Canadian Centurion tanks question

[Dave Mills]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

We are straying somewhat from Malcolm's initial question, but I think that has been answered satisfactorily by this stage anyway.

Australian Centurions sent to SVN - gun tanks, command tanks and dozer tanks - were fitted with:
- RG (with associated changes to the sighting system to correspond to the new ranging technique)
- applique armour on the glacis plate
- IR
- LR armoured fuel tank on the rear,
- internal changes to allow stowage of the IR sights & periscopes, the IR batteries, and the .50 cal ammunition liners.

... with one exception: one of the first two dozer tanks sent to SVN in 1968 was not fitted with RG and IR, and was not fitted with the basket, commonly called an IR basket, on the rear of the turret. A 'home grown' basket of smaller size was fitted in SVN to provide additional stowage.

Mike

Hello Mike, have been following this thread with interest. Living in Seymour and being near Pucka the home of Armour I know many SVN veterans and have spoken today with these veterans from 68/69 1st Armoured Regiment. A Driver said no way was sand used - Fuel was the life line, Mechanic said that in 1968 a .50 Cal round punctured a tank, fuel leaked out and ignited from the burning grass and another fuel tank got blown off by an RPG and due to the mounting bolts being the only thing holding it in place it got blown off and did not ignite. And a tank refueller who said that every night all fuel tanks were topped off with fuel and no sand. They all agreed with your thread about the baskets etc.

In this time they even produced the arourmed protection for the .50 Cal on the M113 out of the track guards from the Cent as they removed them pretty quickly in the jungles of SVN.

Speaking to these blokes who had boots on the ground at the time I would not doubt their recalling of knowledge.

They discounted that in 1968 / 69 that sand was used to fill up the rear external fuel tank. With all of them career Soldiers serving in the unit until the late 80's and that they had never heard of the practice and that fuel was every thing to them.

Cheers,

Dave.

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks, Dave, for checking that out. I'd not heard of filling the rear armoured fuel tank with sand either, but you can learn something new every day, hence my query to Tony.

Tony - have you had a chance to locate that quote yet, please? I've had a quick look in Jungle Tracks, but didn't see it.

Regards

Mike

[jdmcm]

Dave

great research on the Vietnam Centurions, best to go to the source! I have always been a Centurion fan, fascinated in part because as a kid it was one of the first actual tanks I had ever seen up close and in person in the form of a gate guard at Sarcee Barracks in Calgary, that Centurion now at the War Museums of Alberta. They had actually welded handles on the Centurion and Sherman to make climbing on them even easier...ahh the good old days before lawyers ruined the world.

As I have learned more about the Australians use of the Centurion in Vietnam, I have to say I have a newfound excitement and appreciation for this tank, reading and watching the documentaries about the Centurions in action at Binh Bah and the defense of FOB Coral and Balmoral is fascinating. When you think of tanks in Vietnam, which really isn't something usually equated with that conflict, you think of M48's, maybe M41's and the occasional T54 and PT76. I think the use of the Centurion and the Australian modifications to same is something every Centurion fanatic should immerse themselves in. And to get the information right from the tankers that served on these machines is amazing. The Centurion tank, definitely one for my bucket list.

[Mike Cecil]

John,

Sounds like you need to read 'Canister! On! Fire!' by Bruce Cameron, detailing Aust tank operations in South Vietnam. There is a book review of it on here somewhere.

I have a spare copy which would minimise the postage cost.

Mike