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The Cromwell and Centaur tanks differed in the engine used; the Centaur had the 410 hp Liberty engine, the Cromwell had the significantly more powerful 600 hp Meteor; Centaur hulls were converted to Cromwells by changing the engine. The Cromwell first saw action in the Battle of Normandy in June 1944.
The A24 Cavalier and A27L Centaur used the Nuffield Liberty engine while the A27M Cromwell used the more powerful Rolls-Royce Meteor. When US tanks entered British use, the Cromwell and Centaur design requirement was changed to move from the 6-pounder to 75mm for commonality of ammunition. This reduced the armour penetration.
The General staff specifications now covered three tanks: A24 "Cromwell I" from Nuffield, A27L (Liberty engine) "Cromwell II" from Leyland and A27M (Meteor engine) "Cromwell III". To avoid confusion Cromwell I was renamed "Cavalier". The Cromwell II become "Centaur" and the Cromwell III remained as the "Cromwell". [3]
The Rolls-Royce Meteor gave the British a powerful, reliable engine, which was used in the A27M Cruiser Mk VIII Cromwell tank. Robotham's contributions gained him a place in the Ministry of Supply and on the Tank Board, despite his lack of experience in tank design.
Centaur and Cromwell tanks were an alternative design using the Cavalier engine and the new Rolls-Royce Meteor respectively - the three vehicles were similar in appearance. Orders for the Cavalier were cut back while the similarity between Centaur and Cromwell meant some Centaurs were finished as Cromwells.
Under the newer A27M specification, Cromwell integrated a number of advanced features. The Meteor engine proved to be very reliable and gave the tank good mobility but some problems appeared based on the vehicle's shared heritage and significant jump in engine power. The tank was prone to throwing its tracks if track tension was not maintained ...
It revised the oil distribution in the engine, but remained governed to the higher speed of 1,700 rpm. The engine was intended for the Cromwell tank, but the Liberty-based design was dropped in favour of the Rolls-Royce Meteor procured by the Tank Board. Those tanks fitted with Liberty were renamed Centaur, and production was split.
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