Dan Taylor Modelworks

22 Armoured Brigade

Set 3

For my 7th AD Cromwell tanks and their accompanying Stuarts, I used this set shared by a friend. It is in 1/76 scale, but as already noted in other reviews, it is absolutely usable for 1/72 models.

The set gives us markings for 10 specific vehicles: 4 Cromwell tanks, 2 Stuart tanks, 2 Crusader AA tank, 1 Sexton SP and a Bedford MWD truck. There are also some other markings that can either be used as generic ones or with other vehicles. The set is dedicated to the 5 RTR, the HQ of the 22 AB and the 5 RHA. Anyway I’m not sure about some vehicles' identity and I think they need to be confirmed.----

Cromwell Tanks--

T187832, SATAN’S CHARIOT, 5 RTR.

It was a D hull Mk IV. In the only photo I’ve seen (IWM B5580) it had the mantlet hole covered by the sealing system fabric so its layout is not visible. It had the split driver hatch while the forward and side fenders were removed.

The markings are correctly depicted. However, I’m not sure it was a 5 RTR tank: as far as I know the 5 RTR names should begin with the letter E. The absence of the 22 AB/AoS + 7 AD markings and the name on the turret sides under the WD number made me think it could be a 4 CLY tank like “SHUFTI CUSH”, but that's only a personal opinion.

T187687, 22 Brigade HQ.

This one had a D hull Mk IV. The mantlet hole was clipped and it had the split driver hatch and the full set of fenders; see IWM B8183. The markings are correctly depicted.

T121770W, 5 RTR.

This was a welded hull Mk Vw. I found only a photo of it where the only visible marking is the WD number being heavily covered with the camo net full of hessian tape.

It had the all round vision cupola while the forward fenders were removed.

T187827, 5 RHA.

This particular WD number belonged to a 11 AD 2NY tank D hull Mk IV with the clipped mantlet hole, the driver hatch and the full set of fenders (see it at IWM B 9329).

The Mk IV “RB” of the 5 RHA depicted in the set had to same first six digits of that WD number T18782x but the last digit was covered by the foliage. What could x be then? T187826 was a 1 RTR tank and a photo of T187820, taken while testing items in 1946, showed it still carrying a 1st troop A Sqn (white?) triangle so I don’t think it was part of 5 RHA. So, seven other possible numbers remain for the missing digit x.

The tank depicted in the set was a D hull with the diagonal split driver hatch and the lateral fenders removed (the forward left one and both on the right side). About the markings, under the WD number someone chalked the numbers 561 0584x (also this last digit is obscured by the foliage).

T231357, ELUSIVE, 5 RTR HQ.

A quite famous tank who got bogged during the disembarkment. Its WD number was sometimes mistakenly reported as T23157 because a number is obscured by a belt. I don’t have access to specific sources about the WD numbers allocation and I don’t know the real number, however in my opinion the belt thickness suggest that the hidden number couldn’t be larger than a “1”, so I think T231157 could be more correct, but it’s my speculation.

The other markings correctly depict the tank.

HALCYON, 5 RTR HQ.

Correctly no WD number is given for this tank: its photo shows the sides with only the name. Anyway the unit marking style looks different from the other 5 RTR tanks, which had a red square containing a white circle with the 7th AD desert rat on one side and the 22nd AB Stag combined with the AoS on the opposite.

The items stowed on the glacis hide other markings, but I suspect that, beneath the 7th AD desert rat on a white square, there was a 45 AoS number on the blue/green background for an 8th Hussars tank, the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of the 7th AD. This too is only my speculation.

T127084, ALLAHFEEFEK, 22 AB HQ.

Correctly depicted, the photo (IWM B 5129) of this AA tank shows it was missing the lateral rear part of the fender.

SKYRAKER – THE PRINCESS, 5 RTR HQ.

This too is correctly depicted (it didn’t had the WD number on the front plate), see IWM B5124. Anyway I think it could have been 1 RTR tank. This because, on the basis of a list I have seen, the LST number 3752 (visible on the glacis) is referring to a ship which had, amongst other vehicles, two Crusader III AA of the 1 RTR while the AA tanks of the 5 RTR were aboard LCT 3521.

S234027, 5 RHA.

I didn’t find a photo showing this WD number, but I think here we are talking about the one depicted by IWM B 7565 (from the left fender marking) which generally speaking looks correct. Anyway what I found is that the LST 3511 didn’t have Sextons. These were on the LST ships 3751, 3752, 3753, 3754, 3755 and 3757 (4 each). When enlarging the photo the LST number seems to be 3571.

Z5502254, 5 RHA.

This vehicle can be found on the same photo of the Sexton (IWM B 7565), see here.
It's stated that the truck wasn’t a Bedford MWD but another 15 cwt truck type: a Fordson WOT2 of the 3rd Infantry Division. Only the rear plate of the GS body being visible, this could be possible and I don’t have a full WD numbers list. I don’t know if this is correct, but having no other markings this one could be considered almost a generic model.

Conclusions

I liked the set and the markings went in place very well. My considerations about them are a result of the fact that I'm a bit finicky. Here we are speaking about 1/72 scale models with often very small markings, like the LCT/LST numbers. You need a microscope to read them and I don’t think such a small thing will ruin a model.

Concerning the correct identification of the units, I’m only a modeller and I don’t have access to information which could take away my doubts, so my personal considerations don’t change the quality of the decal set, which is good.

Preview sample purchased by the author.

Back to Dan Taylor Kit List

Article Last Updated: 16 May 2016