Hi Tank Nuts! It's a complex story, but we hope you enjoyed it. Let us know what you think of this Tank Chat in the comments below.

@jonny_codphilo7809

11 ай бұрын

we always do you lovely bunch thanks for the history the stories and the context you lot give us cheers

@john_in_phoenix

11 ай бұрын

British tank development is anything but straightforward.

@ezzler

11 ай бұрын

Why was the Besa the preferred British machine gun for armour?

@DrDezaro

11 ай бұрын

I think these conversion delays is part of the worry for the builders. Retooling takes time and might’ve caused a tank shortage on the front line. It’s not always as simple as saying that the decision was made by the wrong person etc. Simplifying it in this way sounds like the autobiography of a butt-hurt tank designer/engineer.

@larrybarger1077

11 ай бұрын

Tank you , tank you all so much for the great videos !

Im overjoyed to see mr. Willey back, he needs to appear more often

@abaialsa712

10 ай бұрын

He voted brexit mind you

@historiaprotempore938

10 ай бұрын

@@abaialsa712 He may have been misled by pro-brexit politicians, who literally promised the world. Either way, he will always be a great presenter.

@jakobquick6875

10 ай бұрын

@@abaialsa712who’s caring politics? I care @bout -great presenter and human who makes me a mini history buff Thanks for such quality ❤ tank chats ❤

@chuckh5999

10 ай бұрын

@@abaialsa712 he obviously is smart and dressed in those desert cam's he knows what to do.

@Chris-dz3rs

5 ай бұрын

Who cares about his politics? He's quite good.

FYI, Mr. Willey you do a great job presenting these tanks and are a great asset to documenting history and the museum.

Another example of infrastructure and logistics being really important.

@jonny_codphilo7809

11 ай бұрын

yup all well and good if you have a skilled crew but nothing to sit in

@stanislavczebinski994

11 ай бұрын

Amateurs talk tactics - professionals talk logistics. Or, in other words - having a mediocre tank is better than not having a perfect tank. More precise - 100 mediocre units are better than 20 perfect ones. As can be seen in Ukraine today. An APC like M113 with it's little protection on the battlefield is by far better than a civilian pick-up - or walking.

@aussiviking604

11 ай бұрын

​@stanislavczebinski994 The old m113 is doing Sterling work,as casualty clearance apc, and battle field taxi.

@LazySillyDog

11 ай бұрын

I'd love it, but it'd put my wife to sleep 🤣

@stanislavczebinski994

11 ай бұрын

@@aussiviking604 Yes it is. My point is: It was deemed completely unsuitable by a whole bunch of "experts". Too cramped inside, armor too weak etc.. In the German army it is known as "Panzer-Bremsklotz" - tank anti-rollaway chock. Biggest weak point IMO - mine protection. An anti-tank mine blows it to smithereens. If it is used keeping those limitations in mind it is quite good. Small, very mobile and light with shrapnel and small arms protection.

Yay! It's mr. Willey again! Chris Copson does great and last week's show with him and Dag Patchett was one of the best and most informative shows ever, but sometimes you just need the old Waterfall-of-Words that is David Willey. Please bring back Dag Patchett again. He can do a "Top 5 tanks and why the T-72 is all 5" or something more serious. He was great.

@terraflow__bryanburdo4547

11 ай бұрын

A very pleasing waterfall at that....

It's great to see David back.

Does David do birthday parties?

@HandFromCoffin

11 ай бұрын

I'm sure if you contact the museum with a proper sized donation they would be willing to speak with you in private. :)

@martinjrgensen8234

11 ай бұрын

Cake, coffee and a 2 hour talk about track lubricants. Perfection

@jonny_codphilo7809

11 ай бұрын

yes he turns up dressed in a little tank outfit but he dosent do any talks as he is very busy with a cigar to provide realistic exhaust effects at the end of the night he fires his main gun and falls asleep on the buffet table

@Franz_giblet

11 ай бұрын

@@jonny_codphilo7809weird AF bro

@polygondwanaland8390

11 ай бұрын

​@Super_sore_scrotum thank you for your input Mr Scrotum

Excellent presentation of the history of the Centaur. Well done.👏😊

The more complicated the story gets the more i enjoy listening to David

Anyone else just love the look of the Centaur/Cromwell? There's just something about the boxy shape and giant rivets on the turret that make it appealing.

