Churchill Infantry Tank.

World War II British Military
#21

With respects to Kallinikos, the Churchill was not designed as an assualt tank, where the likleyhood of ‘mixing it’, with enemy armour was greater, but as an infantry support tank, hence its slow overall speed, etc.
In the early days of the war,(before Tiger,Panther, etc) -and the increased use of the 88mm as an AT gun, it along with others of its ilk could well have proven themselves a match, for enemy armour.

Unfortunatly, your answer, as history has shown, against the top German tanks, all Allied armour was vunerable.

#22

As a support tank and a special I think it excelled. It could also take on any PzIV mark and win in an equal encounter. Let down by its speed it did have very good armour. Not a balanced vehicle by any means but certainly a workhorse.

#23

With respects to Kallinikos, the Churchill was not designed as an assualt tank

Obviously not but seems that “Kallinikos” is doing some spam lately.

Churchills in el alamein:

A small detachmet of Churchills Mark III took part in the second battle of El Alamein in late 1942.
There was some reserves to use this vehicle in the desert given his cooling system ( forced air) however the 6 tanks of the “KingForce” formation fought well destroying 5 tanks and 3 antitank guns.

Churchill In Kidney Ridge, the italian M-14 was destroyed by this tank.

Two churchill were destroyed by the german/italian defenses and one more was left damaged with his turret jammed. The british crew counted some 106 hits on his vehicles.

#24

Little doubt that the Churchill was a very good, effective tank but with imitations…

Unfortunately it could net be upgraded quickly or easily enough…

#25

In fact neither british tank could be upgraded quickly or easily enough.

#26

The Churchill was designed as an Infantry support tank. Not as a Cruiser tank. Infantry support tanks were heavily armoured slow moving vehicles designed to destroy ground fortifications (bunkers, MG positions etc) in support of attacking infantry troops. It was not designed for tank to tank combat. That was the job of the cruiser tanks which were less heavily armoured and therefore faster and more manuverable.

For what it was designed for it was an good AFV, however as with most British and US AFV’s it was grossly under gunned.

#27

Not as a Cruiser tank. Infantry support tanks were heavily armoured slow moving vehicles designed to destroy ground fortifications (bunkers, MG positions etc)

How to acomplish that with a solid 40 mm or 57 mm steel shot is a matter of wondering, In Dieppe one Churchill had to ram a house in order to supress the german machinegun fire.

#28

spam ? why you said that . i didn’t do nothing

#29

See PM…

#30

Churchill NA 75.

This variant was a very complex convertion of a Sherman and main gun turret into a Churchill hull, not and easy task, but it had the advantage of the dual purpose 75 mm cannon.

It was used almost exclusively in the Italian campaing. For more information check this nice site.

http://www.track48.com/articles/research/na75/3779%20B3.jpg

#31

On that picture and some others, I see two “windows” in the space between the tracks. Could you put two MGs in there, and not just one?

#32

Probably but those are more useful as scape hatchs, its original purpose.

#33

People could fit through there? They looked a little small.

#34

Sure, it was better than the tiny scape hatches is the German panzers.

#35

I see… scape hatches make the armour weaker, so the germans probably didn’t want to weaken the overall turret strenghth…

#36

More or less so, eventually those turret doors were eventually deleted.

The most effective flamethrower tank of ww2 in action the churchill Crocodrile.

Drill

Combat in Holland 1944, attacking infantry near a petrol station.

#37

More images of the Croc.

Training. The maximum range was about 80 % more than the german flammpanzers because the fuel was thicker and the pressure used much higher.

Another nice shot of the same vehicle in action in Northern europe.

#38

The engineers Churchill.

#39

I find it one of the most beautifull tanks of WW2

#40

I think it is so ugly, it’s beautiful. :smiley:

From Aberdeen Proving Grounds:

ATC-BritishChurchill-1.jpg
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