The Churchill
Tank was developed before the beginning of the
Second World War. Based on the needs of the
First World War, the tank was designed to cross
shell-cratered ground and trenches, and to destroy barbed-wire and
parapets.
The experiences
of the German Army invasions of Poland
and France,
persuaded Vauxhall Motors to redesign the Churchill Tank in 1940.
When it was ready for service it weighed 39 tons and its 350hp engine
enabled it to move at 15mph in good conditions. It had a 2-pounder
gun, supplemented by a 3-inch howitzer mounted on the hull.
The British
Army only had 100 tanks left after Dunkirk
and Vauxhall
Motors were under instructions to produce the tanks as quickly as
possible. As a result, the early tanks suffered considerable mechanical
problems. The armament was also inadequate and in March 1942 it was
produced with a 6-pounder gun. The following year this was replaced
with a 75mm gun.
The Churchill
Tank performed badly during the Dieppe
Raid but
was more successful in North Africa and some were supplied to the
Red Army to use against the German
Army in the Soviet Union. It was also
used as a support tank in Italy.
Churchill
Tank
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