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A Centaur tank is mounted on a half-section of Churchill bridge, beside the Caen Canal at Pegasus Bridge, near Bénouville. The base was constructed by 34 Squadron, RE. This unit is appropriately now part of the present day British 3rd Division to which the Centaur unit (RMASG) was attached on D-Day. Pegasus Bridge was a major objective for D-Day and was taken by glider troops during the night of 5/6 June. It is now marked by this Centaur on the west bank and a memorial museum on the east bank.
Experience with earlier cruiser tanks, such as the Crusader, led the British Ministry of Supply to ask for a new heavy cruiser design at the end of 1940. This was to have heavier armour, a larger gun and a more powerful engine. In January 1941 the Tank Board considered proposals from Vauxhall and Nuffield under the designation A24 but neither was accepted. Leyland Motors instead suggested a design, the A27, based on the Crusader but powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The A24 was accepted for production as an interim model, incorporating features of the A27, and 500 were ordered under the name “Cavalier”. The A27 was also put into production but as the Merlin engine was not available the first vehicles were built using the original Liberty V12 engine and were known as A27L Centaur. The majority received a special version of the Merlin engine, named Meteor, and in this form were known as A27M Cromwell.
Eighty examples of the Centaur, of the 950 built, were completed as close support vehicles. These mounted a 95mm howitzer instead of the standard 6pdr gun. They were crewed by the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group and saw action on D-Day, giving covering fire from their landing craft, and afterwards. The RMASG was composed of two regiments, the 1st attached to the British 50th Division and the 2nd to the 3rd Canadian Division, and one Independent Battery under the British 3rd Division. It was equipped with twenty Shermans and eighty Centaur Mark IV close support tanks. Within fifteen minutes of H-Hour, twenty Centaurs were ashore and eight more followed within four hours. They were intended only to operate during the initial assault and then within one mile of the beach, since they did not have an administrative and maintenance organisation, but eventually stayed in action for fifteen days and as much as ten miles inland.
Although D-Day was probably the high point of the Centaur story, some Centaurs were used for training or were converted for special purpose roles such as dozer tanks. Others were re-engined with Meteors and fought as Cromwells.
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August 2007
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1: The current bridge
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 1
Added: 18 May 2009
Views: 325
Has Priority: 0
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2: Overview
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 3
Added: 19 May 2009
Views: 339
Has Priority: 0
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3: Pegasus Bridge memorial
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 2
Added: 19 May 2009
Views: 583
Has Priority: 0
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4: Memorial plaque
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 26
Added: 24 May 2009
Views: 446
Has Priority: 0
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5: Café Gondrée
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 25
Added: 24 May 2009
Views: 282
Has Priority: 0
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6: Café Gondrée
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 28
Added: 24 May 2009
Views: 207
Has Priority: 0
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7: Café front
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 29
Added: 24 May 2009
Views: 258
Has Priority: 0
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8: Current bridge in operation
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 111
Added: 10 August 2009
Views: 143
Has Priority: 0
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