The Crusader Mk. II was built for the British Army and was extensively used during the North African campaign in WWII. The Crusader was ideally suited for desert terrain and thanks to its speed it was the ideal vehicle for fast advances in this type of conflict.

Because of its light armor and moderate armament, Crusader’s were not able to adequately match the German anti-tank guns and were vulnerable to the vast mine fields which inflicted substantial losses on the Allied forces.

The tank was one of the primary cruiser tanks of the United Kingdom during WWII. The tank, Cruiser, Mk.VI “Crusader “(A15) was perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. Over 5,300 were built.

The tank first saw combat during Operation Battleaxe and played a crucial role in the following Operation Crusader which was named after the tank. Although the Crusader was faster than any tanks it opposed, its potential was limited by a relatively light 2-pounder gun, thin armor and mechanical problems. A particular tactical limitation was the lack of high explosive (HE) shells for the main armament. These existed, but were never supplied. Axis tank forces developed an extremely effective tactic of engaging British Imperial Tank forces by retiring behind a screen of concealed anti-tank (AT) guns. The pursuing tanks could then be engaged by the artillery. With the German anti-tank guns out of range of the tank’s machine guns, and without a high explosive shell to return fire, the tanks were left with the equally unpalatable options of either withdrawing under fire or trying to over-run the gun screen.

After the completion of the North African Campaign, the availability of better tanks, such as the Sherman and Cromwell, relegated the Crusader to secondary duties such as anti-aircraft mounts or gun tractors. In these roles it served for the remainder of the war.

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