Australia- the Government - had the option of Guiberson Radial Diesel engines, but considered the royalty rate too high and declined, so it wasn't so much availability as a reluctance to pay the price. The result was the triple Cadillac (individual engines), then the Perrier-Cadillac (3 engines, common crankcase) then the experiments with the Gypsy Major and the decision to use down-rated, local production aircraft radials (called 'Scorpion' ) in one production stream (Ruwolts in Victoria) , and Perrier-Cadillacs in the other (NSWGR in NSW).
The Aust Cruiser tank, the Mk.1 was the Sentinel, the Mk.3 the Thunderbolt - the Mk.4 was only ever produced as a trials vehicle on a E series hull and was never given its own name, so we should not count that at all - had some extreme problems that would, if the project had continued, taken a considerable amount of effort to overcome. In the end, the project produced not one 'battleworthy' tank, yet consumed resources such as manpower, hardware and foreign exchange, at a steady, if not increasing rate, with nought to show for it. The tank had some extraordinary and revolutionary design and construction elements, but all up, did not result in a tank that you could confidently send men into battle with. The 25 pdr might sound good, but fires separate ammunition, making life bloody complicated for the poor old loader, and slowing down the rate of fire - not a good thing in a tank V tank engagement, where every second counts.
We Australians like to look at the upside of the AC project, but the down side paints a pretty dismal picture and leads to the conclusion that it was little wonder the project was terminated in 1943.
I think I'll head back to the bunker - that post is bound to bring 'incoming'!
Mike C
