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I was in Bastogne Barracks and saw this Cromwell in the workshop
According to P-O it is not yey documented in the PDF lists
Does anyone has more info about this one ?

Walter

What's the current status over there, is the collection open to the public on a regular basis?

Massimo

Open from Tuesday till Sunday
Guided tours only
departures 9 a.m - 10 a.m - 13 a.m and 14 a.m

Better than nothing, it's just that guided tours aren't good for taking pictures...
Do they have enough space around vehicles? How about light conditions?

Massimo

The space around the vehicles is reasonable
The light condition is not that good
It is one big Hall were your flash would disapear

There's something very fishy about the turret ring of that Cromwell... I think the tank is essentially a Charioteer backdated to a Cromwell.

Note the bolt groups on the turret rings in these pics:
farm3.staticflickr.com/2110/2219393229_c28d9186f2_o.jpg

1.bp.blogspot.com/_yRN...rMaybe.JPG

military-vehicle-photo...m/5419.jpg

- Costas_TT

There's something very fishy about the turret ring of that Cromwell... I think the tank is essentially a Charioteer backdated to a Cromwell.

Note the bolt groups on the turret rings in these pics:
farm3.staticflickr.com/2110/2219393229_c28d9186f2_o.jpg

1.bp.blogspot.com/_yRN...rMaybe.JPG

military-vehicle-photo...m/5419.jpg

Hello,

you may be right, but a Charioteer should have a welded armor plate over the BESA hull machinegun mount. I can see on Walter photos that the hull do have the machinegun munt, and no armor plate, so I'm not sure it is a former Charioteer...

P-O

Maybe it was removed and the BESA refitted as part of the backdating process. The other possible alternative, a conversion of a Cromwell ARV seems unlikely, given the different configuration of the plating covering the turret opening. It wouldn't have the ring with the bolts.

If it turns out to be indeed a Charioteer, I'll hazard a guess as to its origin and go with Finland (a bunch of Charioteers were sold off recently) as the most likely source.

It must have been a charioteer, they had a larger diameter turret ring and it looks like this was a budget conversion, I just hope the turret is a replica and they didn't wreck an original! On hmvf you can follow a charioteer to Cromwell conversion using an original Cromwell Turret ring and turret, this too had an original besa mount installed when the welded plug / plate was removed.

Hello Alastair,

glad to see you on this forum !!

Pierre-Olivier

- ajmac

It must have been a charioteer, they had a larger diameter turret ring and it looks like this was a budget conversion, I just hope the turret is a replica and they didn't wreck an original! On hmvf you can follow a charioteer to Cromwell conversion using an original Cromwell Turret ring and turret, this too had an original besa mount installed when the welded plug / plate was removed.

So, there is a precedent for this. Thanks for confirming.

Renault UE in Bastogne:
www.flickr.com/photos/...467793178/

Massimo

this should answer the question :

"About 18 months ago, a Cromwell (Charioteer converted back) weekended outside my workshop, it was being transported to a museum at Bastogne if I recollect. Came from Norfolk way."

Richard Farrant, F.V. Restorations & Repairs - Specialising in Military Vehicles

P-O

two new Sherman tanks at Bastogne barracks, they were previously at Vissenaken :




P-O