The fate of certain types of military equipment, like the fate of people, is often unpredictable. Someone dies in the first battle, someone pulls the strap of routine service in a distant garrison and retires by length of service. But some have trials and adventures that are more than enough for ten. So other samples of military equipment, despite the many vicissitudes of fortune, survive in the most difficult conditions and, as a result, become monuments of their era. An example is the Australian Centurion Mk.3 tank, which was scorched by a nuclear explosion and took part in hostilities in Southeast Asia.
The history of the creation of the Centurion Mk.3 tank
After heavy German tanks appeared on the battlefield in the second half of World War II, work began in Great Britain to create armored vehicles that could withstand them on equal terms. As part of the concept of a "universal tank", which in the future was intended to replace the infantry and cruiser tanks in service, the A41 project was created. This car was later sometimes called the British "Tiger". However, a comparison with the German heavy tank Pz. Kpfw. Tiger Ausf. H1 is not entirely correct. "Tiger", which weighed 57 tons, was heavier than the first modification of the "Centurion" by about 9 tons. At the same time, the mobility and power reserve of the German and British tanks were very close. In terms of frontal protection, British and German tanks were roughly equivalent, but the Centurion's 51mm side armor, even with 6mm anti-cumulative screens, turned out to be thinner than that of the Tiger covered with 80mm side armor. Nevertheless, the "Centurion" was a very successful combat vehicle for its time, with a high modernization potential. Serial production of new tanks was carried out at the enterprises of Leyland Motors, Royal Ordnance Factory and Vickers.
In the last days of World War II, six prototypes came off the assembly line of the plant, but when they arrived in Germany, the war was already over. Subsequently, during the hostilities in Korea, India, Vietnam, the Middle East and Angola, the Centurion proved to be one of the best tanks of the post-war period. In total, more than 4,400 Centurion tanks of various modifications were built until 1962.
The first serial modification of the Centurion Mk.1 was armed with a 76 mm gun based on the QF 17 pounder towed anti-tank gun. At a distance of up to 900 m, the gun could successfully fight most German tanks, but the action of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile was weak. A 20 mm Polsten cannon was installed in the turret as additional armament; on the Centurion Mk.2 modification, it was replaced with a BESA rifle caliber machine gun. On tanks "Centurion", starting with this version, in front of the tower were installed six 51-mm grenade launchers for firing smoke grenades. All vehicles of the Mk.2 modification in the early 1950s were upgraded to the level of Mk. Z.
In 1947, the main modification was adopted - the Centurion Mk.3 with a 20-pounder QF 20 pounder cannon of 83.8 mm caliber. At a range of 914 m, an armor-piercing projectile with an initial speed of 1020 m / s could penetrate 210 mm along the normal to homogeneous armor. The armor penetration of a sub-caliber projectile with an initial speed of 1465 m / s, at the same range, reached 300 mm. Subsequently, later modifications were armed with a 107-mm rifled semi-automatic L7 gun, which was better suited to combat the Soviet T-54/55/62 tanks.
The Centurion Mk.3 tank received an armament stabilizer in the vertical and horizontal guidance planes. The creation of a serial two-plane, reliably working stabilizer Metrovick FVGCE Mk.1 was a great success for the British, which significantly increased the tank's efficiency on the battlefield. The presence of a two-plane stabilization system significantly increased the likelihood of hitting an enemy tank. At a movement speed of 10-15 km / h, the firing efficiency was slightly different from the hit probability when firing from a spot. In addition, the stabilizer not only increases the accuracy of fire on the move, but also the average speed of the tank on the battlefield, thereby reducing its vulnerability.
The Centurion Mk.3 tank was powered by a Rolls-Royce Meteor liquid-cooled 12-cylinder V-engine with 650 hp. and a Merrit-Brown transmission. The power unit was a further development of the engine and transmission of the Cromwell and Comet I tanks.
Participation of the Centurion Mk.3 Type K tank in a nuclear test at the Emu Field test site
In the early 1950s, Australia, as the closest ally of Great Britain, began to receive the Centurion Mk.3 tanks, which at that time were very modern. In total, the Australian Army ordered 143 Centurions. Among the vehicles shipped by sea was a tank with serial number 39/190, assembled at the Royal Ordnance Factory in 1951. In the Australian armed forces, the armored vehicle was assigned the number 169041 and used at a tank range for training purposes. Subsequently, it was this tank that was decided to be used in a nuclear test known as Operation Totem-1.