@maxine2798

2 ай бұрын

Yes. Funnily enough it makes it look more like the water tank they were named after

@AFV85

Ай бұрын

Yeah same and when the comet came along it's still one my favourites but I love the crusader mk3 most just an amazing looking vehicle to me

@billmcfadden4791

Ай бұрын

only looks appealing to civilians. To veteran Armor officers it looks like a death trap that was far inferior to the T34 76 mm

Having a gun that can fire AT and HE rounds is critical. Tanks and infantry do need to work together to achieve the break out. Many people seem to think it's all about tank vs tank.

@denisrobertmay875

5 ай бұрын

In 1930s machine guns were considered to be adequate weapon against unarmoured targets, indeed they were the only armament for many tanks, others had low velocity close support weapons. The Vickers Medium and 6 ton(T26 in Russia*)was armed with a QF 3 pounder(47mm) considered obsolete before the start of the conflict. In the Spanish Civil War the majority of Germans and Italian Tanks were MG armed. *T26 was fitted with 45mm 20k gun.

@jayklink851

Ай бұрын

It was either The Chieftain, or somebody from the Bovington Tank Museum, that said, three-quarters (75%) of all Stug III/V (Pak 39) rounds fired were high explosive.

Great video from David, who else couild explian such a complicated and tortuous development history so clearly and eloquently? First class, as the team at the Tank Museum always are.

As much as i like and respect the way Chris Copson is presenting new videos within the Tank Museum......One cannot beat an old timer such as David Willey to appear once in a while. I am hoping, not holding my breath as if Mr David Fletcher did a similar chat? Here we go..Leyland Engines causing a problem.....Sounds like the 1970/80 in BAOR, L60.

These 'C' tanks are my fav WWII Brit tanks Loved seeing one in Band of Brothers And featuring in 'commando' comic book opening fire in rain at night on a hillside road! Christie suspension, speed, later model Cromwells with a decent cannon, lower silhouette than Sherman! What's not to love!

@NorthernMouse52

7 ай бұрын

I imagine seeing a ww2 era British tank opening fire at night in the rain is something that could never be forgotten! 😁

@eugenemurray2940

7 ай бұрын

@@NorthernMouse52 Yep! Cromwells in the rain

Thanks David - good to have the maesto back again - your colleagues are good but your presentations are exceptional

The quality of the commentary is excellent.

Excellent account - enough information and history to spawn hours of further research. Fascinating development. Thank you.

It's fabulous to see David again, Chris is also fab. Just enjoy seeing both presenters 😊

I learnt a lot about the convoluted affair which was British tank design, David's talk explained a great deal.

The tank museum is fortunate in having a bevy of engaging communicators.

Fantastic explanation of a complex family history of British tanks little known to many

Interesting to hear about all the quality control issues, something we don't often get told about. Keep up the great work!

The 95mm Centaurs belonged to the Royal Marine Armored Support Group and were named for Royal Naval ships that had been lost in combat. Centaur "Hunter" at about 28-30 was named for the destroyer HMS Hunter. At about 28-35 is shown a Cetaur towing extra ammunition in a Porpoise Sledge. The Centaurs were not supposed to leave the beach, but stay and return to England , but when the infantry they were supporting got off the beaches, the Centaurs followed them to continue their support. It took weeks to round them up and some were considerably inland when they were found. Eventually the 95mm Centaurs were passed on to the French.

@jackgraves5121

11 ай бұрын

Thank you. Did the French actually put the 95mm to use?

First class presentation in all respects. The Tank Museum and David are nothing short of national treasures 🇬🇧🤗

I was lucky enough to meet the man 2 weeks ago, he is this great!!

Yay! One of the Davids is back!

Splendid dive into Cruiser history, with all the furry details. Thanks!

Nice one. Now whenever anyone mentions the Cromwell on band of brothers i can correct them and tell them it was a Centaur. 😂

I am very pleased you made this video because I recently saw an excellent restored centaur 6 pounder gun tank in Poznan Poland. It is well worth visiting Muzeum Broni Pancernej. The tank was used as a training tank like you mentioned and the one I saw came to the museum from Portugal.

Nuffield was a nightmare. He also had an adverse effect on early Spitfire production! His way or no way, I think!

@Ian-mj4pt

6 ай бұрын

Ego like Johnson 😅

Major General Stanisław Maczek rides in this tank in a campaign in Denmark. Hi,s berried with the own soldiers in town Breda... He was 102 years when he was berried. Polish pride of Polish art of war!😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

@DrLoverLover

10 ай бұрын

what kind of berries

Always a pleasure, cheers David.

A good video explaining some of the issues with British tank production. Problems that will once again haunt us when time comes to build more of them for the army. We have no MBT production left in GB. If you thought Ajax was a farse, just wait until it's MBT time.

