Difference between revisions of "Crusader AA Mk I"

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{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_aa_mk_1}}
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{{About
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| about = British SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = other variants
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| link = Crusader (Family)
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=uk_crusader_aa_mk_1
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
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<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The '''Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I''' is the first anti-air modification of the [[Crusader III]], which is the third variant of the [[Crusader (Family)|A15 Crusader cruiser tank family]]. The original 57 mm Ordnance QF 6-pounder was replaced with a 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun in an open-topped turret with an autoloader and automated turret. The crew consisted of four people: the commander, the gunner, the loader, and the driver. Beginning with the Normandy landing, the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I was issued to artillery light anti-aircraft regiments, but they were withdrawn from service soon after D-Day due to Allied air superiority and a lack of Luftwaffe targets, necessitating much fewer anti-aircraft platforms.
 +
 
 +
Introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]], the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I is an interesting anti-aircraft vehicle that is also capable of carrying out anti-tank roles. Despite its anti-aircraft designation, the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I struggled in this duty. The 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun fires slowly with low-velocity ammunition, making it difficult to target fast-moving enemy aircraft. Nonetheless, a single hit will frequently cripple any adversary aircraft. As a result, it is critical to hide and wait for an ideal moment before opening fire on an enemy aircraft. It can also act as an anti-tank weapon. This vehicle's armour-piercing ammunition can penetrate the frontal armour of light and medium tanks, as well as the side or rear armour of some heavy tanks. Due to the low post-penetration damage, you will need to target more than one section of an enemy tank to successfully destroy it.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' <br> 9 mm (85°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 20 mm (27°, 61°) ''Joint plate'' <br> 20 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's Port''|| 14 + 14 mm || 14 mm (14°), 12 mm (51°) ''Rear plate'' <br> 14 mm (44-46°) ''Engine grille'' || 7 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 30 mm (36°) || 12 mm (14-15°) || 12 mm (19°) || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
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'''Notes:'''
  
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''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
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 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=483|rbMinHp=301}}
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 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
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''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
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{{main|Bofors L/60 (40 mm)}}
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
|-
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! colspan="6" | [[Bofors L/60 (40 mm)|40 mm Bofors L/60]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
 +
! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 160 (8) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+70° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 35.22 || 48.75 || 59.20 || 65.47 || 69.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.57 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
 +
|-
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! ''Realistic''
 +
| 23.80 || 28.00 || 34.00 || 37.60 || 40.00
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Ammunition ====
 +
 
 +
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These work fine, a hit on an aircraft means certain death for it and still is able to hurt ground vehicles, especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. These would be a good ammunition belt to deal with a variety of situations the Crusader can find itself in.
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* '''Mk.II:''' {{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These mean certain death for aircraft, what should be used for AA work.
 +
* '''M81A1:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - These are the worst belts against airplanes. however, they are able to hurt ground vehicles especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. If you plan on killing tanks load this and flank, since side shots are almost a necessity.
 +
 
 +
{{:Bofors L/60 (40 mm)/Ammunition|Mk.II, M81A1}}
 +
 
 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.9.0.38''' -->
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! Ammo<br>type
 +
! 1st<br>rack empty
 +
! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! 4th<br>rack empty
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! 5th<br>rack empty
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''20''' <br> '''160''' || ''Clips'' <br> ''Rounds'' || 15&nbsp;''(+5)'' <br> 120&nbsp;''(+40)'' || 10&nbsp;''(+10)'' <br> 80&nbsp;''(+80)'' || 5&nbsp;''(+15)'' <br> 40&nbsp;''(+120)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+19)'' <br> 8&nbsp;''(+152)'' || 0&nbsp;''(+20)'' <br> 0&nbsp;''(+160)'' || Yes
 +
|-
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|}
 +
'''Notes''':
  
−
=== Additional armament ===
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* Ammunition is organised in clips of 8 rounds.
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
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* The visual discrepancy concerns racks and clips: racks 1 to 4 are modeled as 9 clips containing 4 rounds while rack 5 is a clip of 4 rounds. In-game, racks 1 to 4 contain 5 clips of 8 rounds and rack 5 contains a clip of 8 rounds.
 +
* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
  
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=== Machine guns ===
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== Usage in battles ==
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
  
