How did a British tank, originally designed to fight Nazis, end up in Israeli use to battle Soviet tanks manned by Syrians? The answer explains why the Centurion is one of history’s great tanks.

The origin story of the Centurion – one of Britain's most important tanks and perhaps one of the most influential tank designs ever– goes all the way back to the Second World War.

Centurion and Birth of the Main Battle Tank. Development of the Centurion began in 1943, when the British War Office issued a requirement for a new heavy cruiser tank, designated as the A41.

The T-55’s first major clash with the Centurion came in June 1967 during the Six-Day War, which was won by Israel, with 20 Israeli tanks knocking out 32 Egyptian T-54 and T-55 tanks in the Bir ...

These efforts paid off, as the Centurion was one tough machine — the only tank known to survive a nuclear explosion. In a nuclear test in 1953, a Centurion built the year after The Engineer’s visit ...

Development of the Centurion began in 1943 when the British Army called for a new cruiser tank equipped with at least a 17-pounder (76.2mm) gun.

More than 2,500 items from the Cowra War, Rail and Rural Museum will be auctioned off, including a rare WWII Centurion tank, a Škoda-made Czechoslovakian half-track tank, other military vehicles ...

THE Centurion tank, launched in 1945, is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The Centurion, a major engineering success for the British Army, was created at the end of the Second World War.