Crusader "The Saint"

This page is about the British light tank Crusader "The Saint". For other versions, see Crusader (Family).

Crusader "The Saint"

Crusader "The Saint"

Britain

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.7	2.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Light tank

Purchase:700

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Description

The Tank, Cruiser Mark VIA, Crusader II "The Saint" (A15) was a particular Crusader II assigned to the 10^th Royal Hussars regiment, which was part of the 2^nd Armoured Brigade, 1^st Armoured Division during the North African Campaign. The 10^th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wale's Own) was a British Army cavalry regiment formed in 1715. It served for three centuries, during World War I and II, before combining with the 11^th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) in October 1969 to form the Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own). When World War II broke out, the 1^st Armoured Division was sent to France. It fought in northern France and Belgium before returning to England in June 1940 without any vehicles. A group of personnel were transferred in December 1940 to create the cadre of the 23rd Hussars. The regiment moved to North Africa with the 2^nd Armoured Brigade in November 1941, joining the 7^th Armoured Division. It saw action in Operation Crusader, the Battle of Alam el Halfa in August 1942, and the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, now armed with Crusader II tanks. The regiment seized General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, the German Deputy Commander, at El Alamein. During the Italian Campaign of 1944 and 1945, the regiment fought both as an armoured unit and as dismounted infantry.

Introduced in Update "Regia Marina", the Crusader II "The Saint" is a capable short-range light tank. It is the same as the standard Crusader II used by the British Army's ground forces. It is armed with a fast-firing 40 mm Ordnance QF 2-pounder tank gun, which is suitable for destroying tanks with a crowded interior and crew close to each other. Along with its quick reload, primitive vertical gun stabilizer, and excellent handling, it is a fun light tank to play with. Handling is greatly improved over the A13 cruiser tanks due to improved cross-country performance and the vehicle not sliding during abrupt breaking. Because of its low profile and lack of armour, driving and fighting in the open field should be avoided unless there is enough cover or the terrain is shaped in such a way that the hull-down tactics, which this tank excels at, may be used. The tank also boasts good gun depression and a difficult-to-hit turret.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull20 / 28 / 14

Turret52 / 24 / 30

Crew5 people

Visibility76 %

Armour protection on the Crusader "The Saint" is the same as the Crusader II, and as a cruiser tank is understandably poor in most areas. The hull is generally very penetrable, only averaging 30-40 mm of equivalent protection. However, the two protrusions for the driver and machine gunner have hatches which can easily block a shot or in some cases reduce spalling, only knocking out 1-2 crew with APCBC. Side and back armour are predictably weak.

The turret armour is the thickest on the cheeks, and the angled sides can also block or bounce rounds if correctly angled and baited. The mantlet is a clear weakspot, often resulting in the turret crew being completely wiped out. The armour on the tank is supplemented by the 5 crew members, which can save players from a one-shot. In the case of the mantlet, the three turret crew may be knocked out, but the tank will survive if the driver and machine gunner remain, allowing those positioned away from the enemy a chance to get away. Additionally, the gun, coaxial machine gun, and optics in the mantlet can also block shots, though this shouldn't be relied on.

Armour type:

• Rolled Homogeneous Armour (hull, turret)
• Cast Homogeneous Armour (gun mantlet, MG mantlet, driver viewport)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	9-32 mm (27-81°) Frontal plates 22.22 + 18 mm (1°) Driver's box 32 mm Driver's viewports	14 mm		7-12 mm
Turret	31.75 mm Turret front (9-73°) 30 mm Gun mantlet (7-83°)	14 mm	17 mm	12.7 mm
Machine gun turret	30 mm Turret Front 20 mm Mantlet	30 mm		9 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Mudguards, sideskirts and storage boxes are 4 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6.35 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB47 / 8 km/h

RB and SB43 / 7 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight16.3 t

Engine power

AB649 hp

RB and SB340 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB39.8 hp/t

RB and SB20.9 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	47	8	16.3	527	649	32.33	39.82
Realistic	43	7		301	340	18.47	20.86

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB659

RB497

SB389

Crew training2 300

Experts15 000

Aces115

Research Aces320 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 40 / 40 / 40 %

2 × 112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive 40mm_uk_2pdr_APHV_ammo_pack Adjustment of Fire Airstrike 40mm_uk_2pdr_APHE_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Improved optics Artillery Support 40mm_uk_2pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack Smoke grenade

Armaments

Main armament

40 mm QF 2-pounder cannon

Shoulder stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition110 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

3.6 → 2.8 s

Vertical guidance-15° / 20°

40 mm QF 2-pounder					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	110	-15°/+20°	±180°	Vertical	34.27	47.44	57.60	63.69	67.76	3.64	3.22	2.97	2.80
Realistic					21.42	25.20	30.60	33.84	36.00

Ammunition

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
Shot Mk.1 AP/T	AP	72	68	52	37	27	19
Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T	APCBC	89	86	77	66	57	50
Shot Mk.1 APHV/T	AP	80	75	58	41	30	21
Shell Mk.1 AP/T	APHE	66	62	49	36	26	20

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%
Shot Mk.1 AP/T	AP	792	1.08	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T	APCBC	792	1.24	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.1 APHV/T	AP	853	1.08	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.1 AP/T	APHE	792	1.08	1.2	9	20.9	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Crusader "The Saint"

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
110	89 (+21)	67 (+43)	45 (+65)	23 (+87)	1 (+109)	No

Notes:

• Turret & center empty: 45 (+65) shells.
• Racks disappear after all shells in the rack have been shot or loaded.

