The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - The A22 Infantry Tank "Churchill" - Mar. 9th, 2004

www.9thrtr.com ^

[SAMWolf]

"It was" wrote Major General G L Verney to Sir Archibald Sinclair in August 1944 "a most inspiring sight to see the old Churchill's go up those banks, rear right up in the air an bring the banks down with a crash and a cloud of dust and then go sailing on" This quote typifies the relationship that the British Army had with Churchill. Yes it was old fashioned, a left over from WW1, with its design more influenced by the French Char B than any British concept, but it worked and in many ways out performed all other tanks in the Allied arsenal. Not bad for a vehicle, which it had been planned to stop making in 1943.

Churchill was slow (17.5 Mph in its fastest versions), but was tactically very mobile and in the Mk Vll of 1944 was even more heavily armoured than the Tiger 1, even if the layout was inferior. In brief the Churchill was a modernised WW1 type tank designed in 1939/40 for similar conditions to the Western Front of 1915-18. It even had sponsoon mounted guns in the first designs. It progressed via the A20 to the definitive A22 Churchill 1. Design was rushed in to production as the war began badly for Britain. The tank entered service too early before the design flaws had been ironed out and the Mk I and II were hardly battle worthy as the few used at Dieppe and in Tunisia in company with the more advanced Mk III proved.

The Mk III was an altogether better design with a 6 Pdr gun replacing the original 2 Pdr in the redesigned turret, plus mechanical improvements, new tracks etc. The Mk IV had a new cast turret again with the 6 pdr. The Mk 5 had a 95mm howitzer as a CS tank and the Mk VI was a Mk IV with the British 75mm QF gun (a re-bored 6 Pdr firing the same US ammunition as used in the Sherman’s M3 gun). The Mk VII became the definitive Churchill with a new hull with greater armour protection and was slightly wider. It was slower than the earlier vehicles, but the combat mobility was just as good. It mounted the 75mm gun in a new fabricated turret with an all round vision cupola (common in German designs, but a rarity on Allied vehicles). Minor variation’s were the Mk IV NA 75 locally fitted with the US 75mm gun replacing the 6 Pdr used in Italy. The Crocodile was a Mk VII with a flame thrower and trailer and the Mk VIII a CS Mk VII with a 95mm Howitzer. The AVRE was a modified Mk IV or III with a Petard spigot mortar and there were other up armoured versions (Mk’s IX, X and XI) from early 1945, plus many experimental types (E.g. 3 in Gun carrier) and various turret less vehicles like the Ark and ARV’s.

The Churchill saw action from 1942 until the end in Europe, middle and far east, Russia and then on to Korea in 1950. The final user was the Irish Army which still had up armoured versions as late as about 1969. The last version was the ill fated Black Prince, which had a 17 Pdr in a widened hull. It was inferior all round to the Centurion and was abandoned, the final throw of the British Infantry Tank concept.

Churchill had a long and complex production history. The following is a a brief summary of the versions produced.

Version list:

Mk I 2 Pdr in small cast turret, coax BESA MG. With a 3 in Howitzer in the hull position. Tracks uncovered. Alternatively the hull howitzer was replaced with a BESA MG (sometimes referred to in books as the Mk II, The only contemporary source I have is the pack available from the Tank Museum that includes stowage diagrams that definitely notes the Mk I as having the hull 3 in howitzer and the Mk II as having the BESA MG.

Churchill I, recognizable to its small turret with a 2-pounder gun and a 3-inch howitzer on the hull

It is also noted that some Mk ICS’s may have existed with 2 3 in Howitzers and others with the 2 Pdr and 3 in guns swapped over. Max armour 102mm thick. Speed 15.5 Mph. Used at Dieppe and in N Africa, plus a lot of training use.

Mk II a version of the Mk I with the 3 in howitzer replaced by a BESA in the hull.

