Armored vehicles

The eleventh silver coin of the Czech Mint from the series Armoured Technology features the British Mk VI Crusader tank, which served during the Second World War.

The role of British cruiser tanks, the concept of which originated in the interwar period, was to penetrate behind enemy lines after artillery and heavier tanks had created a breach in them. The key feature of these armoured tanks was high speed, but this had to be compensated for by poor armour protection. One of the main cruiser tanks of World War II was the Mk VI Crusader, which the British Army ordered to be produced in 1939. The distinguishing feature of this armoured tank was its very low silhouette, which, combined with its high mobility, predestined it for offensive operations. The Crusaders could quickly close to the enemy to a distance of 500 meters and then open effective fire. However, they were unsuitable for defensive combat due to their weak riveted armour. They suffered from other shortcomings. In fact, they were rushed into production before all known mechanical problems had been corrected. Criticism from tankers concerned poor engine cooling and gearbox problems, but also cramped interior space and weak armament. During the modernization, the crew was reduced from five tankers to four, and the freed space was used to store additional ammunition for the 40mm gun. However, the space in the polygonal turret was rapidly reduced when a more powerful 57 mm cannon was installed. The tank was then manned by a crew of only three. Despite their imperfections, the Crusaders formed the backbone of the British armoured forces in the North African campaign in 1941 and 1942, where they contributed to the final Allied triumph.

The reverse side of the commemorative coin, which is the work of the medal maker MgA. Martin Dašek, presents two depictions of a British tank - the three-quarter view is supplemented with a side silhouette. An inscription of the Mk VI CRUSADER and a detail of the tank belt complete the composition. The stripes can also be found on the obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire tank series. As the licence to issue commemorative coins of the Czech Mint is granted by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary attributes - the national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2024.

The coin comes with a narrative packaging in the form of a catalogue card full of period photographs, interesting facts and tactical and technical data. You can store the individual cards in a collector's binder that you can also find in the offer of the Czech Mint.