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== Usage in the battles ==
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Despite being an SPAA vehicle, the Crusader struggles in an AA role. The gun is slow firing and fires at quite a low velocity, meaning that you will struggle to target fast moving enemy aircraft. Granted, a single hit will often spell doom for an enemy aircraft. Therefore, it is important to hide and wait for an opportune moment to open fire on an enemy aircraft. A low flying aircraft within 1km, flying at low speed, should be easier to hit. However, higher ranked and faster planes will can be a much harder target to his with the slow turret traverse for tracking and the slow fire rate of the gun.
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''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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 +
The Crusader AA Mk I can play in a style similar to gun-centric IFVs at higher BRs. The gun is not dissimilar in performance to the gun on the [[Churchill I]], and thus is perfectly serviceable for performing duties in the anti-tank role. With the AP belts equipped and with the use of high mobility, it is relatively easy to disable anything short of a heavy tank from the front (with the exception of a few tanks that're encountered in uptiers). You are quite dangerous to Panzers especially, as side-on it is possible to destroy them two or three well-placed shots. Avoid playing the vehicle in this role in uptiers against USSR however, as the gun in not powerful enough to penetrate or even disable KV-1s and T-34s. Be especially aware of the French heavy tanks, too, as their armour is deceptively thick. The [[2C]] and [[2C bis]] can be engaged with caution, as the 40mm cannon can dispatch them quickly at extremely close-range. On the contrary, do not attempt to engage either B1s, as their in practice is nigh-impossible to penetrate.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Good mobility and top speed of the Crusader chassis
 +
* 40 mm Bofors autocannon can heavily damage aircraft if the Mk.II shell contacts
 +
* Tall turret offers good protection to the gunnery crew from machine guns up to 20 mm cannons
 +
* AP shells have enough power to penetrate some tank armour
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Very little armour, especially the AA turret
 +
* Cannon slot in front turret armour allows machine gun bullets to go through and injure/kill the crew
 +
* Against attacker and bombers, 40 mm cannon is not a one-hit kill and repeated hits are necessary
 +
* Exposed top leave crew vulnerable
 +
* Slow rate of fire and poor muzzle velocity
 +
* Limited ammo, which could be a problem since the gun requires leading of shots
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
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<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
 
 +
===Development===
 +
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of A15. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.
 +
 
 +
===Design===
 +
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.
 +
 
 +
The Crusader Mk I and [[Crusader Mk II|Mk II]] were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the [[Crusader Mk III]] variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.
 +
 
 +
By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant]] medium tank from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.
 +
 
 +
After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the '''[[Crusader AA Mk I]]''' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.
 +
 
 +
The AA Tank Mk 1 was issued to artillery light anti-aircraft regiments starting with the landing in Normandy, but the Mark I's were withdrawn from service soon after D-Day due to the Allied air supremacy and lack of Luftwaffe targets meaning significantly fewer anti-aircraft weapons ended up being required.
 +
 
 +
===Survivors===
 +
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
  
−
== Read also ==
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;Skins
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
+
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_crusader_aa_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Images
 +
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150">
 +
File:Crusader AA Mk I in Normandy.jpg|<small>Crusader AA Mk I in [[Normandy (Ground Forces)|Normandy map]]</small>
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
<!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''-->
−
''ETC.''
+
 
 +
* [[Ostwind]]
 +
* [[ZSU-37]]
 +
* [[AMX-13 DCA 40]]
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* [[Lvkv 42]]
  
−
== Sources ==
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== External links ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''other literature.''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
 +
 
 +
* [[wt:en/devblog/current/855/|[Devblog] Crusader AA Mk.I and Crusader AA Mk.II]]
 +
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/Cruiser-MkVI_Crusader.php <nowiki>[Tanks-Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20210511224314/https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/Cruiser-MkVI_Crusader.php Web Archive])
 +
 
 +
{{TankManufacturer Nuffield}}
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{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Latest revision as of 11:55, 10 May 2024

Rank VII | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
This page is about the British SPAA Crusader AA Mk I. For other variants, see Crusader (Family).
Crusader AA Mk I
uk_crusader_aa_mk_1.png
GarageImage Crusader AA Mk I.jpg
ArtImage Crusader AA Mk I.png
Crusader AA Mk I
Britain flag.png Britain
II Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
3.0 3.0 3.0
Class:
Research:7 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:10 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I is the first anti-air modification of the Crusader III, which is the third variant of the A15 Crusader cruiser tank family. The original 57 mm Ordnance QF 6-pounder was replaced with a 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun in an open-topped turret with an autoloader and automated turret. The crew consisted of four people: the commander, the gunner, the loader, and the driver. Beginning with the Normandy landing, the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I was issued to artillery light anti-aircraft regiments, but they were withdrawn from service soon after D-Day due to Allied air superiority and a lack of Luftwaffe targets, necessitating much fewer anti-aircraft platforms.