Churchill II, very similar to the model I but with a MG instead of a 3-inch Howitzer in the hull

Mk I’s were used at Dieppe and in Tunisia, with some Mk II’s at Dieppe (as OKE flame throwers) and probably Tunisia as well. I have no photographic proof of the CS versions being used operationally. Many Mk I’s and II’s were rebuilt as Mk III’s. When their days as gun tanks were finished many others were used as ARK’s and experimental versions.


Churchill II-CS with the 3-inch howitzer in the turret and a 2-pounder gun in the hull

Mk III a new squareish fabricated plate turret with 6 Pdr (long or short L43 or L50 versions, L50’s had a counter weight at the muzzle), coax BESA and a second in the hull. New pattern tracks covered on the top run, new air intakes (also used on some Mk I’s and II’s notably at Dieppe), except on early vehicles. Used N Africa, Italy. There is some crossover between I’s and III’s. Some modified Mk I’s had track guards and some Mk III’s lacked them and many Mk III’s and indeed some IV’s used the early pattern tracks. They also seem to have introduced guide rails for the tracks on the top rather than the wheels used with the Mk I and II. Some were rebuilt from MK I’s and II’s. Some were also updated with the 75mm gun although not to the same extent as the Mk IV.


Churchill III immobilized and then destroyed in front of Dieppe during the missed landing in August of 1942. The turret with hard edges, the gun ending with a counterweight and the MG in the hull distinguish this model from a Churchill I, the only other type of tank used during this operation.

Mk IV a new cast turret to alleviate a shortage of plate for the fabricated Mk III, other wise identical and produced concurrently with the same armament variations as Mk 3, but the L50 6 Pdr was more common on Mk IV than Mk III. Common in Italy and NW Europe after D Day. NA 75 with US 75mm M3 gun from scrapped Sherman’s used in Italy after conversion in N Africa (hence the name not North American!). The coax armament was replaced with the us .30 Browning as was the hull gun for commonality. Many were updated with the 75mm gun, making them very hard to distinguish from new build Mk VI’s.


Column of Churchill IV heading for the concentrations areas before the landing in Normandy. The cast turret, without hard edges and the 6-pounder gun are clearly visible

Mk V Mk IV with 95mm CS howitzer.


Churchill V, the infantry support version of the Churchill IV, with the same cast turret but a short 9.5 cm howitzer intead of a 6-pounder gun

Mk VI updated Mk IV with 75mm gun Some minor modifications were common to the Mk VII. There was at least one Mk VI with a 6 Pdr recorded in the 1945 21 Army Group returns, with it being important enough to warrant a column of its own. I do not know what the explanation for this is.


MK VI - First version of the Churchill to get a 7.5 cm gun with muzzle-brake. It retained the cast turret of the model IV.

Mk VII revised wider hull, welded construction, circular hull hatches, new turret with a 75mm gun. Armour up to 152mm thick. Speed 12.5 Mph. It also had revised guide rails, 2 alternative turret fronts (bulged and non bulged). In service from D Day. Crocodile was a Mk VII with the hull BESA MG replaced by the flame gun connected to the trailer towed at the rear. Most later Mk VII’s could be fitted as Crocodiles as they were built with the standard mountings for the trailer and flame unit. Used from early 1944 and in common used by D Day in mixed units. Crocodiles were used in Korea as gun tanks taking the Churchill's combat career to 10 years. Post war it became the base for conversions to replace Mk I to IV engineer vehicles. Many detail variations over time. In WW2 this vehicle was often called the "Heavy Churchill" to distinguish it from its earlier brethren.


A Churchill VII recognizable to its 7.5 cm gun with a brake muzzle, its welded turret and the shape of the gun shield. That is a flamethrowing version ("Crocodile") that you can identify thanks to the trailer for the fuel behind.

Mk VIII a Mk VII with a 95mm CS howitzer, turret slightly revised.


Churchill VIII, recognizible to the short 9.5 cm howitzer in a turret with sharp edges. Note the circular hatch on the hull.

