Excelsior tank

The Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 was a British experimental heavy tank based on the Cromwell (A27) design developed in the Second World War when there were concerns as to performance of the Churchill tank.

After the Dieppe Raid in August 1942, there was concern that the Churchill infantry tank was slow and too unreliable and it was suggested that production of the Churchill stop in 1943 in order to manufacture more of the A27 (Cromwell) design which was performing well in trials.

While two lines of tanks were still policy, there was interest in a "universal tank chassis" from which infantry tank and cruiser tank and other vehicles could be built. Until then an interim design based on the A27 to replace the Churchill as an infantry tank was considered.

Rolls-Royce proposed an up-armoured A27 (Cromwell) and a more thorough redesign of the A27 with stronger suspension and armour equivalent to the Churchill. English Electric proposed using the A27 hull and turret with extra armour and the track and suspension of the 50-ton US M6 Heavy Tank which had been developed for both US and British use.

English Electric built two prototypes on a Cromwell tank hull the first with the suspension of the M6 tank in 1943 though with a 6-pounder gun. The second was built with a widened Cromwell track and different armoured skirts. The design included extra armour and an Ordnance QF 75 mm gun. When the problems of the early Churchill models were worked out, the A33 was no longer required and the project was dropped

Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior)
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Manufacturer	English Electric
Specifications (Second pilot)
Weight	40 tons
Length	22 ft 8 in (6.9 m)
Width	11 ft 2 in (3.4 m)
Height	7 ft 11 in (2.4 m)
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
Armour	20 to 114 mm (0.79 to 4.49 in)
Main armament	Ordnance QF 75 mm 64 rounds
Secondary armament	2 x 7.92 mm Besa machine gun
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol 620 bhp
Suspension	Improved Christie
Operational range	99 mi (160 km)
Speed	24 mph (39 km/h) off-road: 12 mph