Churchill tank

Tank, Infantry, Mk IV Churchill
A Churchill Mark IV tank
Type	Infantry tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1941–1952 (British Empire)[note 1]
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Second World War, Korean War
Production history
Designer	Harland & Wolff (A20) Vauxhall Motors (A22)
Manufacturer	Vauxhall Motors and others
Produced	1941–1945
No. built	5,640 approx.[1]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	39.1 t (38.5 long tons) (Mark I) 40.7 t (40.1 long tons) (Mark VII)
Length	24 ft 5 in (7.44 m)
Width	10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Height	8 ft 2 in (2.49 m)
Crew	5 (commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver, co-driver/hull gunner)
Armour	For Churchill I–VI: 102 mm hull front, 76 mm hull side, 51 mm hull rear, 89 mm turret front, 76 mm turret side and rear Mark VII–VIII: 152 mm hull and turret front, 95 mm hull sides and turret sides and rear, 51 mm hull rear
Main armament	QF 2 pounder (Mark I and II) QF 6 pounder (Mark III and IV) QF 75mm (Mark VI and VII) QF 95mm (Mark V and VIII)
Secondary armament	one coaxial 7.92mm Besa machine gun 3 inch howitzer (Mark I) or one Besa MG (other marks)
Engine	Bedford 12-cylinder, 4 stroke, water-cooled, horizontally opposed, L-head petrol engine 350 hp (261 kW) at 2,200 rpm
Power/weight	9.1 hp (6.7 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Merritt-Brown 4-speed constant-mesh epicyclic gearbox
Suspension	Coiled spring
Fuel capacity	150 Imperial Gallons (682 liter) [2]
Operational range	75–130 miles (120–210 km)[3]
Maximum speed	15 mph (24 km/h)
Steering system	Triple differential steering in gearbox

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.

The origins of the Churchill's design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought in conditions similar to those of the First World War, and thus emphasised the ability to cross difficult ground. The Churchill was hurried into production in order to build up British defences against a possible German invasion. The first vehicles had flaws that had to be overcome before the Churchill was accepted for wide use. After several marks (versions) had been built, a better-armoured specification, the Mark VII, entered service with the British Army. The improved versions performed well in the later stages of the war.^[4]

The Churchill was used by British and other Commonwealth forces during the North African, Italian and North-West Europe campaigns. In addition, 344 Churchills were sent as military aid to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and more than 250 saw active service on the Eastern Front.

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