In 1944 a rebuilding programme of the older tanks began. This took the basic MK’s III, IV and V and took them up roughly to Mk VII standards. The work involved the following changes:

20mm appliqué armour to the sides, a Mk VII type visor plate, glacis increased to 2 ¼ inches, turret replaced by a Mk VII one, turret gear box replaced by the heavy duty Mk VII type, Mk VII suspension, H41 engine gear box.

Mk IX a Mk III or IV updated.

Mk X a Mk VI updated.

Mk XI a Mk V with a Mk VIII 95mm turret and extra armour.

Over the years there has been talk of LT or light versions of these rebuilt Churchills. WO 165/136 states that the LT designation would have retained the old turret, but "none have been produced as supply of heavy turrets exceeded hull uparmouring capacity" It is further stated that all such conversions were to cease by August 1945.

AVRE Mk III and IV WW2 variant with Petard mortar, widely used from 1944. AVRE’s carried a lot of equipment such as bridges and fascines, hand placed charges etc.

AVRE Mk VII a Mk VII post war with a huge 165mm demolition gun.

Churchill AVRE Mk VII - Combat engineer vehicle.

3 in Gun carrier an experimental vehicle with an excellent gun in a limited traverse mount in an armoured box. It was no worse than many German improvisations, but only 24 were built and they were never used due to inter service rivalry. Some were converted to Snake carriers (a mine clearing device).


Churchill 3" Gun Carrier - Assault gun version fitted with 3" AA gun.

Arks – turret less tanks with manual ramps front and rear for use as obstacle fillers, widely used in NW Europe and Italy. Some had track ways over the tracks, while others (mainly ones converted locally in Italy), just had the ramps and no track ways. Post-war the Twin Ark was developed to support the Conqueror MBT and remained in service until 1965.


CHURCHILL ARK MK 2 [UK Pattern]

[SAMWolf]

Churchill Infantry Tank at Dieppe 1942

During August 1942, 147 (Hampshire) Regiment RAC was stationed at Worthing on the south coast of England. It was regimental practice to maintain a listening watch on its No.19 wireless sets, a boring duty which, throughout the early hours of 19 August promised little diversion. However, towards dawn, freak reception brought a spate of transmissions. The accents were Canadian, but the speakers were obviously tank crew, and the operators began to log each message. It was not easy, since the rapid speech was that of men under stress, overlaid with the sound of gunfire. The transmissions continued for several hours, but petered out by mid-morning.

It was not until the newspapers began printing reports of the raid on Dieppe that the signals logs started to make sense. They told at first hand the tragic story of 2nd Canadian Division’s decimation on the beaches in front of the town, as seen from the Churchill turrets of 14th Army Tank Battalion, otherwise known as the Calgary Regiment.


An LCT (Black smoke, farther in the water.)(Tide not yet full out)

The object of the Dieppe raid was to test the defences on a sector of enemy-held coast known to be heavily fortified, and to apply the lessons learned when the Allies returned to continental Europe at a later date. As far as the Calgary Regiment was concerned its tasks were to support the Essex Scottish Regiment and Royal Hamilton Light Infantry off the beach and into the town, following which the tanks would shoot up the airfield at St Aubyn and attack the chateau of Arques-les-Batailles, which was suspected of being a divisional headquarters.

The beach, flanked by the East and West Headlands, consisted of heavily banked and graded shingle, and was backed by a sea wall which for most of its length was too high for the Churchills to scale. Beyond lay a wide stretch of open ground that had once been ornamental gardens, the Boulevard Foch, and then a row of hotels and houses. The whole area was covered from several directions by carefully sited anti-tank and machine gun posts, and the exits from the boulevard into the town had been sealed by concrete barriers.


This is apparently the only tank to reach the strand (shore proper) intact.