@michellepeoplelikeyoumurde8373

2 ай бұрын

Tanks are finished ---- DRONES RULE !!!@@

@gusgone4527

2 ай бұрын

@@michellepeoplelikeyoumurde8373 Drone countermeasures rule!

Excellent as ever - clearly describing some very complex evolution. I wonder if there's a diagram anaywhere showing British cruiser tank evolution? It might make a nice poster in a "rock family trees" style...

This more detailed content is what we like. Thanks for this one.

Thanks tank museum, your content gets better with every episode & is truly very good so great work & have enjoyed it since the beginning & will continue watching!!! 👍👏

I've been waiting for this video for years and I wasn't disappointed ❤

Maybe do a video on the A33 Excelsior? Obese cousin of the crommy

@castintime6245

11 ай бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZKuT0sx-isvWqtI.html

One of the most expansive and interesting tank videos I have ever seen. The research & presentation is truly top-notch. Well done to all involved.

Fabulous to see David ❤😊

At 16:7, I was struck by nostalgia by the name David Fletcher. I miss him. Mr Willey is great in every way, but he doesn't have that "it was a bit rubbish really" britishness that mr Fletcher provided. After I'm done with this video, I'll go back to the early tank chats.

You forget the best part about Christie. He was race car driver by trade. Also I feel the reason it took long to the 6-pounder into production is worth noting. Short version they left so many 2-pounders in France for the Germans that they decided to replace with the 2-pounders they had the tooling for and not worrying about retraining people on the 6-pounder yet.

Thanks!

fantastic video. Thanks for all the backstory

Excellent presentation, thanks.

Excellent as ever. Top 5 tank museum presenters …. And at number 1 …. David for style of delivery and content

Excellent video. Thank you.

Good to see David Willey back in front of the camera good explanation !

Nice to see you back Mr. Wiley!

@mattw785

11 ай бұрын

Reply to my comment.. This is wicked lengthy and thorough. Very enjoyable!

Still working on the western side of the pond but very much looking forward to watching this over lunch.

I found this video to be very interesting and informative. The explanations of the different tanks and how they evolved was clearly explained. Thank you.

I've missed David Willey. Good to see you mate!

Thankyou so much for this detailed presentation, most interesting, i am very much interested in www2 history - my father participated for Finland in the winterwar 1939-40 and was wounded but made it, greets, Levi

@extragoogleaccount6061

10 ай бұрын

Hell yea! And welcome to NATO!

That's funny, I was just searching around to see if you'd ever covered this phase of the Cromwell development! Great timing 👍🍻

What a gifted teacher.

Excellent treatment.

lets not forget M61 for the M3 cannon now being able to use on the QF 75mm so while penetrating less, it now had a explosive AT Round.

@duke0salt717

11 ай бұрын

Bruh the Cromwell would be great in WT if it had some he filler

@julmdamaslefttoe3559

11 ай бұрын

@@duke0salt717 pretty sure they do have a variant with the QF 75mm in WT

@stc3145

11 ай бұрын

@@julmdamaslefttoe3559It only have solid shot

@iftikarrot8034

10 ай бұрын

@@duke0salt717 it would probably go up in BR if it were given aphe

All the Tank Museum presenters are great--Chris' technical insight, operational experience and calm presentation are excellent. David Fletcher''s knowledge is encyclopedic and his wry "But there is is" comments are missed. But, Willey is somehow "greater"; glad to see him again. But, the convoluted backstory about Centaur indeed illustrated some of the personality issues in British tank (and not just tanks) designs and production.

Outstanding talk.

Wonderful video as usual!

Very well explained. Well done sir.

Great video 👍

Excellent video thank you.

Excellent video love the British tank stuff all detailed 👍

Thank you for a very enlightening video!

Thanks for your Videos and your work! Especially for those lesser known or recognized Tanks. Hope you will do a new Tank Chat for the Valentine, the existing is way to short for this vehicle and it's importants for UK/Allies. At least the most produced british tank (if I remember correctly!). Best wishes from Germany to Bovington!

@MostlyPennyCat

11 ай бұрын

Yes! SECOND!! There is _so little_ content on the Valentine! Lots on Matilda II, almost nothing on Valentine.

@MostlyPennyCat

11 ай бұрын

They boot over 8,000 of them, to the tune of at least 10 different "Marks" Cromwell only has a short 5 minute video too from the tank museum AFAIK.

@Zorglub1966

11 ай бұрын

Excellent suggestion.👍

Superb presentation.

Fascinating 👍🏼

Excellent. Really interesting.

