Landships II

Centurion

 

  I would appreciate any information you have on the Medium Mk D, and I would very much like information on the D*, I have never hear of it.

 

All the Best

Tim R

My error Its not a Medium D* but a Medium D** (Which does imply a Medium D* was intended/designed). That Profile had photos but no drawing sad to say - still looking.

Teamwork wrote:

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There is a small amount of information on the D tanks in David Fletchers book "Mechanised Forces"( page 3 ), which explains that the D* was widened to increase flotation and the D** was widened even further. 

This is puzzling as the attached photo of the Medium D ** show it to be the same width but probably longer. The text of the MM article gives wider measurements for both the D* and the D** but unless the turret was widened the tank in the photo is the same width as the D. I can find photos of the D and the D** but nothing showing the D*. I wonder if there was some confusion with the D modified of which there are photos Or possibly the D* was a paper tank like the D Male with the 6 pounder?

He covers the development of the tank in his book "Landships", of which I don't unfortunately have a copy.

There was an article in Military Modelling March 1971 with a scale drawing, but this is useless because it is split over two pages (it is also of the D). 

Not so. The drawing is on the centre page spread (so on a single two page wide piece of paper) and the magasine can be laid out flat so there is no break or distortion in the drawing. As MM is still publishing and the drawing is copywright I haven't posted it but I can see no difficulty in using it as a basis to make ny own drawing.

(PETER IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE PLEASE FIND OUT WHY MY EDITING BAR HAS VANISHED ITS A REAL ******* PAIN WHEN TRYING TO ANNOTATE WITHOUT IT)

The article does give some technical data for the D, D* and D**, which David alludes to in his boook.  As David is the expert, I would guess that he as not entirely happy with this information.

I also think there may have been an aricle in "Wheels and Tracks" but it would take me some time to check back through them to see if my memory is right.

Hope this helps

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The more I find photos and compare with the MM drawing the more errors I find including overall proportions. I would not recommend trying to build an accurate model using this. It appears to include things found only on the mockup, and although meant to be a D has some features from the D**. The size of the front track idler is far too small. The gap between the track and the side armour is too small. The degree of differene between the height of the rear and the front is seen only on the mock up etc etc

It also makes some statements on the plan that are incorrect - eg it states that the emergency door on the D Modified was only on one side of the hull. There is clear photographic evidence of there being one on both sides of the hull

Somewhere the drawing has aquired some extra superstructure to the rear of the turet. This is seen on no photograph that I can find I could go on....

BTW I have evidence through conparing photos of the D and the D** that the latter was increased in LENGTH and not WIDTH as has been stated elsewhere. A new section was added between the end of the mud chutes and the rear of the tank.