The Calgarys’ Churchills had been waterproofed and equipped with deep-wading exhausts which would see them ashore from the LCTs. To counter the effect of the shingle, which would scatter and slide about under the tracks, the first tanks out of the landing craft would carry an elementary bobbin which would unroll a carpet of hessian and wooden paling strips ahead of the vehicles and up to the sea wall, along which the others would follow. Where the sea wall was too high to cross, engineer teams would blow down sections to form ramps, and then go on to demolish the anti-tank walls blocking the routes into the town; however the engineers were on foot, and terribly vulnerable.

It goes almost without saying that the overall planning of the operation demanded that the East and West Headlands should be secured before the assault on the town beach went in; but because of a combination of the most evil bad luck and a certain amount of bad management, neither headland had been taken when the Essex, Hamilton and Calgary landing craft grounded on the shingle to find themselves trapped in a natural killing ground. Cross-fire from the headlands flayed the beach, while the landing craft were raked from the buildings beyond the sea wall. Some platoons were shot down as they crossed the lowered ramps, while the survivors of others tried to scrape what cover they could for themselves among the loose stones.


Germans Examining at Captured Churchill Tank at Dieppe

It had been decided that the tanks would land in four waves, made up as follows:

• First Wave; two groups totalling nine tanks, with the infantry.
• Second Wave; one group of twelve tanks.
• Third Wave; one group of sixteen tanks.
• Fourth Wave; remainder of regiment.

The first wave included three ‘Oke’ flamethrowers, one of which left its LCT too early and drowned, while the second had a track shot away and the third erupted into an inferno when the flame gun fuel tank was penetrated. Three more tanks lost tracks or bellied in the shingle; but the three survivors, Cougar, Cheetah and Cat, successfully crossed the beach on their carpet and climbed the sea wall, to be joined by four tanks from the second wave, whose fate had been as mixed as that of the first.



The third wave was committed at the same time as the reserve infantry battalion, the Fusiliers Mont Royal, but only ten tanks reached the shore due to damage sustained by the LCTs as the covering smoke screen began to disperse. Of these seven left the beach, while one remained jammed across the wall, engaging the houses with its guns fully depressed. The Calgarys’ commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Andrews, was shot down in the shallows after extricating his crew from their tank, which had been launched prematurely into deep water.

Approximately half the tanks ashore had now crossed the wall and were engaging the defences beyond. A French tank serving as a pillbox was blow apart by Cougar, while Cheetah engaged bunkers in the gardens, cutting down the occupants when they tried to make a run for it. Other tanks succeeded in suppressing the fire coming from the houses and hotels, one building being rammed to bring it down around the defenders’ ears; but the Churchills could not break into the town because of the concrete road-blocks, since the demolition teams had either been killed or were pinned down by the murderous cross-fire on the beach.



The Calgarys’ fourth wave did not land, for by 0900hrs it was clear to the operational commander that further effort was useless, and he gave the order to withdraw. All but six of the tanks returned to the beach, where an unsuccessful rescue was attempted; but of all the crews ashore, only one man succeeded in reaching England. The regiment’s casualties amounted to 13 killed, 4 wounded and 157 taken prisoner. That evening, with a consideration rare in total war, the Luftwaffe dropped a bundle of photographs onto the Calgarys’ barracks in Seaford, showing those who had survived the raid.

For the Canadian infantry Operation ‘Jubilee’ had been a bloodbath; but the terrible price they paid led directly to the development of the armoured engineer vehicles with which the Allied armies led their assault landings on 6 June 1944, with comparatively small loss of life for such an enormous undertaking.

Additional Sources:

staff.bus.bton.ac.uk
www.ospreypublishing.com
freespace.virgin.net/shermanic.firefly
users.swing.be/tanks.tanks/complet/ www.anecdotage.com
www.jed.simonides.org
cap.estevan.sk.ca
www.sunpoint.net/~mapatsik
www.archives.ca
www.wwiivehicles.com
www.bibl.u-szeged.hu
www.jodyharmon.com

[SAMWolf]

The Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Although it suffered from being underarmed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its crews: its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to 'brew-up' from a direct hit than the Sherman. It was also adaptable. Modified Churchill's played a crucial part in the initial D-Day landings and in the subsequent advance through France.

