Comet Tank

The Comet I (A34) was a British tank used during the end of the Second World War. It was manufactured by Leyland Motors Ltd as a heavy cruiser tank that was supposed to be superior in battle to similar German model tanks. The tank was also requested to be built using as many components as possible from the A15 Cruiser Mk VI Crusader tank.

The original designs were the A24 Cruiser Mk VII Cavalier tank and the A27L Cruiser Mk VII Centaur tank.

The Comet tank was used by the British Army during World War II and in the Korean War. A total of 1,186 units were built. The tank weighed 33 long tonnes and measured 6.55 metres long, 3.04 metres wide and 2.67 metres high. The crew of five consisted of a commander, gunner, loader, driver and co-driver. They were equipped with a 77 millimetre HV with 61 rounds and two 7.92 millimetre Besa machine guns. Its armour was 4 inches thick. The Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol engine was capable of 600 horsepower. Its fuel capacity was about 120 Imperial gallons, which allowed a maximum speed of 32 miles per hour and an operational range of about 250 kilometres.

The tanks were first delivered to the 11 th Armoured Division in December of 1944. It was engaged in the crossing of the Rhine and the Berlin Victory Parade in July 1945. The Comet was used together with the heavier Centurion tanks during the Korean War, with quite considerable success.