Centurion photos

[Dan Martel]

Mike,

I will gladly defer to your obvious familiarity with the Centurion, but if I may I would like to play the Devil's Advocate for just a minute. Further to the first photo, I had to crop it down to fit into the window. The actual photo is 1600px and shows an entire squadron of tanks aboard the train. None of the other barrels are visible, but the camouflage pattern of the vehicles suggests that the photo was taken after the July, 1965, changeover to 105mm L7 guns. For that reason I can't understand why there would be any 20-pdr armed tanks still being used.

The second photo is dated 1970, but I'll admit that the lack of a camouflage paint job on the tank makes the probable photograph date much earlier.

Again, thanks for the new information in your reply. If you don't mind, I still have some more bone questions to ask about the Centurion.

Where Type B barrels created from Type A's as a refit at a workshop or depot, or were Type A's and Type B's produced as such at the factory?

I had always thought, obviously in error, that the exterior of the 20-pdr and 105mm barrel was the same (Type A or B), and that it was only the interior sleeve that needed to be changed to increase the bore by 21mm. Wrong again?

I have a couple of other questions that I have never been able to find an answer to, that I would be embarrassed to ask on an open forum. May I contact you via email for an answer?

Cheers,
Dan