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Early Marks used a howitzer as well as the 2 pdr because at that point, the 2 pdr didn't have an HE round.

Early 6 pdr guns also didn't have the HE round available to them either, although this was rectified by the time the Churchill entered the Italian campaign.

By the time of the Italian campaign though, HE rounds were available for the 6 pdr guns, as were several other types of ammunition, such as APC.

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Churchills in Russian Use:

Some early Marks of the Churchill were sent to Russia as part of the lend-lease agreement. These were Marks I, II and II models. However the Russians had no use for the 2 and 6 pdr guns, so they tended to replace them with their own superior 76.2mm L30 gun. Some Mark IVs and Crocodiles were also sent, some 35 Churchills being employed by the 5th Guard Tank Army at Kursk.

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In 1942, with the war in North Africa at a critical stage, Winston Churchill - then serving as prime minister and minister of defense - delivered a historic speech before the House of Commons. Facing a motion of censure, Churchill delivered a ninety-minute oration, during which an MP asked about a certain 'Churchill' tank fiasco. "This tank," Churchill candidly explained, "was ordered off the drawing board and large numbers went into production very quickly. As might be expected, it had many defects and teething troubles, and when these became apparent, the tank was appropriately rechristened the 'Churchill.'

"These defects have now been largely overcome," he added. "I have no doubt that this tank will prove, in the end, a powerful, massive, and serviceable weapon of war."
[This self-deprecating joke was met with delighted laughter throughout the House; in the ensuing vote the motion was defeated by a majority - of 475 to 25.]

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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[snippy_about_it]

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It's TreadHead Tuesday!


Good Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

Buhl LA-1 "Pup"

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut. I sure enjoy all these different planes you share with us. Thanks.

[WhiskeyPapa]

"To change from second to third on the level or uphill with a rolling speed of less than 5 m.p.h., slow down in second until the tachometer is at 1500/1600 r.p.m. Make a fast racing change, using three fingers only with full use of clutch stop but no force. Flick the gear lever across from second to third quickly but lightly. Open the throttle immediately third gear is engaged. Never use both hands to make engagement and use the slow double declutch change whenever possible to save gearbox strain".

Good grief.

Except for nonsense like this, the Churchill was a pretty good piece of gear, generally superior to the Sherman in armor and fire power.

Walt

[WhiskeyPapa]

"It was" wrote Major General G L Verney to Sir Archibald Sinclair in August 1944 "a most inspiring sight to see the old Churchill's go up those banks, rear right up in the air an bring the banks down with a crash and a cloud of dust and then go sailing on"

Wow, just like World War One.

So was British military thinking in 1944.

Walt

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

Folks, please be sure to obtain the March critical updates from Microsoft if you use Windows. Those updates are due to come out today.

[The Mayor]

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. —Mark 12:17

Spend time and money wisely—they both belong to God.

[archy]

In September 1939 the General Staff requested the engineering firm Harland and Wolff in Belfast to design an extra large infantry tank based on World War I principles; this was designated the A20.

These were the designers and builders of the *unsinkable* R.M.S.Titanic

That does not seem to be the way to inspire a world of confidence in one's vehicle.... -archy-/-

[GailA]

Good Morning

[archy]

Except for nonsense like this, the Churchill was a pretty good piece of gear, generally superior to the Sherman in armor and fire power.

Walt

Well, the six-pounder [57mm gun] versions seem a bit undergunned compared to the Shermans' 75 and 76mm shooters. But then the early German Pzkw III and IV tanks were mounting 50mm guns in that same period, so I suppose there was parity of a sort. That was not destined to last....

[snippy_about_it]

WOW. Another interesting and educational TREADHEAD Tuesday. I like Tuesdays. Sam, what will we do when we run out of tanks? ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning WhiskeyPapa.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Good morning archy.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. I'll run those as soon as I get home tonight, thanks for the reminder.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Gail, I'll take two. ;-)