Is a centaur IV medium tank actually an assault gun or howitzer carriage?

[Noblesse Oblige [KG] ⳩]

What is the correct nomenclature?

[Kai]

It's a self-propelled gun as it's using a medium tank chassis but is armed with anti-infantry / anti-structure weapon.

Hellcat for instance is a speedy Light tank thin armor chassis with a big gun and a big engine. Considered a SPG but is a Tank Destroyer 'role'.

What you consider light/medium/heavy tanks is in the armor they have so to speak, and if they are designed to engage with tanks.

The Centaur IV is essentially the chassis of the Cromwell tank with a different gun I think, which isn't designed to fight tanks.

"Assault Gun or Howitzer Carriage" varies in the name.
Assault Gun is basically what a tank destroyer generally do, engage and attack directly.
Howitzer Carriage would involve indirect fire like artillery over a distance?

[Felinewolfie]

The Centaur is the old version of the Cromwell. The family is :

- Crusader
- Cavalier (unsuccessful)
- A27L Centaur 410 horsepower 57mm main gun (6PDR)
- A27M Cromwell 600 horsepower 75mm main gun
- Comet

https://ww2db.com/vehicle_spec.php?q=172

I would call the Centaur a weaker (slower?) Cromwell.
the COH3 Centaur *WAS* a 95mm AVRE. But this appears to have changed.

for me, SPGs are tanks without turrets.
americans have GMCs which are 'tanks' without armor.

In COH2, the M8 Scott is a called a Motor carriage.
In COH3, the M8 Scott is called an SPG.

The SU76 is an SPG. The Priest is an SPG. The Marder is an SPG.
The StuG and SU122, SU85, SU100 152 are SPGs.
The M8 shouldn't be an SPG.

The Centaur has a turret. It's not an SPG.
As for the gun being a howitzer, it has no range, so it's not a howitzer.

[Noblesse Oblige [KG] ⳩]

I was thinking that in game it should be called something other than a medium tank. Because it has a very specific purpose and would not be used as a tank.

[Private twinkle toe 1010011]

Well, stub gun P4 and Sherman 105 are used more or less for the same thing as howitzer-armed centaur and still considered as tank IRL.
Centaur is a tank through and through, but the role is more on breakthrough vehicles like the in-game 105 Sherman, which doesn't make it assault gun.
SPGs are meant for indirect fire (as in arty) in mind. The direct fire ones are generally referred as self-propelled anti tank guns or literal assault gun. Brits never really developed a purpose-built assault gun during the war, so they made do by arming tanks, which is meant for infantry support anyway, with howitzers and used it.

[Noblesse Oblige [KG] ⳩]

From wiki:
"The Centaur IV Close Support version with a 95 mm howitzer saw service in small numbers as part of the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group on D-Day. Originally intended to be used from landing craft[26] and serve as static pillboxes, these examples retained the engine allowing the Marines to advance the tank inland.[13] A number of Centaurs were also re-purposed as combat engineering vehicles, such as an armoured bulldozer."

I guess close support tank would be ok, but not medium tank.