Comet MK.1A - "The elephant's little brother"

[l2ulan]

TLDR; This Suggestion is for a South African Comet I Type A. The South African Comet is equipped with turret-mounted smoke launchers, but retains the same engine, gun, and armour as the other in-game Comets.

[Would you like to see this in-game?]

• Yes
• No

Fig.1 A Comet MK.1A in solid green camouflage, pictured during the march-past on Republic Day, 31 May 1966.

Overview
Comet is a British medium “Cruiser” tank of the Second World War. Built on the hull of the Cromwell, Comet carries the Ordnance QF 77 mm HV Mk 2 tank gun tank gun, a compact version of the lauded QF 17 pdr, and hull and coaxial BESA machine guns. Powered by the legendary Meteor engine, Comet is capable of good top speed and cross-country mobility.

British Service

Fig.2 Comet tanks of the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, crossing the Weser at Petershagen. Picture by Sgt Laing, No.5 Army Film & Photographic Unit, 7 April 1945.

The first Comets arrived in France in November 1944, just in time for their conversion training to be interrupted by the German Unternehmen „Wacht am Rhein“, better known as the Battle of the Bulge. 11th Armoured Division had been receiving the vehicles, but were immediately ordered back into their Shermans and Churchills, fighting through to January 1945.

After resuming their conversion training on Comet and performing live ranges at Gravelines in late January, 11th Armoured Division was held in reserve until March, when it was ordered to cross the Rhine. The division sustained losses during fighting in the Teutoberger Wald (Teutoberg Forest), before liberating the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in early April. Moving north to the Elbe, 11th Armoured launched their final attack of the war, occupying the city of Lübeck and nearby Neustadt on 2 & 3 May respectively, remaining as an occupation and policing force after the German surrender.

South African Service
With the heavier Centurion readily available, in the mid 1950s the British Army was already looking to get rid of its Comets. The venerable 17pdr and its derivative the 77mm HV had been wholly outstripped by the new 20pdr, while Centurion itself provided much greater protection with only a slight loss in speed.

South African Comet MK.1A tanks parade on Republic Day, 31 May 1966.

The first buyer was South Africa. Having committed to supporting a British intervention in the event of war in the Middle East, South Africa purchased 26 Comets at a cost of £20,000 each in 1953 to equip an armoured reconnaissance squadron. On their arrival in 1954, the tanks were immediately put into storage at Amanzijama (Amanzimnyama), as relations with the UK cooled.

In 1964 the Comets would finally be brought into service and used to train the instructors of the newly-founded Pantserskool (Armour School), at Potchefstroom. The Comets continued to serve as driver training and maintenance training vehicles at the Armour School, which on 1 April 1966 was relocated to Bloemfontein to co-locate with the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment at Tempe. The British commitment collapsed completely in the wake of the Suez Crisis in 1956 to no great loss to South Africa, which was well on the route to full independence.

Other than domestic designs, South Africa had mostly used American equipment in WW2, and training on the Comet fleet familiarised soldiers with British vehicles while preventing unintentional damage to the prized Centurions. The Comets were also considerably cheaper to run than the more modern Centurions, of which South Africa would by 1958 purchase 87 Centurion Mk 3s and 116 Mk 5s at £50,000 per vehicle.

Both vehicles were powered by the Meteor engine. These engines, with a displacement of 27 litres, produced 600 hp (447 kW). The Meteor was found to be reliable, but difficult to work on in the tight spaces of the Comet’s engine compartment.

The Comets were withdrawn from active service in 1968, with around half being heavily converted into the Comet Armoured Maintenance Vehicle. The remainder (approximately 9 tanks) stand relatively well-preserved as gate guardians and museum pieces at SANDF facilities throughout South Africa, save one, which went to live on a farm in Poland.

Specifications
Length: 7.658 m
Width: 3.003 m
Height: 2.590 m
Combat Weight: 33,529 kg
Crew: 5
Engine: Rolls-Royce/Rover Meteor Mk III, producing 600 hp @ 2,500 rpm
Armament:

• 1x Ordnance QF 77 mm HV Mk 2 tank gun
• 2x BESA 7.92 mm machine gun
• 2x Multi-barrel smoke discharger
• 2x Smoke Generator No.80 Mk 5
• 1x 2-in Bomb Thrower Mk 1

Ammunition:

• Shot, 77mm APCBC-T Mk 1
• Shot, 77mm APDS-T Mk 1
• Shell, 77mm HE-T Mk 2
• Shell, 77mm HEHC-T Mk 1
• Shell, 77mm HESHC-T Mk 1
• Shell, 77mm Smoke Mk 3

• Smoke Grenade, No.80 Mk 1

• Bomb ML Smoke, 2-in Bomb Thrower Mk 1
• Bomb ML Smoke Bursting, 2-in Bomb Thrower WP Mk 3

Gallery

A Comet MK.1A at the South African Armour Museum, Bloemfontein. The split Normandy cowlings can be seen at the rear, while multi-barrel smoke dischargers are fitted to the turret.

U90532, a Comet MK.1A preserved at the National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg. The single-piece Normandy cowling can be seen at the rear.

A South African Comet MK.1A at Panzer Farm, Nasielsk, Poland. The exhaust cowling has been removed, and the vehicle has been painted a lively shade of green.

