Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3502 British Centurion Mk.5, 10 Troop C Squadron, 4th Royal Tank Regiment West Berlin, August 22, 1961, “Diehard”

THESE ARE PRE-PRODUCTION PICTURES, NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT

Authentic Detailing Pre-Painted by professionals Accurate paint colors Markings Tampo (pad) applied Fully Assembled Die-Cast Model True to Scale (1:72) Weathering and insignias Turret turns Metal turret and main gun Realistic tracks

The Centurion entered British service in 1949 and when production ended in 1962 there had been over 4,000 vehicles of all variants produced. Approximately half of the production where exported. The Centurion was a great advancement in British tank design with them using some of the best features from other tanks around the world. The Centurion was the first main battle tank in the world to use both elevation and azimuth gun stabilization in the main gun. All Centurions had welded steel hulls and cast turrets with welded steel plates for the roof. There were about 25 different variants of the Centurion with each improving on the one before. The Mk. 5 used the same 20 pounder main gun as the Mk. 3, there was no Mk. 4 produced, but most had a “Type B” barrel with a fume extractor half way down the barrel. This got rid of fume low back into the turret and also eliminated the need for the counter weight used on the “Type A” barrel. The Mk. 5 replaced the coaxial Besa with an M1919A4 .30 cal Browning MG and a second .30 cal MG mounted on the Commander’s cupola. The switch to the .30 cal MG was to meet NATO’s standardization policy. The turret rear escape hatch was eliminated. A fifth return roller was added on both sides to help prevent throwing a track. By the late 1950’s most of the problems with the Centurion were eliminated except for its slow speed and the use of gasoline as the fuel. In 1967 the Centurion was starting to be replaced by the Chieftain.

The 4th Royal Tank Regiment was in the British sector of West Berlin to provide armored support for the 3000 British infantry stationed there. Since 1945 and with the division of Berlin the US, France and England administer sectors of West Berlin and station armed forces there as a deterrent Soviet aggression. On August 22, 1961 the British 4th Royal Tank Regiment was one of the military units stationed there. This is the day of the first casualty of the crisis when a woman fell to her death from a window while trying to escape to the West. Tensions mounted and one of the British tanks standing ready for any action was the Centurion Mk. 5 of 10 Troop, C Squadron, commanded by Sgt. “Jake” Jacobs. His tank had several distinguishing features. First the main gun had a “Type A” barrel when most Mk.5’s had a “Type B”. The paint color of overall US Olive Drab was very unusual for a British tank in Berlin at this time. Keeping with 4th RTR tradition of using the letter “D” to name their tanks “Diehard” is painted on the track guard stowage bins. Keeping with another tradition started in WWI when a Chinese businessman covered the cost to have a tank built, there is a “Chinese Eye” painted on the front face of the turret stowage bins.

Specifications Centurion Mk. 5 MBT Manufacturer: Vickers Production period: 1955 -1958 Number produced: 221 Crew: four Dimensions Length: Hull only - 24 ft 9.5 in (7.55 m) Length: Hull and gun - 32.33 ft (9.85 m) Width: 11.12 ft (3.39 m) Height: 9.87 ft (3.00 m) Combat weight: 111,966 lb Power plant Engine: Rolls-Royce Mk IVB 12-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol producing 650hp at 2550rpm Fuel capacity: 273.9 US gal (1,037 l) Range: 118 miles (190 km) Maximum speed: 21.12 mph (34 km/h)

Armour: 17mm - 152 mm Armament Primary: Quick firing 20 pounder (83.4 mm) main gun 64 rounds Secondary: 0.30 in Browning MG belt fed, air-cooled. ROF 425-450 rounds/minute 0.30 in Browning MG belt fed, air-cooled. ROF 425-450 rounds/minute (commander’s cupola) 2 x 6 smoke grenade dischargers