The Conqueror only served in BAOR in Germany. Developed as a direct answer to the Soviet’s Joseph Stalin heavy tank series, predominantly meaning the IS-3, it was a 63 ton heavy tank, similar to the M103.
It’s lineage traces back to a chassis design from 1944. Post-war however, this was adopted as the common hull for a series of vehicles, one of which would be a candidate for Britain’s next main battle tank.
The success of the Centurion made it the natural choice, but that left the IS-3 without true rival, still. Something bigger was needed.
In 1955 the first Conqueror was produced, albeit 10 years after the IS-3 had entered service.
What was lacking in punctuality however, was certainly not in capability. A chief cause of delays was a 1949 decision to up-gun to a deadly L1 120 mm rifled gun, certainly capable of knocking out any Soviet tank of the era.
The frontal armour of these vehicles was also exceptionally thick. At 7 inches (180 mm) in the horizontal plane, an effective thickness of around 10 inches (250 mm) was achieved. Weight reduced speed and mechanical reliability was an issue.
However, like the WW2 era Churchill tank, the Conqueror excelled cross country.
The rotating commander’s cupola, featuring a rangefinder, by which the gunner could be positioned onto a target by the vehicle commander acting independently, was a very advanced feature for its time.
The latest Soviet vehicles used a similar system, but these did not provide the commander with range-finding equipment.
For all of its strengths, the Conqueror never saw mass production, with just 185 built.
For the British Army of the Rhine, these tanks were a useful asset on the front lines of the Cold War in Germany. They were deployed in groups of three, nine to each regiment, with a primary task of providing long range anti-tank support to the faster Centurions.
Some tactical relevance was lost in 1959, when the armament on the Centurion was upgraded to the now renowned L7 105 mm.
However, the Conqueror remained in service until 1966, the year the Chieftain arrived on the scene as the ‘most formidable main battle tank in the world’.