Turret wiring harness diagram for Comet I, showing the multi-barrelled smoke discharges mounted on both sides of the turret.

Pages 130, 131, 133, 134, and 137 of the Comet Armaments Pamphlet show how to identify the five main ammunition types available for the 77mm gun; APCBC-T, APDS-T, HE-T, HEHC-T, and HESHC-T.

Three QF 77mm HV rounds, from left to right; 77mm HEHC-T, HE-T, and APDS-T

Comet Armoured Maintenance Vehicle, the final fate of some Comets in South African service. The powertrain was completely replaced by a Teledyne Continental AVI-1790-8 V12 mated to an Allison CD-850 3-speed automatic transmission. Crewed by mechanics of the Technical Service Corps and equipped with a rear-mounted Hydrovane articulating jib crane, Comet AMVs carried the tools, spare engines, and automotive oils needed to keep the larger Olifant tanks on the road.

Sources;

1. WORKSHOP MANUAL FOR THE COMET I, Chilwell Catalogue No. 62/718, First Edition, December 1947
2. Royal Armoured Corps Training Volume III - ARMAMENT, Pamphlet No.5, COMET I, 1949
3. COMET MK. 1 - SA Armour Museum
4. The Last Cruiser - Tank Archives
5. The People, History, Development and Use of the Famous Rolls-Royce Meteor Engine - DITSONG: National Museum of Military History
6. South African Armoured Corps - War in Angola
7. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELEPHANT TANK, Centurion Mk3 - VEG Magazine
8. 60 YEARS OF CENTS, The Centurion Tank in South African Service - Simon Dunstan
9. A Military History of South Africa - Timothy Stapleton
10. Surviving Comets - The Shadock & Rafał Białęcki
11. Republic Festival, South Africa 1966 - Youtube
12. SA Armour Museum - Lesakeng

[BSpiel8]

I think I would rather see the current Comet recieve smoke launchers, considering that the South African one would end up in the British tree all the same. It’s not like the launchers were unique to SA vehicles either.

[l2ulan]

I’d like to see the current TT UK Comet I broadened into the two types;

• Comet I Type A - the WW2 version.
• Comet I Type B - post-WW2 final production.

I think the ones you’ve shown there will be Type Bs, but the giveaway is the exhaust system at the rear so it’s hard to tell from the front as the vertical exhaust system may still be there but with the cowlings removed.

Also the mantlet cover is essential.

[BSpiel8]

But if the primary difference between the two is simply the exhaust, is there really a point to having both? I’m sure there are better things to expand the 5.3 lineup with than a near identical copy of a tank that most people can agree is subpar at best.

[l2ulan]

But really, a very slightly different copy of a tank is fine to bolster a lacking lineup, such as UK 5.3. The argument for Comet at 5.0 can be made elsewhere.

[BSpiel8]

Well, I’m not saying it should be 5.0, it just has some bad attributes that I don’t like at any BR. But I feel like there are more than enough options for other vehicles to bolster this lineup, a new heavy tank, light vehicle, or TD would be much appreciated, especially when the Challenger already exists as a second medium to bring.

And I actually do love the design of the Comet, I’d just hope to see some more transformative versions such as the COMRES 75, Headless Coachman, and that one prototype with sloped armor.

[l2ulan]

Ah, so we are two sides of the same coin! I would prefer the Type B to be added as TT specifically because it’s a service variant, and doesn’t differ greatly from the original. COMRES 75 and HC mark themselves out as potential Premium or Event vehicles, meaning the majority of players will never use them.

The sloped armour on Comet was reputedly near no different in protection, so I hadn’t considered it.

[BSpiel8]

You’re probably right about the COMRES and Coachman, seeing as though one is an unconventional prototype and the other is from a minor nation, both categories that Gaijin finds ideal for event/premium fodder. Nonetheless, it would still be cool to have them just for the novelty if nothing else.

And yeah the sloped armor prototype certainly offered little in the way of extra protection with its thin 25mm plate, but honestly I’ll take any improvement in survivability that I can get for the Comet; even just enough to stop a glancing blow from the U.S. 75mm or Russian 76mm at range.

[l2ulan]

Good points, and I’d say you’ve put it better than me. I’m all about Comet representation even if it was a swiftly-replaced dead end in British tank design, I’d even consider the Comet-based Malkara launch platform used in the Australian firing tests.

Here’s another MSPaint Comet meme for your viewing pleasure.

[BSpiel8]

I don’t believe I’ve heard of this Malkara test rig, got any photos?

[l2ulan]

I think I saw a photo at some point but can’t find it any longer. Comet No.2 at the Isle of Wight MHM reputedly was used as the Malkara trials vehicle, and I believe firing took place at Woomera range.

Preserved Tanks .Com | Tank Profile

Edit; according to Ed Francis this Comet was used for the Malkara trial, but the picture isn’t exactly helpful.

[BSpiel8]

Hmm, doesn’t seem like a very prominent vehicle, but in any case, I think I would like to see it anyways, provided that it has onboard ammo storage for extra Malkaras and all.

[l2ulan]

I’d certainly doubt that it had any reloads, and I’m not sure if it carried more than one missile.

Still, there’s always the Humber Hornet.