperial army, Berthold Gregor, the mastermind of the Imperial Tiger Tank development was most shocked as the Centurions were a much different tank compared to the Imperial Tiger I and IIs.
"Those bastards have a tank that can mow down our impregnable Tigers. How dare they imitate our audacity!"
Radi Jaeger, The head of the Imperial Super Heavy Tank development project was mostly shocked as Centurion outclassed almost every tank that was still in the boards.
"It was uncomparable to our tanks. The Lucians had really revolutionized Tank Warfare with this new machine"
The Archadians also feared the Centurion. It has been said that many Archadian and Guadosalam tankers abandoned their tanks upon seeing the Centurions.
"Nothing in the battlefield could ever touch it" - Alfredo Graziani, Commander of the Archadian Forces
"The advent of this new Lucian Tank has allowed them to evolve into a new kind of Tank Warfare and tore a hole into our prestigious ranks." - Archadian General Guglielmo Luca
"It was a soldier's nightmare. Once you see it, You had two choices; Run or Die" - Guadosalam General Antonio di Gioanno
Even from the Quenminese High Command had commented that the Centurion was far different from what they were fielding. Most of the Quenminese had to rely on artillery to destroy the Centurion but it was however a waste of artillery shells.
"It is undoubtedly the best tank I have ever seen in the battlefield" - Imperial Marshal Sử Thuận Duong, Eastern Imperial Front
Female Quenminese General Vương Thị Lệ expressed her admiration when she first encountered such tanks.
"I've had a lot of my county's tanks at my disposal, but I wished I possessed their kind" - Major General Vương Thị Lệ, Thirteenth Field Army
High Colonel Thạch Kiều identified that the Centurion was actually the first tank to be a "jack-of-all-trades" as it could go anywhere and could even take on tanks deployed in hills or jungles.
"Reliable in not just plain ground, but also in mountain and jungle terrains; those Lucians really know how to manufacture something better" - High Colonel Thạch Kiều, 721st Armored Regiment, Fifth Field Army
One of the most famous Quenminese Tank Commanders, Female General Lạc Mỹ expressed her shock upon encountering them for the first time in X870. In fact, The Quenminese did not have any tank that could take on a Centurion.
"What an impregnable beast it is. Our tanks are just inferior when facing them" - Major General Lạc Mỹ, Fifth Field Army
One of the best Quenminese Marshals, Kiều Hữu Dương commented on the sturdiness of the Centurion in combat when He had faced them in X869
"Every shell fired, it just richochets; that Lucian tank moves through as if it were a god" - Imperial Marshal Kiều Hữu Dương, Seventh Field Army
Variants
Centurion production mark numbers
- Centurion Mk 1
- 17pdr armed version
- Centurion Mk 2
- Fully cast turret
- Centurion Mk 3
- Fitted with 20pdr, 2 stowage positions for track links on glacis
- Centurion Mk 4
- Projected close-support version with 95 mm CS howitzer
- Centurion Mk 5
- Theimer machine guns fitted to coaxial and commander's cupola mounts, stowage bin on glacis
- Centurion Mk 5/1
- Increased glacis armour, two coax machineguns: one .30 Theimer Machine gun & one .50 Theimer Machine gun for ranging the 84mm (20 pounder) main gun
- Centurion Mk 5/2
- Upgunned to 105 mm
- Centurion Mk 6
- Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 5
- Centurion Mk 6/1
- Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment
- Centurion Mk 6/2
- Mk 6/1 fitted with ranging gun
- Centurion Mk 7
- Revised engine decks
- Centurion Mk 7/1
- Uparmoured Mk 7
- Centurion Mk 7/2
- Upgunned Mk 7
- Centurion Mk 8
- Resilient mantlet and new commanders cupola
- Centurion Mk 8/1
- Uparmoured Mk 8
- Centurion Mk 8/2
- Upgunned Mk 8
- Centurion Mk 9
- Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 7
- Centurion Mk 9/1
- Mk 9 with IR equipment
- Centurion Mk 9/2
- Mk 9 with ranging gun fitted
- Centurion Mk 10
- Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 8
- Centurion Mk 10/1
- Mk 10 with IR equipment
- Centurion Mk 10/2
- Mk 10 with ranging gun fitted
- Centurion Mk 11
- Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
- Centurion Mk 12
- Mk 9 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
- Centurion Mk 13
- Mk 10 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun
Darscen variant
- Sho't
- The Sho't is a Darscen modification to the Lucian Centurions. When the Centurions first arrived on Gallia in 1942, the Darscens were only given with Theimer tanks that were outgunned by the Imperial tanks and most Darscen tank regiments were issued with suicidal orders. However, the Lucis Parliament found this violation by Hans von Damon and he was immediately forced out of command and replace with a more pro-Darscen commander. The new commander was David Handel, who temporarily replaced him and armed the Darscens with the new Centurion tank. In 1947, the Darscens modified their Centurions into the Sho't (Scourge or Whip in Darscen), which was fitted with a more powerful engine and a Gallian radio set as well as reactive armor against HEAT shots.
Specialist variants
- Centurion Marksman
- Fitted with Marksman air defence turret
- Centurion Ark
- Assault Gap Crossing Equipment
- Centurion ARV Mk I
- Armoured Recovery vehicle
- Centurion ARV Mk II
- Armoured Recovery Vehicle with superstructure
- Centurion AVLB
- Dutch armoured vehicle laying bridge
- Centurion AVRE 105
- Combat Engineer Version armed with 105 mm gun
- Centurion AVRE 165
- Combat Engineer Version armed with 165 mm L9A1 gun
- Centurion BARV
- Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle
- Centurion Bridgelayer
- Class 80 bridgelayer
- Centurion Mk 12 AVRE 105
- Ex-Forward Artillery Observer vehicles converted to AVRE role.
Joyonghea
- Cheolbonghwang M46
- A Joyonghean designation of the Centurion. It was modified with the help of the Lucians and Zanarkians to meet Joyonghean standards. Considered the be the best tank in East Asianna.
- Cheolbonghwang M46-B
- Fitted with the Lucian Royal Ordinance 105mm L7A1
Bethausia
- Htun-Khine
- A Bethausian designation of the Centurion. The difference was that it was the only variant of the Centurion to retain the use of the 20 pounder even it was further upgraded.
Basel-Ebel
- Olifant
- A modernized Centurion fitted with a 1000 hp engine and computerized firing system. Currently in service.
Users
Current Users
- Various Military Academies
- Royal Home Guard
- Various Military Academies
- Various Military Academies
Former Users
Alteria
Altissia
Bethausia
Concordia and the Soryu
Dalmasca and Nabradia
Joyonghea
Lestallum
New Akiba
Nibelheim-Saxe-Hanover
Rubrum
Tenebrae and Solheim