Fantastic tank chat

I love it. Somehow, David always manages to bring the story back to the 1920's.

I learned a lot! Very interesting tank chat indeed!

Great video as always, and many thanks for your high class output. It would be good to have a video on the 6lb to 75mm conversion with more detail as to why the armour piercing element was adversely affected.

It's a pity - the Cromwell (or, at least, a version of it coming out of the 1941 cavalier development cycle) would have been a great tank in 1942, and adequate in 1943. By 1944 it was already well past its sell-by date, and by 1945 was fully obsolescent. Definitely a result of lack of focus, lack of experience and lack of funding. Interestingly; the comment that the army got third pick at the budget was true of the other major powers in the war as well. The United States, Japan and Germany all put much more money and resources into their air forces and navies than their armies got. This is why tank design in WW2 seems to be a decade behind the sort of gee-whizz cutting-edge stuff that the aviation sector was producing. This shouldn't be confused for a mis-allocation of resources, by the way - an obsolete tank can still perform a useful battlefield role (witness designs from the 1920s and 1930s soldiering on in secondary fronts), but an obsolete aircraft is near-worthless. And navies are more or less sunk costs with enormous time horizons - your fighting capacity today is dependent on budgetary decisions from 10 years ago.

10/10, every time.

Great work 👍

I think Nuffield had his pride hurt hence him not wanting the rolls royce engine in . Some connected figures were interfering in everything which caused so much death . Love watching these chats 😍

An old boss of mine was a WW2 tank driver in the western desert, he had no sense of smell it was destroyed by , as he was medically informed, by the fumes from the engine plus the constant dust.

On a tangent, had there been an autocratic Nuffield type around when BMC was in it’s decline and BL was formed, we’d all be driving Austin, Morris, MG, Wolsesly and Rileys. In an ideal world that might seem to be a good idea, not so sure on reflection!

@webtoedman

11 ай бұрын

When I was a little boy, I met the manager of MG at Abingdon. He was a very nice man and gave me a badge!

@evanmorris1178

3 ай бұрын

I think they’d all have Lucas electrical harness, riiiight…. So no, not ideal. Hail the Lords of Darkness!

Nice Historical information.

I'd love to see how fast that crusader was with the test meteor in it.😂

It's gobsmacking to see how the British tank industry is almost bespoke in its approach to wartime demand. No wonder the ministry took on so many Shermans. Also, thanks for that amazing story of how Merlin engines were adapted for tank use.

That’s an amazing story.

Walter Christie. A great example of a brilliant fool. He invented a suspension system that did what torsion bars do. But he made it so that it took up a great deal of valuable internal space and had a weight limit on what it could carry. If he'd mounted the system on the outside so that it didn't use up space, could be easily worked on and so that more powerful springs could be used, it might have had a future. As it was, even the Russians knew that it was a technological dead end even before the war started. They had planned to redesign the T-34 to eliminate it, but then Operation Barbarossa happened and they needed adequate tanks right then instead of better tanks later. So the Christie suspension got an extension to its service life in Russia that was unplanned and frankly undeserved.

Great video! Would love to see a video on the Charioteer!

Interesting that there is a model company that sells a "Cromwell tank" that is actually a howitzer armed Centaur. Not sure how they mixed that up, but it's cool because that's actually an obscure tank that you wouldn't expect to see in a cheap model.

Thank you for this. I suggest that one does not refer to the QF75mm gun as having a ‘bored out’ 6 Pounder barrel. They were new made with the 75mm bore from the start and not existing 57mm 6 Pounder barrels literally bored out.

@WozWozEre

11 ай бұрын

That's interesting, the 'bored out' explanation is endemic.

@ROBERTN-ut2il

11 ай бұрын

@@WozWozEre The design is a bored out 6 pounder

at 35 mins these are becoming like mini docus.... i like

Very interesting thankyou.

The Centaurs, Cromwells, and Comets all look like smart British designs.

Any chance of a one on one tank quiz between DW and the Chieftain?

Awesome! I learned a lot here! I was suprised the tank destroyer programs weren't mentioned with this, not sure when they come up on those hulls.

I love how the turret is literally just a box bolted together.

Brilliant

Give it wider tracks and a properly sloped turret and it would become a T-34! Superb video as always, thank you.

This is probably one of my favourite ww2 British tank. Just looks so cool.

Handsome tank, some just are.

An absolute magnet for penetrating shells.

Very interesting and well explained history, thank you. I suggest that the camera is placed in front of the speaker, rather than him looking into the distance, it appears rather strange.

Well explained although now I know why the British automotive manufacturing went kaput. 😊