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HG3106 Hobby Master 1:72 ScaleCromwell Mk.IV
11th Armoured Division, Flers, France, July, 1944
The Cromwell comes from a long line of tanks. It was designed as a Cruiser tank to be used for reconnaissance and other such tasks. With the Christie suspension it was able to attain speeds of 52 km/h and proved quite agile. The Cromwell became a fighting machine when the later versions were given heavier armor. In the latter part of WWII the Cromwell was the most produced British tank but its numbers and actions were always lost in the shadows of the Sherman’s and Churchill’s. The Cromwell became the basis for what arguably was the best British tank of WWII, the Comet.
In July 1944 The 11th Armored Division known as “The Black Bull” began their breakout from Normandy and their push north into Belgium. They were involved in many conflicts as they advanced through France, Belgium and the Netherlands on their way to crossing the Rhine. One action became known as the Charge of the Bulls. The Division found an intact bridge which enabled them to get behind the Germans and drive them from the area and liberating Le Bény-Bocage on August 1, 1944. This earned them another name Taurus Pursuant. The next major encounter was at Flers and the 11th liberated the town on August 17, 1944. They once again moved quickly north liberating Antwerp on September 4, 1944 then crossing the Rhine into Germany where on April 15, 1945 the 11th occupied Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Another feather in their cap was the capture of the German city of Lübeck. 11th Armoured Division was dissolved end of January, 1946 and reformed in 1950 and in 1956 they became the 4th Infantry Division. |
