Both were allied post ww2 tank designs. Thoughts or comments on either?

The British Centurion is the most successful main battle tank ever produced on the Island. Development of the tank began by AEC in 1944, but the tank failed to see service in World War 2. The need for a heavy tank with powerful armament and thick armor was apparent in World War 2. Heavy German tanks such as the Panther and Tiger were formidable enemies and the contemporary British tanks, the Comet and the Cromwell, were insufficient. Development of the tank began in 1943 and was termed the Heavy Cruiser A41, but was later christened the Centurion. Early British cruisers had many technical problems; however, the successful mating of the meteor engine and Merritt-Brown gearbox in the Cromwell and Comet tanks was seen as a solution. Consequently, this package was installed on the A41. Initial models were armed with the 17 pounder cannon but were soon upgraded to the 20 pounder. The British insistence on heavy frontal armor was due to their WW2 experience with the heavy 88mm German guns. A slope glacis plate offered increased protection and the front machine gunner was removed to make room for more ammo. Although the British considered performance as secondary to survivability, much emphasis was given to achieving a good cross country speed. The hull was built with sloped sides to minimize mine damage. A modified Horstman type suspension was employed and skirting plates were added to protect the suspension against hollow charge anti-tank weapons.
The Centurion had many ‘thoughtful’ features. The design placed emphasis in the ability for technicians to access major components within the tank easily. The Centurion also had an innovative auxiliary generator that could provide the radios and gun control equipment with power. The first 6 prototypes were sent to Germany in 1945, but the war had just ended. Once the basic design parameters were set, 100 models were ordered in 1946. Development continued and further modifications were done to the tank. In the summer of 1946, the mark 2 variant came out with increased armor, fully cast turret, and most importantly stabilized gun-control equipment in both elevation and azimuth. In 1948, the mark 3 with the 20 pounder and further modifications was produced. In 1951, the mark 3 was produced at a rate of 20 tanks a month and included more improvements in gun stabilization and engine design.
The biggest drawback for the Centurion was its limited range. As the Mark 3’s weight rose to almost 51 tons, the combat radius dipped under 100km. This was rectified at first with the soviet style rear drums and finally, a 100 gallon armored fuel tank was bolted on to the rear hull. The Centurion first saw combat in Korea, where in February of 1951, a Centurion mk.3 knocked out a Chinese tank at 2750 meters with it’s second shot. It must be noted that this was with a 20 pounder cannon and not the famous L7 105mm cannon which was to be installed in later variants. The Centurion was well liked by its crews in the Korean conflict; the tank was adept at climbing the mountainous terrain. This ability was much envied by Sherman and Patton crews, who realized the advantages of traversing hilly terrain to bring direct fire on North Korean and Chinese positions. After the initial tank battles ceased, the Centurion was adopted in the role of infantry support. The tank was much more accurate than conventional artillery and the gun stabilization system meant that crews could put a high explosive round through a 2x1 feet opening at 1800 meters. The accuracy of the 20 pounder meant that the tank was able to destroy bunkers and fortifications at long ranges. After the conflict ended, the Centurion received many orders from around the world. In 1952, the Centurion was in its 7th version. The mk. 7 was extensively redesigned by Leyland motors and the tank had a new hull, increased fuel capacity that was placed internally, improved ammo storage, transmission, and louvers for the engine. Aside from these features, the mk.7 also had ammunition loading port, unified screw threads, revised drive controls and larger headlights.
In 1955, the Centurion mark 8 was introduced. This featured a revised turret, further improvements in fire control, and a new cupola. The new fire control system would automatically engage to stabilize the tank when it was moving over 2mph. This version of the Centurion was armed with the famous L7 105mm gun. The tank cannon were designed by the Royal Armament research and development establishment, and was the most successful tank gun for the latter part of the century. Despite the L7’s bigger gun, ammunition storage increased to 70 rounds. The combination of a superior fire control system and a lethal main armament provided the Centurion with excellent firepower. This was further improved by the installation of a .50 caliber ranging gun that was aligned to the main gun and mounted in the mantlet. The gun was fired and normally held a tracer round that would light up, upon striking the target. Thus, the gunner could make adjustments for trunnion tilt or crosswinds. Before the innovation of laser range finders, British tanks relied on co-axial ranging guns to improve accuracy. The other major addition was a thermal sleeve, which was attached to the main gun and reduced distortion of the hot barrel due to uneven cooling by wind or rain. Infrared equipment provided later models, such as the mk.13, with night fighting ability. The Centurion’s production ended in 1961 but the tank remained in service with the British army until 1967, when it was replaced by the larger Chieftain. Despite ending British service, the Centurions legacy had just begun.
The Centurion was widely exported throughout the world. Countries such as India, Israel, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Holland, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland all had the tank in service at one time or the other. During the Indo-Pak conflicts of 1965 and 1971, the Centurion was placed in an interesting situation while fighting American made M-48s. This was the first time that two western tanks, that would have normally fought aside each other, instead fought as adversaries. The Centurion was much better armored and proved to be more than a match for Pakistani M-47s and M-48s. In 1971, the centurion again outfought the Pakistani tank fleet, which was equipped with Chinese T-59s. The Australians sent centurions to Vietnam in 1968 and the tank again proved to be popular with the crews. The tank was mainly used in the infantry support role, where its thick armor proved to be resistant to hand held rocket propelled grenades. The Centurion’s canister round also was effective in clearing out Viet-cong bunkers that were in heavy jungle or vegetation. The Centurion saw amazing success with the Israeli Defense forces. According to a deal with England, Israel was to buy several hundred of the older Centurions and in response; the British would help them co-develop the Chieftain. In the end, this deal was cancelled due to Arab outrage; British embassies were bombed and wealthy Arab states threatened to pull out their monetary reserves from British banks. The Israelis decided to upgrade the Centurions until their own indigenous MBT was ready. The tank saw combat in the 1967 6 day war, as well as in the dire circumstances of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Here well trained Israeli tank crews exacted a toll on Soviet supplied Arab armor. The Centurion was one of the most important weapons, in Israel’s arsenal. During the 1973 Yom Kippur war, many were lost to man packed anti-tank missiles, such as the At-3 Sagger and the ubiquitous RPG. This was due to a multitude of reasons, including the separation of artillery and mechanized infantry from tank battalions. As changes were made to Israeli tank doctrine, losses dwindled. On the Golan front, a single brigade of reservist Centurions held off an entire Syrian armored division; saving the day for Israel. The centurion continues to see service in the South African army as the ‘Oliphant’. Up until recently, the Israeli defense forces used upgraded centurions but have now placed them into reserve storage. Israel first acquired centurions in 1959 and the tank had potent armor and firepower; however, the Rolls-Royce meteor engine had certain disadvantages. Aside from being a fuel guzzler, the engine was petrol and was much more combustible than a diesel engine. In combat, this meant that if a round hit near the engine, the tank could potentially catch on fire. The Israelis replaced the meteor engines with American Teledyne Continental diesel engines and enlarged the rear of the hulls. Fire extinguishing systems and electronics were also added. The 105mm gun was retained and armor was improved with the addition of blocks of explosive-reactive armor.