Noob's Random Question #2

[The W:AB Noob]

Why do so many British tanks start with a C?
For example, Crusader, Cromwell, Comet, Churchill, Centurion, Chieftain, Challenger...

[Killertomato]

I imagine at some point after Matilda and Valentine they noticed that all their new tanks had names starting with C and rolled with it.

[Mad22]

I believe essentially it became habit. It started off with cruiser tanks so I guess it just sounded good and then, well why change it.

Look at the cvrt vehicles and light tanks. All Start with S.

All of the RN ships appear to use names beginning with the letter of their class. Well nearly all.

The astute class all A's
The vanguard class all V's
The type 45 daring class all start with D
The RAF V class bombers.

Etc etc there are some exceptions but seems the British naming convention is to name vehicles primarily starting with the letter their class starts with.

Oh and I think Valentine and Matilda were primarily considered infantry tanks and not cruiser so that may be why they weren't C's.

[Mitchverr]

"cruiser"

All cruiser tanks when naming followed used C from the Covenanter onwards(before this all using A desegnation), others did also, but mostly cruiser and cruiser based, this advanced with Churchill(not named after the PM) into the infantry/heavy tank design and thus, C was carried forward.

Theres a naming system in the British miliary since WW2, tanks get C, FV100/FV600 go with S (saladin, scorpion, scimitar, stormer), F for the FV701 family.

Vehicle families tend to use either the same name or a new name if modified enough but tend to follow on the same concept or at least letter.



Most likely its tradition really, theres no true official reason afaik.

I imagine at some point after Matilda and Valentine they noticed that all their new tanks had names starting with C and rolled with it.

Matilda was named after waddling like a duck (matilda MK1) though it was needing replacement, the Mk2 was made keeping the name as Matilda II.

Valentine has all sorts of stories to the name, being valentines day it was actualised to the inventers name being Valentine.


However Its all rumourmill these days.

[BTR]

Any true weapons nerd knows, British MBT's start with FV4 and have FV4XXX codes. The real question is, why all British MBT families have FV40XX codes, while the Chieftain family is the only one that has FV42XX? Answer me!

[MenDuck]

The real question is, why all British MBT families have FV40XX codes, while the Chieftain family is the only one that has FV42XX? Answer me!

Because Chieftain is the meaning of life.

[Mad22]

Any true weapons nerd knows, British MBT's start with FV4 and have FV4XXX codes. The real question is, why all British MBT families have FV40XX codes, while the Chieftain family is the only one that has FV42XX? Answer me!

Oh god damn you. That is a good question.

[Mitchverr]

Explaining the FV system is like trying to solve a rubix cube in pitch black, pointlessly annoying, confusing and breaking minds.

http://www.arcaneafvs.com/fvlist.html

A nice list of all the vehicles. The most simple would be FV4001 was taken, FV4101 was taken by charioteer, this lead to the chieftain taking FV4201 and onwards with its family, then as the old kit was knocked out of service their family wouldnt extend, so those numbers were free for usage and thus the Challenger 1 and 2 got their numbers, going off of leaving a small room between due to the belief that the challenger 1 fleet would be given extencive modification and perhaps needing a new FV desegnation as happened with the centurion line.

At least i think this is why, as the official answers are not out there.

[Mike]

At least it's not like the US where M1 can refer from anything from a mine to a full on MBT.

[Killertomato]

At least it's not like the US where M1 can refer from anything from a mine to a full on MBT.

Carrying an M1 with an M1 stuck to it while wearing an M1 sitting on an M1 driving past a field of M1s while a battery of M1s fires on a nearby airplane.