I don't know much about tanks and have always viewed the Cromwell as a bit of an ugly duckling. Of course, as we all know, we should never judge a book by its cover (or a tank by its turret).
I found this video fascinating and it drove home to me just how capable (and fast) a tank this was. There's a very good explanation of why it has such an odd looking turret with bolt-on armour. There's also a good explanation of why the Rolls Royce Meteor was in such short supply for a while and limited the number of Cromwells that could be built until well into 1944.
I found this video fascinating and it drove home to me just how capable (and fast) a tank this was. There's a very good explanation of why it has such an odd looking turret with bolt-on armour. There's also a good explanation of why the Rolls Royce Meteor was in such short supply for a while and limited the number of Cromwells that could be built until well into 1944.