Machine guns

7.92 mm BESA machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 375 rounds

Belt capacity225 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.92 mm BESA machine gun

Ammunition4 950 rounds

Belt capacity225 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.92 mm BESA
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,375 (225)	600	N/A	N/A
Turreted	4,950 (225)	600	±10°	±50°

Usage in battles

Characteristics

Being a light tank, the Crusader features high mobility at the cost of armour.

The largest downside to the Crusader is the relatively thin armour, even on the front. Most tank guns that the Crusader will face will penetrate the frontal armour, and the side and rear armour can even be penetrated by heavy machine guns. As such the Crusader's armour can not be relied upon, which makes utilization of the gun depression - to reduce the visible and hittable profile of the tank - more important. On the other hand, shots can sometimes ricochet off the frontal armour due to the complex armour scheme with many angles.

On the bright side, the Crusader II has sufficient firepower to deal with most enemy tanks that it can face from the front, but there are tanks (especially heavy tanks) that may have too much armour on the frontal arc to penetrate. These tanks must be flanked - which is not too hard to do with the Crusader's mobility - in order to destroy them. The rapid reload of this tank's gun often allows a second shot before the enemy can even get their first shot off. The vertical stabilizer used on the gun also allows accurate firing on the move at low speeds, which can be handy in a frontal engagement.

Another strength of the Crusader is the above average 15 degrees of gun depression. This allows the Crusader to poke its turret over a hill without exposing the hull, and also allows it to fire over hills that other contemporary tanks could not dream of firing from.

The Crusader also features a smoke grenade mortar in the turret. When activated, the mortar launches one smoke grenade in the direction the turret is pointed, allowing for a smoke screen to be made very quickly. The smoke grenades allow the Crusader to hide while repairing, retreat when under heavy attack, or to capture a point without the enemy able to lay accurate fire upon it. Just remember that the smoke grenades fire in the direction the turret is facing so make sure to point the turret in the direction the smoke is needed in.

Ammunition

There are only two out of the four rounds available that are worth taking into battle - Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T (APCBC) and Shell Mk.1 AP/T (APHE). These two shells both have their uses on the field of battle.

The APHE round is most useful against lightly armoured targets or against the sides of tanks because despite the lesser penetration it has explosive filler which gives it the highest post-penetration damage. If carrying this as the first round loaded just beware that you may have to switch to the APCBC round in order to penetrate the target.

The APCBC round has the highest penetration of all the ammo types which makes it ideal because it gives the highest chance of penetrating the target, and therefore doing damage. The downside of this round is it has no high explosive filler so if it is loaded just make sure to aim so that the shot will penetrate and take out crew members, rather than not aiming well enough and not taking out crucial crew members.

Playstyle

When using "The Saint", many players will perform to the vehicle's best by using it as a point capper and hit-n-runner. The mobility can be used to rush around the battlefield, capturing points and destroying enemy tanks as it goes. This playstyle prevents the enemy from pinpointing your location because you are always moving, but it also means that there is a chance that you overextend and cannot retreat when necessary or that you may run into too many enemies to deal with at once. Additionally, beware that despite your high mobility there are other highly mobile tanks such as the BT-7s or M3/M5 Stuarts that are just as fast or faster than you. These tanks are highly dangerous, so be careful not to rush too far forwards too early. Also make sure to use the gun depression as often as possible because it reduces the surface area of your tank that the enemy can shoot at, making it harder for the enemy to shoot your tank. Remember, in cases where the enemy assault is overwhelming or you are disabled and possibly will be fired upon, use the smoke grenade launcher in order to mask your tanks location.

Note: when facing a tank with armour too heavy to penetrate from the front, use the high mobility to outflank or outturn that tank in order to put shots into its thinner side armour.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great manoeuvrability and speed, almost as fast as the M5 Stuarts
• Good cannon with fast reload and adequate penetration
• Amazing -15° gun depression allows hull-down over almost any hill
• Has a low profile, harder to be seen and shot at
• Turret rotation is quite fast

Cons:

• Thin armour, easily penetrable by common foes like Pz.III, Chi-Ha, BT-7
• Cannon has limited damage especially against large tanks like LVT(A)(1)
• Poor reverse speed won't save it from danger
• Narrow tracks worsens its agility on loose terrain like snow

History

Crusader "The Saint"

"The Saint" was a Crusader II cruiser tank of the British A squadron of the 10th regiment of Royal Hussars, 2nd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division.

1st Division

The 1st Division, understrength at the time, was sent to France as part of the 2nd British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in 1940. It saw combat during the Battle of France, after landing on 14 May 1940, but suffered heavy losses and was forced to evacuate at Dunkirk on 16 June 16. The division then stood in England until August 1941 in anticipation of a German invasion, which never came.

The 1st Division shipped out to Egypt in November 1941. In Africa, the 1st Division saw combat against the German Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) in battles such as Gazala, Mersa Matruh, First El Alamein, Second El Alamein, Tebaga Gap, Mareth Line, Akarit, El Kourzia and Tunis. After the Afrikakorps surrendered in May 1943, the 1st Division remained in Africa until May 1944 when it shipped to Italy. Due to heavy losses among the 2nd Armoured Brigade during the battle of Coriano, the 1st Division ceased operations in October 1944 and was broken up and officially disbanded on 11 January 1945.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Crusader "The Saint" from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Best gun depression discusses the Crusader "The Saint" at 1:33 - War Thunder Official Channel

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;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

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