The Sentinel Tank in Europe

This is the Australian Sentinel Tank.

In OTL it never saw action as there were plenty of American medium tanks available, however I've always thought it was a capable vehicle and that it would have been a good way of getting the 17lber AT gun into service. So what if the Sentinel had been adopted for service and production undertaken in Britain as well as Australia, would it have been more effective than the Sherman in the Northern Hemisphere?
 

MacCaulay

Banned
The AC1 began as a 2 pounder gun-equipped design in November 1940, and was initially intended to be a true Cruiser tank. Like the Canadian Ram the Australian Cruiser was to be based on the engine, drive train, and lower hull of the American M3 Medium tank, mated to an upper hull and turret built closely along the lines of a British Crusader. By 1942, trying to keep pace with German tanks, the design specification had become more like an American Medium tank.

It looked alot more like a cousin to the Churchill to me, rather than the brother to the Ram.



Perhaps if the British for some reason couldn't spare anything at all for the Pacific and the Australians decided to go with an American/indigenous design for their army?
 

AINDF

Banned
The tank looks to be slightly underpowered compared to the Sherman, but I would hazard a guess that the main reason for the Sherman being more effective would be simply the greater availability of spare parts and maintenance.

If you want a scenario where they see action, perhaps after Australia adopts American tanks, the Sentinels would be sent to China for their struggle against Japan.
 
well, how bout if the 1st Australian Armd Div gets equipped with AC1 Sentinels then sent over to fight in Normandy as part of 21st Army Group ?
 
If the 1st Armoured gets sent to Normandy, I very much hope they have AC3s and AC4s rather than AC1s. The 2-pounder isn't going to be worth much in 1944.
 

wormyguy

Banned
If you want a scenario where they see action, perhaps after Australia adopts American tanks, the Sentinels would be sent to China for their struggle against Japan.
It might be interesting if they were given to the Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War.
 
Love the idea

I love the idea of 1st Armoured being in Europe with the later Sentinels. The Australian Army has always - for good historical reasons - been very infantry oriented. Most of our experience has been using tanks as infantry support. (In fact, one RAAF character argued that we should not have tanks at all as they were too complicated. He felt we should have more F 111's and F 18; apparently they are simpler!)
Senior officers with European combat experience would have some interesting postwar butterflies. However, realistically would'nt they move the men and equip them over ther?
 
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