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KEY: Location markers are coloured from Green meaning exact to Red meaning
gone or unknown (details here)
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Unique ID:
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87
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Added to Database:
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May 2008
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Last Edited:
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May 2008
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Type (ID):
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A27L Centaur (3290)
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Model (ID):
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Centaur IV (3298)
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Location Category (ID):
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Pegasus Bridge (6005)
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Location (ID):
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Pegasus Bridge (6005)
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Serial Number: |
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Registration: |
“T185102” painted on nose and rear plate.
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Name: |
“VIDETTE” painted on front plate.
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Other Identification: |
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Collection Reference: |
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Associated Tanks: |
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Location History:
(see map) |
1: Leyland Motors, Farington, Lancashire, North West England, Britain (Primary Centaur manufacturer)
2: Portsmouth, England (General embarkation area 5 June 1944)
3: La Brèche d’Hermanville, Hermanville-sur-Mer, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France (Disembarkation area 6 June 1944 - recovered 1975)
4: Antwerp, Belgium (Restored then returned to Pegasus Bridge 1977)
5: Pegasus Bridge, Bénouville, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France (Current location)
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This Mark IV Centaur was built by Leyland. It was part of V Troop of the 5th Independent Battery of the RMASG and it landed on D-Day at Sword Beach between Hermanville-la-Breche and Lion-sur-Mer. It came into contact with the enemy some five hundred yards from the beach. It reversed up to a hedge but was hit by mortar fire that set the bins and then the engine compartment on fire. The crew evacuated, and the vehicle was left behind as the fighting moved on. It was bought by a scrap dealer after the war, and then by an enthusiast on behalf of the Caen Museum. It was recovered in 1975 from Hermanville by 7 Field Workshop, REME, based in Fallingbostel. It was then restored by 60 Station Workshop, REME, in Antwerp and put on display in June 1977. Most of the Centaur’s roadwheels, as well as some other parts, are not original. It was reported that there were plans for it to be moved to the Caen Museum (q.v.) but these didn’t come to fruition.
In recent years the Centaur was moved a short distance and is now opposite the famous Café Gondrée beside the road that crosses over Pegasus Bridge. Its paint is peeling and its condition has generally deteriorated. A plaque on the left side of the bridge section on which it stands reads:
| This Centaur tank was part of the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group which supported the ‘D’Day landings at “Las Breche d’Hermanville” on 6th June 1944. It was subsequently abandoned in the vicinity of Hermanville and was recovered in November 1975 by the British Army, restored by 60 Station Workshop REME and returned by them to this site in June 1977, the base was constructed by 34 Squadron RE. This Centaur is the property of the “Association Du Musee de Caen 1944 et la Bataille de Normandie”. |
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August 2007
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1: Front left view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1243
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV04_...
Views: 253
Select/Has Priority: 4/0
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2: Front right view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1244
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV02_...
Views: 199
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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3: Front right view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1245
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV03_...
Views: 183
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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4: Front left view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1246
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV05_...
Views: 193
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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5: Rear right view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1247
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV07_...
Views: 178
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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6: Left view
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1248
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV08_...
Views: 213
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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7: Plaque on bridge section.
Taken: 22 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1250
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: 48CNV06_...
Views: 170
Select/Has Priority: 16/0
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August 2005
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8: Front right view, photo taken by King_nothing
Taken: 23 August 2005
Contributor: Wikimedia
Photo ID: 1253
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: Dig_Cent...
Views: 313
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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August 1982
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9: Front right view
Taken: 1 August 1982
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1254
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: Scan_Cen...
Views: 174
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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10: Left view
Taken: 1 August 1982
Contributor: T. Larkum
Photo ID: 1255
Added: 7 May 2009
Filename: Scan_Cen...
Views: 195
Select/Has Priority: 17/0
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