Introduced in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour", the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I is an interesting anti-aircraft vehicle that is also capable of carrying out anti-tank roles. Despite its anti-aircraft designation, the Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Mark I struggled in this duty. The 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun fires slowly with low-velocity ammunition, making it difficult to target fast-moving enemy aircraft. Nonetheless, a single hit will frequently cripple any adversary aircraft. As a result, it is critical to hide and wait for an ideal moment before opening fire on an enemy aircraft. It can also act as an anti-tank weapon. This vehicle's armour-piercing ammunition can penetrate the frontal armour of light and medium tanks, as well as the side or rear armour of some heavy tanks. Due to the low post-penetration damage, you will need to target more than one section of an enemy tank to successfully destroy it.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull20 / 28 / 14
Turret30 / 12 / 12
Crew3 people
Visibility100 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 20 mm (33°) Front plate
9 mm (85°) Front glacis
20 mm (27°, 61°) Joint plate
20 mm (65°) Lower glacis
18 mm (1°) Driver's Port		 14 + 14 mm 14 mm (14°), 12 mm (51°) Rear plate
14 mm (44-46°) Engine grille 		7 mm
Turret 30 mm (36°) 12 mm (14-15°) 12 mm (19°) N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB48 / 8 km/h
RB and SB44 / 7 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight19.3 t
Engine power
AB649 hp
RB and SB340 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB33.6 hp/t
RB and SB17.6 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 48 8 19.3 483 649 25.03 33.63
Realistic 44 7 301 340 15.6 17.62

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB520 → 669 Sl icon.png
RB386 → 496 Sl icon.png
SB602 → 774 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications6 940 Rp icon.png
6 730 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost530 Ge icon.png
Crew training3 000 Sl icon.png
Experts10 000 Sl icon.png
Aces115 Ge icon.png
Research Aces160 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
30 / 40 / 50 % Sl icon.png
112 / 112 / 112 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
580 Rp icon.png
Cost:
560 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
580 Rp icon.png
Cost:
560 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
40mm_usa_M2_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
40mm_usa_M2_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
580 Rp icon.png
Cost:
560 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
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Artillery Support
Research:
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Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

40 mm Bofors L/60 cannon
Ammunition160 rounds
Belt capacity8 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
0.6 → 0.5 s
Fire rate120 shots/min
Vertical guidance-6° / 70°
Main article: Bofors L/60 (40 mm)
40 mm Bofors L/60 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 160 (8) 120 -6°/+70° ±180° N/A 35.22 48.75 59.20 65.47 69.65 0.65 0.57 0.53 0.50
Realistic 23.80 28.00 34.00 37.60 40.00

Ammunition

  • Default: AP-T · FI-T* - These work fine, a hit on an aircraft means certain death for it and still is able to hurt ground vehicles, especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. These would be a good ammunition belt to deal with a variety of situations the Crusader can find itself in.
  • Mk.II: FI-T* - These mean certain death for aircraft, what should be used for AA work.
  • M81A1: AP-T - These are the worst belts against airplanes. however, they are able to hurt ground vehicles especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. If you plan on killing tanks load this and flank, since side shots are almost a necessity.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Mk.II FI-T* 9 8 7 6 5 4
M81A1 AP-T 72 69 58 46 37 29
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Mk.II FI-T* 874 0.83 0.1 0.1 63 79° 80° 81°
M81A1 AP-T 875 0.88 - - - 47° 60° 65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Crusader AA Mk I
Full
ammo 		Ammo
type 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
20
160 		Clips
Rounds 		15 (+5)
120 (+40) 		10 (+10)
80 (+80) 		5 (+15)
40 (+120) 		1 (+19)
8 (+152) 		0 (+20)
0 (+160) 		Yes

Notes:

  • Ammunition is organised in clips of 8 rounds.
  • The visual discrepancy concerns racks and clips: racks 1 to 4 are modeled as 9 clips containing 4 rounds while rack 5 is a clip of 4 rounds. In-game, racks 1 to 4 contain 5 clips of 8 rounds and rack 5 contains a clip of 8 rounds.
  • Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.

