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I believe two additional reasons for the greater height of the US tanks are based purely on personnel observation.
A lot of this came from working with BAOR units in Germany in the early 1980s and discussions in the mess with them.
1. The Brits observed that US crews lived IN their tank while (or as they put it, whilst) British crews loived ON their tank. In other words, US tankers spent more time inside their vehicle rather than outside it. That was their observation. So it was a roominess issue.
2. Also, in line with the survivabaility issue. They believed the lower profile for the Centurions/Chiefteins/Cahllengers had to do with which part of Germany each was defending. Yes, it went back to the WW II German threat but as time wore on the Brits adapted to the low rollign terrain of North Germany while we Americans had the hillier south to defend so needed a taller vehicle to more effectively conduct reverse slope fires in taller terrain.
Just some discussions from a quarter century ago over a few liters of pils.
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"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves." TSGT Oddball, Tank Commander
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