Manx Posted February 24, 2001 Share Posted February 24, 2001 The Cromwell - as always your thoughts on this particular AFV's tactical uses would be much appreciated. The Jagdpanzer IV "tactical questionaire" posted via the forum on February 15th has now been compiled and is ready for you to view at your pleasure. Thanks to all those who made a contribution - there are lots of good tactical tips in this one. Cheers! and TIA ------------------ COMBAT MISSIONS - Resources For Combat Mission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted February 24, 2001 Share Posted February 24, 2001 I'm psychic! I predicted you would do a unit tactics on the crom a month ago, and already sent in my advice. Manx, does this sound familiar? Speed is your friend with this tank. When out hunting enemy tanks, the crom is like a Sherman, only even more so. It's armor is lighter than the sherms, and has absolutley no chance at all of shrugging off AT rounds. However, you are faster than the sherman and practically any tanks you will be fighting against, so use this to your advantage, flanking your opponents and dashing between cover. For infantry support, the 95mm cromwells are excellent tanks. Try not to tangle with enemy armor in this one; the hollowcharge rounds have good armor penetration, but you don't get many of them. The 75mm cromwells are also good, but suffer from a limited ammo load. On the other hand, they are cheaper than the 75mm shermans, so they may be a better choice for infantry support in a short battle. ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx Posted February 24, 2001 Author Share Posted February 24, 2001 Thats why i picked it....i remembered that you had already provided some info on it so i didn't want to waste it ------------------ COMBAT MISSIONS - Resources For Combat Mission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx Posted February 25, 2001 Author Share Posted February 25, 2001 BTTT - Is Gustav the only guy who uses this thing?. ------------------ COMBAT MISSIONS - Resources For Combat Mission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow 1st Hussars Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 People actually use the cromwell? I'll be damned. ------------------ If the words "f**k" and "frontal" were removed from the vocabulary, the Canadian Army would be left both speechless, and unable to attack... -Michael Dorosh shadow@jagdtiger.de Canada For CM I AM CANADIAN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx Posted February 25, 2001 Author Share Posted February 25, 2001 Oh well...one comment is better than none i suppose. ------------------ COMBAT MISSIONS - Resources For Combat Mission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ksak Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 If used in its intended role, as infantry close support, the 95mm Cromwell is an excellent choice. The main gun can flatten buildings and roust enemy infantry out of their foxholes from across the map but bring it in close enough to add the two .30 cal MGs to the mix and it gives an accompanying infantry platoon breakthrough capability. Keep it 100+ meters away from enemy infantry and you'll get a chance to use the entire 40-50 round HE loadout. The Cromwell is not a tank destroyer so you never want to willingly put in a 1:1 with any German AFV. If forced into a bad situation the Cromwell has good road speed (32 mph) and a fast turret. The hollow charge round can penetrate the upper hull of a Panther so even the bad situation can have a happy ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordfluffers Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 The Cromwell, like most British WWII tanks is under-armoured, under-gunned and badly designed. As such it is no match for nearly every Germans tank it encounters. The Cromwell is not an offensive tank but it can gain an advantage through sheer weight in numbers. Although it is not a light tank, it is relatively quick, agile and can be used as an effective recon vehicle, though most commanders would be mortified to hear of a medium tank being used to recce. As an infantry support weapon, the Cromwell performs well enough in all its incarnations but it is terribly vulnerable to all types of infantry AT weapons as well as even the smallest calibre AT guns. Overall the Cromwell is a rather inadequate armoured vehicle and its disadvantages far outweigh its benefits. Commanders who use these tins should remember to look after them very carefully, Cromwells are not the most resilent vehicles and neither are they particularly effective. If you need infantry support get a Churchill, if you need a tank killer get something better equipped to do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkut Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 I remember reading an account from a cromwell crew, that may shed some light on useful tactics... "We knew that the cromwell was built for speed, so whenever we went into battle we always positioned ourselves in reverse. The idea was that the engine would add some extra protection, and if we had to get out of there in a hurry, we were facing in the right direction" hope this helps ------------------ BERKUT <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>As always feel free to query, deride, or just nod knowingly<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 I've used them quite a bit with