In the early 1950s, Great Britain entered the "nuclear race", but since nuclear testing required a test site that met safety requirements, the British agreed on the allocation of sites with the government of the "Green Continent". A vast territory in the southern part of Australia, 450 km north of Adelaide, was designated as a nuclear test site. This area was chosen due to its very low population density. The desert area was not used in any way for economic activity, but the nomadic routes of the local aborigines passed here. The test site for Totem was an area in the Victoria Desert known as Emu Field. In 1952, a 2 km long runway and a residential settlement were built here on the site of a dried-up lake. Since the British were in a great hurry to build up and improve their nuclear potential in terms of reliability and efficiency, work proceeded at a high pace.
An implosive nuclear explosive device based on Plutonium-240 was tested as part of the creation of the British Blue Danube atomic bomb. The nuclear charge was placed on top of a steel tower 31 meters high. Various measuring instruments were placed around the tower, but unlike the first American and Soviet atmospheric nuclear test explosions, no structures or fortifications were erected. In order to assess the impact of the damaging factors of nuclear weapons, individual samples of weapons and military equipment were delivered to the test site, including a tank taken from the presence of the Australian Army Centurion Mk.3 Type K.
The delivery of the armored vehicle to the training ground was carried out with great difficulties. Due to the remoteness and lack of a good road, the trailer carrying the tank got stuck in the sand. The last part of the way to the test site "Centurion" drove on its own. At that time, the car's odometer showed only 740 kilometers.
Before the nuclear explosion, a full ammunition load was loaded into it, the fuel tanks were filled and the dummies of the tankers were placed. According to the scenario of the exercise, the car with the engine running was placed at a distance of 460 meters from the tower with a nuclear charge.
An explosion with an energy release of about 10 kt scorched the desert on October 15, 1953 at 07:00 local time. The mushroom cloud formed after the explosion rose to a height of about 5000 m and, due to the lack of wind, dissipated very slowly. This led to the fact that a significant part of the radioactive dust raised by the explosion fell out in the vicinity of the test site. The nuclear test "Totem-1", despite its relatively low power, turned out to be very "dirty". Territories at a distance of up to 180 km from the epicenter were subjected to heavy radioactive contamination. The so-called "black fog" reached Wellbourne Hill, where the Australian aborigines suffered from it.
Despite the relative proximity to the explosion point, the tank was not destroyed, although it was damaged. The shock wave moved it by 1.5 m and turned it around. Since the hatches were not locked from the inside, they were opened by the force of the explosion, causing damage to some of the internal parts and dummies. Under the influence of light radiation and a shock wave, which carried tons of sandy abrasive, the glasses of optical instruments became clouded. The tarpaulin casing of the gun mantlet was burnt, and the side skirts were torn off and thrown 180 meters away. The roof of the engine compartment was also damaged. Nevertheless, when examining the tank, it turned out that the engine was not badly damaged. Despite the extreme pressure drops and the effect of an electromagnetic pulse, the motor continued to work, and stalled only after the fuel in the tanks ran out.
Evacuation from a nuclear test site, decontamination, repair and modernization of the "atomic tank"
Three days after the nuclear test, the crew, having carried out the minimum necessary repair work, took their places in the tank and left the landfill on their own. However, it was not possible to go far, the engine, clogged with sand, soon jammed and the "Centurion" was evacuated on a trailer, which was towed by two tractors.
At the same time, none of those involved in the evacuation of the tank used protective equipment, although inscriptions were made on the tower about the danger of radiation. Subsequently, 12 of the 16 military personnel who worked on board 169041 died of cancer.
