Churchill VII Tank
The Churchill had a difficult birth in 1940, followed by a troubled development and nearly suffered a premature death in 1942 before maturing into a useful tank. Some specialised versions remained in service with the British Army until 1965.
The Churchill had its origins in the A20, designed by the shipbuilders, Harland & Wolff. This tank was intended to support infantry on a battlefield dominated by trench warfare. The prototype proved to be unsatisfactory when it appeared in February 1940.
The first production tanks, (Churchill Mark I), were delivered in June 1941. In some respects the design was old-fashioned with its wrap-round tracks and hull-mounted 3-inch gun. A small turret carried the British 2-pdr tank gun. More seriously, the new tank was very unreliable. However it carried very thick armour on the front of the hull. The new tanks were the first to be fitted with the Merritt-Brown gear box that provided controlled differential steering.
By 1942 the War Office had decided to abandon the Churchill because of its unreliability. A major effort by the manufacturers and the Army improved its reliability and the tank was reprieved after demonstrating its usefulness during the fighting in the hills of Tunisia in 1942-43. The first German Tiger I to be captured by the Allies was disabled in combat with Churchill tanks of 48th Royal Tank Regiment. This Tiger is now owned by the Tank Museum.
The Churchill design was extensively modified in 1942-43 and a new turret was fitted mounting the British 75mm tank gun. Although this gun was inferior to the German long 75mm and 88mm guns, with its thick armour the Churchill Mark VII, introduced in November 1943, became a useful tank. It served with British troops in North West Europe and Italy.
The Churchill was designed to fit within the British rail loading gauge. As a result the hull was too narrow to accommodate the larger turret needed to mount the British 17-pdr tank gun. Thus the Churchill VII was inadequately armed when compared to other late war tanks.
One of the Churchill’s strengths was its adaptability to specialised roles such as flame-throwing, bridge-laying and mine-clearing. It was especially useful as the basis of an armoured engineer vehicle, the Churchill AVRE, (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). Many of the specialised vehicles were developed by the 79th Armoured Division and were known as ‘Hobart’s funnies’, after the Division’s commander, Major General P C S Hobart.
Churchill gun tanks disappeared from the British Army quite quickly after World War II, but a small number of gun tanks and Crocodiles served with 7 RTR in Korea in 1950-51. Post-war developments of the AVRE and bridge-laying tanks remained in service with the British Army until the 1960s. A few Churchill gun tanks lingered in service with the Indian, Irish and Jordanian armies until the late 1960s.
In all, 5,640 Churchill tanks were manufactured. Small numbers of 6-pdr armed Churchills were supplied to the Soviet Union in 1941-42. Churchills also served with the Canadian Army, taking part in the disastrous Dieppe raid in 1942.
The Tank Museum’s Churchill above is the last Mark VII to be built and came to the Museum straight from the factory, so it is effectively brand-new, with almost no mileage on the clock. It is modified as a Crocodile flame-thrower and is displayed in the markings of the 34th Armoured Brigade in Normandy in the summer of 1944.
Churchill VII Tank
The Churchill had a difficult birth in 1940, followed by a troubled development and nearly suffered a premature death in 1942 before maturing into a useful tank. Some specialised versions remained in service with the British Army until 1965.
The Churchill had its origins in the A20, designed by the shipbuilders, Harland & Wolff. This tank was intended to support infantry on a battlefield dominated by trench warfare. The prototype proved to be unsatisfactory when it appeared in February 1940.
The first production tanks, (Churchill Mark I), were delivered in June 1941. In some respects the design was old-fashioned with its wrap-round tracks and hull-mounted 3-inch gun. A small turret carried the British 2-pdr tank gun. More seriously, the new tank was very unreliable. However it carried very thick armour on the front of the hull. The new tanks were the first to be fitted with the Merritt-Brown gear box that provided controlled differential steering.
By 1942 the War Office had decided to abandon the Churchill because of its unreliability. A major effort by the manufacturers and the Army improved its reliability and the tank was reprieved after demonstrating its usefulness during the fighting in the hills of Tunisia in 1942-43. The first German Tiger I to be captured by the Allies was disabled in combat with Churchill tanks of 48th Royal Tank Regiment. This Tiger is now owned by the Tank Museum.
The Churchill design was extensively modified in 1942-43 and a new turret was fitted mounting the British 75mm tank gun. Although this gun was inferior to the German long 75mm and 88mm guns, with its thick armour the Churchill Mark VII, introduced in November 1943, became a useful tank. It served with British troops in North West Europe and Italy.
The Churchill was designed to fit within the British rail loading gauge. As a result the hull was too narrow to accommodate the larger turret needed to mount the British 17-pdr tank gun. Thus the Churchill VII was inadequately armed when compared to other late war tanks.
One of the Churchill’s strengths was its adaptability to specialised roles such as flame-throwing, bridge-laying and mine-clearing. It was especially useful as the basis of an armoured engineer vehicle, the Churchill AVRE, (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). Many of the specialised vehicles were developed by the 79th Armoured Division and were known as ‘Hobart’s funnies’, after the Division’s commander, Major General P C S Hobart.
Churchill gun tanks disappeared from the British Army quite quickly after World War II, but a small number of gun tanks and Crocodiles served with 7 RTR in Korea in 1950-51. Post-war developments of the AVRE and bridge-laying tanks remained in service with the British Army until the 1960s. A few Churchill gun tanks lingered in service with the Indian, Irish and Jordanian armies until the late 1960s.
In all, 5,640 Churchill tanks were manufactured. Small numbers of 6-pdr armed Churchills were supplied to the Soviet Union in 1941-42. Churchills also served with the Canadian Army, taking part in the disastrous Dieppe raid in 1942.
The Tank Museum’s Churchill above is the last Mark VII to be built and came to the Museum straight from the factory, so it is effectively brand-new, with almost no mileage on the clock. It is modified as a Crocodile flame-thrower and is displayed in the markings of the 34th Armoured Brigade in Normandy in the summer of 1944.