varying results and would agree with Gustav. Their main advantages are speed and not being a Sherman - when they get hit the crew is more likely to survive as they are less likely to burst into flames. The fact that their armour is slightly worse than the Sherman is not really a disadvantage, there's nothing that can kill a Crom and not kill a Sherman. Given a choice between the two, such as when playing Fionn's 75 rule, I'd take the Cromwell for the extra speed. The Challenger is to the Cromwell what the Firefly is to the Sherman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarmo Posted February 25, 2001 Share Posted February 25, 2001 I much prefer the Cromwell to the Sherman, it has about the same offensive capability, the difference in armour is unimportant as neithar have a decent chance of surviving a hit, and the Cromwell is a lot faster. Using the speed advantage, you can use the Cromwell the same way you'd use a Hellcat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisbech_lad Posted February 26, 2001 Share Posted February 26, 2001 The Cromwells. Designed as a “Cruiser” tank to exploit breakthroughs, much like the Sherman. Like others above, I’ve had mixed results from these tanks. If purchasing them I would always go for the IV/VI versions, because the extra armour of the later versions (VII/VIII) still can’t stop the 75/L48 and you lose speed. If available, get one Challenger/ Firefly/ Comet to every two/ three Cromwells to act as overwatch. The 75mm tanks give you lots of speed, little armour, and an OK gun. This means peekaboo tactics, either over a crest or around cover. Against anything bigger than a MkIV, you need to be playing tag to get flank shots. Think of them as a Hellcat that is available in June 1944. The main drawback for me compared to the Sherman II or V is the lower ammo loadout, and one less MG. This makes them much less effective in supporting the infantry. The 95mm tanks are (obviously) for infantry support. Much, much faster than a Churchill CS tank, but thinner skinned, so they need to be kept behind the infantry they are accompanying, rather than being able to blunder straight into the enemy. Of course, the ultimate Cromwell/ Cruiser tank is the Comet. The same tactics apply due to the lack of sloped armour, but the 77mm can take any German AFV out from the front, apart from the KT. A platoon of these for 644 points is something else, especially when you consider the Yanks or the Jerries can only get 3 Panthers/ Sherman Easy Eights for the same points value. LordFluffer, Commonwealth tanks undergunned eh? How ‘bout that 17’lber? At 1000m it penetrates better than the 75/L70, and that’s without tungsten. Plus more powerful HE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olle Petersson Posted February 26, 2001 Share Posted February 26, 2001 My take on the tactical use of the Cromwells in CM is identical to that of Shermans, since they are almost identical in all practical aspects, such as armour, armament and mobility. The only differences are; - The CS versions that have a better HE than the regular 75mm gun. (But lesser AP performance.) - If you want historical unit formations, you're stuck with using Cromwells for armoured recon. Cheers Olle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manx_CM Posted March 16, 2001 Share Posted March 16, 2001 bump - any more comments before i do the page? ------------------ Manx - COMBAT MISSIONS Resources for Big Time Softwares "COMBAT MISSION" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mr. Johnson-<THC>- Posted March 16, 2001 Share Posted March 16, 2001 Speed demon of tanks. Great little Porshe. Of course its armor is paper thin but, used with lots of other Cromwells you can get in the enemy's rear faster then he can respond. Do not duel, use your speed to win. All versions have their uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullethead Posted March 17, 2001 Share Posted March 17, 2001 The Cromwells are basically the homegrown Brit "Sherman analog", but are slightly less effective than Shermans. As such, they tend only to be used by die-hard Brit hardware fettishers (you know, the same sort of guy who likes the style of old Brit sportscars enough to constantly be tweaking and extinguishing the electrical system). In general, use them the same as you would the corresponding type of Sherman. This basically means rely heavily on other arms to backstop the tank's deficiencies in 1 role or another, which is more of a problem for the Brits than the US because the other arms of the Brit army also suck. The best way to get to know Cromwells is to compare them to Shermans, with which everybody is familiar. Armor of both is the same for practical purposes--they both die easily to most German AT weapons so why worry about a few millimeters? However, the Shermans have the edge in guns. While the Brit and US 75mm are about equally pathetic vs. armor and equally good vs. troops, the Sherman carries way more ammo. Basically, it's the same story with the Brit 95mm vs. the US 105mm. Plus the Shermans have a .50cal AAMG which the Cromwells lack. OTOH, Cromwells are considerably faster than Shermans. But due to similar inadequacies of armor and firepower as the Sherman, this usually means they just have the opportunity to die faster than Shermans . ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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