WesWorld

A look ahead to next year's developments.

Coastal Artillery Command will be disbanded and many sites mothballed and operational control will revert to which of the British geographical commands they are located within.

Tanks

The FV301 light tank will enter initial low-rate production during 1945 and work has begun on a series of armoured vehicles using the FV300 series chassis. The first to emerge alongside the tank will be the FV304 self-propelled gun armed with a 25pdr and the related FV308 field artillery tractor which will carry the ammunition and six gun crew members for non-self-propelled RA units.


From late 1945, a batch of fifty FV201/ A30 Heavy Tank Mark II Centurion I will be built.

A new prototype for 1945 will be the A32 Assault Tank designed by the Armoured Vehicle Research and Development Establishment. Another will be the A29 Heavy Tank, based on the A25 Chariot, Heavy Cromwell project of 1944 (of which fifty were built).

The A31 Carrier 17pdr Anti-Tank Mark I Avenger based on the Comet tank chassis with a new turret with a 77mm gun will enter service during 1945 and will equip Royal Artillery self-propelled battalions. 150 are on order.

Carriers

The third variant of the new Carrier Tracked No.2 Mk I Oxford, the Command Carrier No.2 Mk.I with long-range radios and cable drums will enter service during 1945.

Lorries

The new Leyland Hippo Mk 2 10 ton 6x4 lorry will enter service, it has an all-steel cab, dual real wheels and two spares. It also forms the basis of a workshop model which can be connected to others to make a larger volume workshop area.

Rocket Artillery

In mid-1945 the Ordnance RP 60pdr Mattress Mk II will enter service with 30-rail two-wheeled launchers. Range is 8,000 yards and four rockets are fired a second.

Weapons Continuing Development

.280 Enfield Lock light machine gun (some service prototypes should emerge for field trials during 1945) and the 20pdr tank gun

Too bad the FV301 tank wasn't out earlier. It looks like it could have been a pretty decent contender for the type of tank Ireland wanted back in 1942.

And... mmmm, Centurions...

Right now the basic idea is to use the Centurions to replace the last of the Matildas and then the Valiants but in reality the FV201 and FV301 families will become the backbone of the armoured force with multiple uses of the their chassis during the late 1940s-early 1950s.

FV 301 tank
FV302 GPO/CPO command vehicle (same hull as FV306)
FV303 20pdr self-propelled gun (gun mounted in a rear armoured compartment)
FV304 25pdr self-propelled gun (gun mounted in a rear armoured compartment)
FV305 5.5in self-propelled gun (gun mounted in a rear armoured compartment)
FV306 light ARV with an enlarged hull aft for workshop with 3-ton A-frame jib and 25 ton winch
FV307 radar vehicle (FV306 hull)
FV308 field artillery tractor, two crew and can carry six-man gun detachment and ammunition in a new box-section hull with rear doors
FV309 Royal Artillery section vehicle (FV306 hull)
FV310 APC with hull of FV308 to carry eight infantry)
FV311 armoured load carrier, as FV310 but to carry cargo and ammunition

FV 201 tank
FV 202 tank armed with QF Mk I 20pdr gun, a co-axial MG replacing the cannon and a fully cast turret
FV 203 95mm howitzer for the close support role and a co-axial 20mm cannon with a fully cast turret.
FV219 ARV with 30mm armoured compartment instead of the turret, rear-mounted spade and 30-ton winch and a dismountable 1-ton jib crane
FV224 ARVE replacement for the Armoured Engineer Chassis (A26) fitted with the 6.5in demolition gun, hydraulic bulldozer blade and attachment points for various equipment to be pushed or towed
FV225 Bridgelayer using a turretless hull carrying a bridge that can be placed within two minutes

Also based on the Centurion chassis will be;
FV3801 artillery tractor
FV3802 25pdr SPG (perhaps not to be built since the 303 should suffice
FV3803 Command Post Vehicle
FV3804 Ammunition Vehicle
FV3805 5.5 inch SPG
FV3806 7.2 inch SPG

The following are entering development in 1945


This model represents the anti-tank FV303 but the same casemate gun and upper superstructure will be used on the SPG and tractor versions of the FV300 series

FV304 25pdr self-propelled gun (gun mounted in a rear armoured compartment)
FV308 field artillery tractor, two crew and can carry six-man gun detachment and ammunition in a new box-section hull with rear doors

A nice photo of the Centurion Mk I now entering low-rate production.


A nice photo of the A31 Avenger 17pdr self-propelled anti-tank gun also now entering production.



Also during 1945 the British General Staff will issue a specification for a new submachine gun which should not weigh more than six pounds (2.7 kg), fire 9×19mm Parabellum calibre ammunition, have a rate of fire of no more than 500 rounds per minute and be sufficiently accurate to allow five single shots to be fired into a one foot square target at 100 yards (91 m). The contest is open to all but the Sterling Sterling Armaments Company of Dagenham will be looking at this specification closely.