The Cruiser Tank Mark VIII A27L Centaur Dozer on the photos has a B type hull. It was built as a Centaur tank and later converted into a (bull) dozer by MG Cars in Abingdon. Its service record is not known but it was retired in 1963 and sold for scrap five years later. The Bovington Tank Museum recovered the Centaur Dozer and restored it in 1985.
The Centaur Tank Dozer Variant
The Centaur Tank Dozer is a specialized armored engineering vehicle derived from the British Centaur tank chassis, adapted for battlefield engineering tasks. Originally based on the WWII-era A27L Centaur cruiser tank, the dozer variant was designed to support combat operations by performing obstacle clearance, battlefield construction, and route opening under hostile conditions. Though now considered obsolete in modern warfare, it marked a significant development in armored engineering capabilities during its service life. This conversions is one of Hobarth’s Funnies as they called them. These were specialised conversed armored vehicles for specific goals like minefield clearing, flamethrowing, creating a path through barbed wire defence for example.
Chassis and Hull
The Centaur Tank Dozer retains the Centaur’s welded steel hull and torsion bar suspension system. The dozer variant replaces the tank’s turret with a fixed armored superstructure or retains a low-profile turret with limited armament. The chassis features reinforced front sections to support the added stress of the dozer blade, and additional mounting points for engineering equipment.
The hull is armored with rolled homogeneous steel, offering protection against small arms fire, shrapnel, and light anti-personnel mines. Its tracked design provides excellent off-road mobility and cross-country performance, essential for battlefield engineering roles.
Powertrain and Mobility
The original Centaur tank was equipped with a Liberty V-12 petrol engine producing around 400 horsepower, giving the vehicle a top road speed of approximately 25 mph (40 km/h). While adequate for its time, modern equivalents would require upgraded diesel engines for improved torque, fuel efficiency, and reliability.
The tank uses a five-speed manual gearbox, with power delivered to rear-drive sprockets. Its suspension system, consisting of Christie-style bogies and return rollers, allows for relatively smooth operation over rugged terrain, though it is less advanced compared to hydropneumatic systems used in modern armored engineering vehicles.
Dozer Blade System
The primary feature of the Centaur Tank Dozer is its hydraulically operated dozer blade mounted at the front. The blade is typically straight (S-blade) or slightly curved and capable of vertical lifting and tilting through a hydraulic linkage system. It is designed for earthmoving and leveling, obstacle and debris clearance, Construction of defensive positions and berms and breaching barbed wire or barricades.
The blade is constructed from high-strength steel and reinforced for impact resistance. It can be operated from within the armored vehicle, allowing the crew to perform engineering tasks under fire.
Crew and Controls
The vehicle is typically manned by a crew of two to three: a driver/operator and one or two additional crew for support or secondary tasks. Interior controls are adapted for blade operation, often using manual hydraulic levers and gauges.
Visibility is provided through periscopes and vision blocks, while some variants may include a machine gun mount for close defense. Communications are handled through standard military radio systems.
Operational Use and Legacy
The Centaur Dozer variant was used primarily in the post-WWII era and into the early Cold War period by British and Commonwealth forces. Though no longer in active service, it laid the groundwork for future Armoured Engineer Vehicles (AEVs) such as the Centurion AVRE and Trojan AVRE.
Its combination of armor, mobility, and engineering capability made it a valuable asset for battlefield preparation, obstacle clearance, and mobility support in combat environments.
