Centaur IV tank with 95mm howitzer of 'H' Troop, 2nd Battery, Royal Marine Armoured Support Group, 13 June 1944.



What other actions were Centaurs used in?
I'm not sure what they did after Normandy.
Were they used on Walcheren?

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As far as I know, they were only used in Normandy. The Centaur was basically a kind of Cromwell CS (Close Support) tank. The only difference was the engine and a big howitzer instead of a 75mm QF.

The Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was disbanded on D+14. Thier 80 Centaur IVCS tanks were then passed around a bit. Some were given to the Free French, 13e Régiment des Dragons, where they saw no action. Some were also in use by 6th LAA Battery, 27th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (attached to 51st Highland Division) until 30/7/44.
They were then transferred to the Canadians on 6/8/44 in support of 6th Airborne Div. Where they formed 'X' Armoured Battery, 53rd Light Regt., RA and the 1st Canadian Centaur Battery, RCA.
I think that the French ended up with them after that.

So their involvement with the Marines was limited to two weeks.

A Liberty engine is a far inferior thing to the intended Meteor, the bulk of the Centaurs produced (c.1000) were retained as 'Centaur I' and used for training. These formed the basis for most other models. Centaur III was up-gunned to take the QF75mm.
Centaur IV with the 95mm is indeed the 'official' variant that saw action, and acquitted itself well, RA drivers with RM gunners.
However... In 1943 many Centaurs had been converted to Cromwell specification as the supply of Merlin based Meteor engines improved, it could be said that these were in some way, Centaurs.
The chassis left over after Normandy also went to war as OP tanks for Some Cromwell units , an abortive conversion to AA mountings of twin Polstens as 'Centaur AA, Mk1 & 2. Some also served as ARVs and a handful as Kangaroos but I have very sketchy info on them:


Perhaps one of the most significant Centaur variants was the Dozer, which found itself a most useful device, clearing paths through the rubble of destroyed European cities:



I know I've got something on the mechanics of the RM Armoured Support Regiment giving up their Centaurs after D-Day but the book it's in is lodged with a mate at the moment, so the best I can remember is those men moved onto training with LVTs in preperation for other specialist assaults, but don't quote me on that.

Edit: Ah, I see I've cross-posted with Bod and he's covered that .

Got a feeling I've seen pictures of the postwar Greek army packing Centaurs too.


Cheers,
Adam.

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Certainly the Greeks had 52 of them postwar. France had 71 and an undisclosed number went to Portugal.
Many were just re-engined with the Meteor engine as it was designed to be interchangable.
The Liberty engined tanks were as Adam discribes also unsucessfully converted into Anti-Aircraft tanks, with orders for the Mark I being reduced from 450 to 100 in October 1944 and possibly only one example of the Mark II ever being manufactured. These spare chassis were built as tank dozers with 250 being made. Strange considering its engine problems and dodgy clutch. They did not come on strength until April 1945, but they did serve in Korea and Suez. Centaur Kangaroos are mentioned too.
I however, cannot find any reference to Centaur becoming an ARV. I would not be surprised though.

Cheers chaps.
Were there Cromwell Dozers or were they all Centuars?
Reason I ask is for years parked up RAF Wrougton by one of the old hangers was an old Cromwell Dozer, or so I thought, was it a Centuar Dozer then?
I went up there awhile back and seems to have gone.
Hopefully to be restored.

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I've not got any decent reference that mentions Cromwell Dozers, looks like they were all Centaurs (Not that you could easily tell without having a shufti at the Engine). At one per squadron in Cromwell regiments I suppose that would be quite a few 'first rate' Cromwells to take out of the line for conversion, better to use the lower spec Centaurs.

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Lurking in the dusty recesses of the hard drive...
If memory serves me, these are Centaurs in postwar Greek service:


Cheers,
Adam.

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