Crusader Mks I, I CS, II, II CS, III

Digitally reproduced from original Army documents

The Crusader (A15) was one of the ‘cruiser’ tanksproduced during the early 1940’s. Originallyequipped with a 2 pdr. main gun, the differentMarks replaced this with either a 3in main gun forclose support, or a 6pdr. main gun. In addition acoaxially mounted 7.92mm BESA machine gun wascarried. Later Marks carried increased thickness ofarmour.

Crusader carried a crew of 4 in the early Marks, butthe Crusader Mk III carried a crew of 3 because thelarger gun restricted the available turret space. In

each case the driver was located at the right-handfront of the hull; the remaining crew members werehoused in the turret.

Well armed and with a good turn of speed theCrusader served well in North Africa. However ithad limitations which eventually led to it beingdiscontinued in favour of the Sherman. The V-12 27litre petrol engine drove a 4 forward, and 1 reversespeed manual gearbox. The total production of guntanks exceeded 4300 and production of the finalvariants did not cease until 1945.

Contents

1. General Description and Specification

2. Starting and driving instructions3. Turret traverse gear4. Rotary base junction5. Internal communication6. Air compressor7. Ignition system8. Valve timing9. Cooling system10. Fuel system and carburetters11. Clutch12. Gearbox and steering units13. Brakes14. Final drive15. Suspension16. Road wheels17. Tracks18. Road springs19. Shock absorbers20. Electrical equipment

The Crusader Instruction Book which was produced in 1942 is in English and comprises 142 pagesdivided into 2 sections, giving descriptions of all the major assemblies and field maintenance details. Thesecond section covers the removal and replacement of the main assemblies. There are 59 monochromeillustrations and photographs including wiring diagrams and lubrication charts.

INSTRUCTION BOOK