After the tank was delivered to the Woomera test site, it was decontaminated and put on a storage site. In 1956, the induced radiation in the armor weakened to a safe value and after a dosimetric survey, the Centurion was sent to the Pukapunyal tank training ground, located in the southeast of Australia, 10 km west of the city of Seymour. The failed engine was replaced, and the turret with clouded observation devices and a faulty sight was dismantled. In this form, the "atomic tank" was operated as a tractor, and two years later it was sent for overhaul. During the repair and modernization, the tank was brought to the level of the Centurion Mk.5 / 1, armed with a 105 mm L7 gun. With such a gun, "Centurion" could fight all types of tanks then available in the Soviet Army. From 1959 to 1962, tank number 169041 was in "storage", after which it was transferred to the training center of the 1st armored regiment.
Participation of the "atomic tank" in the Vietnam War
In 1962, the Australian leadership decided to support the US fight against the communist advance in Southeast Asia. Initially, a small group of advisers was sent to Saigon, but as the conflict escalated, transport and combat aircraft, armored vehicles and regular ground units were sent to South Vietnam. Destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy were involved in American patrols along the coast of North Vietnam. The number of Australians at the height of the conflict in the late 1960s reached 7,672. In combat operations until 1971, 9 infantry battalions took part. In total, more than 50,000 Australian soldiers passed through the Vietnam War, of which 494 people died, 2368 people were injured, and two people were missing.
In 1968, tanks from the 1st Armored Regiment were sent to support the Australian foot soldiers who fought in the jungle. Among the armored tracked vehicles delivered by sea to South Vietnam, there was also the hero of our story. The tank was assigned the tactical number 24C and entered into combat service in September. In the tank platoon, where the Centurion was operated as a command vehicle, among other crews, he was known as "Sweet Fanny".
The crew of the "Centurion" periodically participated in combat operations without incidents, until on May 7, 1969, during the battle, the tank was hit by a cumulative grenade (most likely released from an RPG-2). The shell pierced the armor in the lower left part of the fighting compartment. The cumulative jet passed diagonally, severely injuring the gunner. Other crew members, after evacuating a wounded colleague, took up defensive positions in the tank. Although the armor was pierced, the explosion did not damage vital components, and the tank retained its combat effectiveness. By that time, the "Centurion" had a mileage of more than 4000 km, needed repairs and it was decided to send it back to Australia. In January 1970, tank No. 169041, along with two other defective armored vehicles, was sent to the South Vietnamese port of Vung Tau for loading on a ship bound for Melbourne.
Service "atomic tank" after returning from Southeast Asia
After arriving in Australia, in May 1970, the damaged vehicle was taken to a tank repair facility in the city of Bandiana. In the course of the next overhaul, the tank was equipped with an improved optical rangefinder and an IR illuminator designed to ensure the operation of night vision devices.
The overhaul and modernization work was completed at the end of 1970, and after several years of being at the Centurion storage base, it was transferred to the 1st armored regiment. This time the tank was assigned the tactical number 11A and the unofficial name "Angelica". His active service continued until the end of 1976, when the 1st Armored Regiment was rearmed with Leopard AS1 (1A4) tanks.
The decision to purchase West German Leopards intended to replace the Centurions was made on a competitive basis, after comparative tests of the Leopard 1A4 and the American M60A1 in the summer of 1972 at the Queensland Tropical Range. The contract with the FRG for the supply of 90 linear tanks, 6 armored recovery vehicles and 5 bridgelayers was signed in 1974.
Although the Centurion, which passed through the nuclear test site and the Vietnam War, was put into storage in the first half of 1977, a few years later it was returned back to the 1st Armored Regiment.
The machine, brought to perfect condition by the regiment's repair service, was used during various celebrations. The last time tank # 169041 took part in the farewell parade of the Chief of General Staff H. J. Coates in April 1992. In November 1992, the "atomic tank" was erected as a monument at the Robertson Barracks military base, about 15 kilometers east of downtown Darwin.
Currently, the main base of the Australian ground forces in the Northern Territory of Australia is located here, and until 2013 was the headquarters of the 1st Armored Regiment.
In total, the tank served 23 years, including 15 months in South Vietnam. In 2018, a commemorative plaque with the main milestones of his biography was attached to the armor of the "atomic tank".
In addition to tank # 169041, two more Australian Centurions participated in the tests known as Operation Buffalo at the Maralinga nuclear test site, but this machine was the only one put into operation after the direct impact of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.
