During the early part of World War 2, the British Army realized that their current stable of tanks was deficient against most of the German armor. Although they had successfully mated the excellent 17 pounder cannon with the American Sherman, It was realized that an all-new design was needed. The Centurion Mk I tank was the answer to the War Ministry's requirement. The design was completely different than any prior British tank. It had sloped frontal armor that copied that of other contemporary tanks such as the Soviet T-34 and the German Panther and King Tiger. It had a 20mm turret-mounted cannon as its secondary armament and the high velocity 17 pounder as its primary gun. The tank went into production just as the war was about to end. A few of the tanks were sent to Europe but the Centurion was first used in combat during the Korean War. It was also used by Commonwealth troops in Malaya and later by the Australian Army in Vietnam.