Usage in battles

Despite being an SPAA vehicle, the Crusader struggles in an AA role. The gun is slow firing and fires at quite a low velocity, meaning that you will struggle to target fast moving enemy aircraft. Granted, a single hit will often spell doom for an enemy aircraft. Therefore, it is important to hide and wait for an opportune moment to open fire on an enemy aircraft. A low flying aircraft within 1km, flying at low speed, should be easier to hit. However, higher ranked and faster planes will can be a much harder target to his with the slow turret traverse for tracking and the slow fire rate of the gun.

The Crusader AA Mk I can play in a style similar to gun-centric IFVs at higher BRs. The gun is not dissimilar in performance to the gun on the Churchill I, and thus is perfectly serviceable for performing duties in the anti-tank role. With the AP belts equipped and with the use of high mobility, it is relatively easy to disable anything short of a heavy tank from the front (with the exception of a few tanks that're encountered in uptiers). You are quite dangerous to Panzers especially, as side-on it is possible to destroy them two or three well-placed shots. Avoid playing the vehicle in this role in uptiers against USSR however, as the gun in not powerful enough to penetrate or even disable KV-1s and T-34s. Be especially aware of the French heavy tanks, too, as their armour is deceptively thick. The 2C and 2C bis can be engaged with caution, as the 40mm cannon can dispatch them quickly at extremely close-range. On the contrary, do not attempt to engage either B1s, as their in practice is nigh-impossible to penetrate.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good mobility and top speed of the Crusader chassis
  • 40 mm Bofors autocannon can heavily damage aircraft if the Mk.II shell contacts
  • Tall turret offers good protection to the gunnery crew from machine guns up to 20 mm cannons
  • AP shells have enough power to penetrate some tank armour

Cons:

  • Very little armour, especially the AA turret
  • Cannon slot in front turret armour allows machine gun bullets to go through and injure/kill the crew
  • Against attacker and bombers, 40 mm cannon is not a one-hit kill and repeated hits are necessary
  • Exposed top leave crew vulnerable
  • Slow rate of fire and poor muzzle velocity
  • Limited ammo, which could be a problem since the gun requires leading of shots

History

Development

In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation Tank, Cruiser Mk.V based off the A13 cruiser tanks, named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader and fell under the General Staff specification of A15. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

Design

The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk I and Mk II were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the Cromwell was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the Crusader Mk III variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

Combat usage

The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the Panzer III, but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the M3 Grant medium tank from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and M4 Sherman tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with Valentine tanks. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the Crusader AA Mk I and Mk II Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

The AA Tank Mk 1 was issued to artillery light anti-aircraft regiments starting with the landing in Normandy, but the Mark I's were withdrawn from service soon after D-Day due to the Allied air supremacy and lack of Luftwaffe targets meaning significantly fewer anti-aircraft weapons ended up being required.

Survivors

About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running Crusader Mk III at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

Media

Skins
Images

See also

External links


Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Limited
Cruiser Tanks 
Tank, Cruiser, Mk III (A13 Mk I)  A13 Mk I · A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.)
Tank, Cruiser, Mk IV (A13 Mk II)  A13 Mk II · A13 Mk II 1939
Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI, Crusader (A15)  Crusader II · Crusader "The Saint" · Crusader III
Tank Destroyers  Tortoise
SPAAs  Crusader AA Mk I · Crusader AA Mk II
Export  ▄Crusader Mk.II

Britain anti-aircraft vehicles
Crusader AA  Crusader AA Mk I · Crusader AA Mk II
Wheeled  Staghound AA · AEC AA
Radar SPAAG  Chieftain Marksman
Missile SPAA  Stormer AD · Stormer HVM
Other  Light AA Mk I · Falcon
Canada  Skink · ADATS (M113)
South Africa  Ystervark · Bosvark · ZA-35

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