Mk.VI "Crusader"

Part of the long line of British Cruiser Tanks, the '''Cruiser Tank Mk. VI, also known as: Crusader, Cruiser or Crusy''', was envisaged as a tank designed to penetrate far behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with supply lines and communications, much like the cavalry of old. When the design for the new cruiser tank was ordered, it was specified that the armor would be 50 mm thick. The designers of the tank, Nuffield Mechanization & Aero, cleverly decided to instead use sloped armor equivalent to 50 mm of vertical armor. In addition to that, the new cruiser was given the 2-pounder gun standard to British tanks at the time, as well as a Christie-type suspension for superior mobility. It was christened the "Crusader" upon entering service.

The Crusader first saw service in North Africa, becoming the mainstay of the Royal Tank Regiments in 1941-42. The clever arrangement of armor plating did not, of course, help the Crusader to survive tank encounters, but even this might have been accepted had the Crusader not proved so unreliable. In fact, most Crusaders were lost due to mechanical troubles, rather than enemy action. The 2-pounder was adequate at first, but was soon outclassed. It was replaced by the 6-pounder on the Crusader Mk. III, the final main variant and the one used in the game. The 6-pounder had excellent armor-piercing capability, but a weak high explosive round. The Crusader Mk. III also had 50 mm frontal turret armor, as specified in the design in the first place. However, by that time, it didn't really make a difference anyway.

In-Game
The Crusader is equivalent to the Pz.Kpfw. III series in terms of protection and firepower, but has vastly greater mobility. The Crusader's high speed and light armor makes it best used for flanking attacks, rather than head-on confrontations.

Specifications

 * Primary Weapon: 57 mm (2.2 inch) L/43 Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk. 3 gun (AP/HE)
 * Secondary Weapon: 1 x 7.92 mm (0.31 inch) BESA coaxial machine gun
 * Armor: 6 - 51 mm (0.23 - 2 inches)
 * Crew: 4

Note: In real-life, the Crusader Mk. III had a crew of 3, since the bigger 6-pounder forced the removal of 1 crew member.