churchill – Felix's Gaming Pages

Churchill VI Infantry Tank

The Tank Museum’s Churchill VI Infantry Tank in the Conservation Shed.

The Churchill Mark VI was a crucial mid-war enhancement to the British infantry tank lineage, introduced in late 1943 to resolve the multi-role limitations of its predecessors. While earlier marks like the Mark III and IV carried the anti-tank dedicated 6-pounder gun—which lacked an effective high-explosive shell for infantry support—the Mark VI was built from the outset with the British Ordnance QF 75mm gun. This dual-purpose armament allowed crews to effectively engage soft targets, anti-tank gun positions, and fortified strongpoints alongside enemy armour. Retaining the composite welded-and-cast welded turret design and heavy hull armour of the late-production Mark IV, the Mark VI offered a valuable, standardised upgrade that saw extensive service during the Normandy Campaign and the subsequent push across Western Europe. Although eventually overshadowed by the heavily up-armoured, purpose-built “Heavy Churchill” Mark VII, the Mark VI served as a vital bridge in British tactical doctrine by providing infantry formations with versatile, heavy direct-fire support when it was needed most.

Churchill Mark III Infantry Tank

This Churchill Mark III Infantry Tank took part in the arena displays at Tankfest 26.

The Churchill Mark III represented a major evolutionary leap for the British Infantry Tank family, replacing the underpowered 2-pounder gun of the Mark I and II with the far more lethal Ordnance QF 6-pounder (57mm) anti-tank gun. To accommodate this larger weapon, the early cast circular turret was replaced with a distinctive, spacious fabricated-welded boxy turret, and the earlier hull-mounted 3-inch howitzer was removed in favour of a standard Besa machine gun. First seeing action during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid in August 1942, the Mark III quickly proved its worth in the North African Campaign, most notably at the Battle of Second El Alamein and later in Tunisia, where its exceptionally thick armour and outstanding climbing ability allowed it to negotiate rough, steep terrain that impassable to other armour. Though its low top speed remained a inherent drawback of the heavy infantry tank design, the Mark III’s upgraded anti-armour capability and robust hull provided the definitive blueprint for subsequent Churchill marks throughout the remainder of World War II.

Churchill Crocodile

The Tank Museum at Bovington’s British Churchill Crocodile Flame Thrower Tank is unusual from other Museums Churchill Crocodile tanks as it still has its fuel trailer.

The tank on display was the last Churchill Mark VII to be produced by Vauxhall, in October 1945. It was sent directly to the School of Tank Technology, which transferred it to the Tank Museum in 1949, with practically no mileage beyond its acceptance test. The Mark VII was the first of the factory-assembled marks with thicker armour in fulfilment of the “heavy Churchill” requirement of May 1943.

Three brigades of Churchills landed in Normandy in 1944, most with 75 mm guns, some with 6-pounders, a few with 95 mm howitzers.

15mm Flames of War Churchill Crocodile.

Churchill IV

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 IV, the most numerous Churchill produced, was virtually identical to the III, the largest change being a return to the cheaper cast turret, keeping the welded turret’s “clean” squarish shape. A tank telephone was fitted to the rear of the tank for communication with infantry.

This Churchill IV was on display at The Tank Museum.

This Churchill has serial number T31579. It was originally built in 1941 as a Mark I or Mark II, then converted to a Mark IV. Its wartime service is unknown, but afterwards it was converted into a ‘Twin ARK’ bridging vehicle.

It was restored back to its wartime configuration by The Churchill Trust and loaned to The Tank Museum in 2018.

It is painted in the markings of 3 Troop, A Squadron of the North Irish Horse.

Infantry (A22) Churchill Mk II

The Tank, Infantry (A22) Churchill was a British heavy 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.

This Mark II was on display at The Tank Museum.

Looking back at photographs from my previous visits to The Tank Museum I had taken a photograph of the tank when it was outside (and I identified it as a Mark I).

The origins of the design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought under similar conditions to those of the First World War, and emphasised the ability to cross difficult ground. The Churchill was rushed into production 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 had been built, a better armoured version, the Mark VII, entered service.

The Churchill was used by British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa, Italy and North-West Europe. In addition, a few hundred were supplied to the USSR and used on the Eastern Front.

Black Prince

The Infantry Tank, Black Prince (A43) was an experimental development of the Churchill tank with a larger, wider hull and a QF 17-pounder (76 mm) gun. This is one of the six prototypes made and is on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington.

As a development from the Churchill, the Black Prince was a continuation of the line of Infantry tanks, that is slower, heavier tanks intended to operate in close support of infantry. It also was able to work closely with other tanks. The parallel development in British tank design were the Cruiser tanks, which were intended for more mobile operations.

By the time the Black Prince prototypes had appeared in May 1945, the Sherman Firefly had proved itself in combat, the Comet tank was in service and the introduction of Centurion was imminent. All these tanks carried the QF 17-pounder or a derivative; all had better mobility than the Black Prince and the Centurion had frontal armour of comparable effectiveness. The Black Prince had become redundant and the project was abandoned

The Black Prince marked the end of the development of the A22F Churchill Mk VII, and the end of the Infantry tank concept in British tank design.

At the Tank Museum wargames show was an alternate history 1946 game which included 15mm Black Prince models.

If Battlefront had ever gone down the road of Late-War Monsters to complement their Mid-War Monsters range, the Black Prince would have been an ideal candidate for a model.

Churchill Crocodile

The Tank Museum at Bovington’s British Churchill Crocodile Flame Thrower Tank is unusual from other Museums Churchill Crocodile tanks as it still has its fuel trailer. You can see the trailer tyres on the right behind the tank.

Three brigades of Churchills landed in Normandy in 1944, most with 75 mm guns, some with 6-pounders, a few with 95 mm howitzers.

15mm Flames of War Churchill Crocodile.

Churchill AVRE

The Churchill AVRE was one of the so-called ‘funnies’ designed by Percy Hobart specifically for use on the D-Day beaches to break through the German fortified defences. The AVRE was the most successful ‘funny’ type and AVRE vehicles remain in service with the British Army today.

This Churchill AVRE was on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. For many years it had been a target on Sailsbury Plain and then spent a fair few years as a monument on the Normandy beaches.

A variant of the British WW2 Churchill Mk.III or IV tank adapted to carry and support assault engineers in breaching heavy defences, crew of 6, powered by two Bedford 6-cylinder petrol engines, armed with a 290mm Petard mortar. — A variant of the British WW2 Churchill Mk.III or IV tank adapted to carry and support assault engineers in breaching heavy defences, crew of 6, powered by two Bedford 6-cylinder petrol engines, armed with a 290mm Petard mortar

There was a 15mm resin and metal version of this tank available for Flames of War.

However it has now been replaced for the forthcoming (March 2020) plastic Churchill that can either be a later mark Churchill, the flamethrower Crocodile version or the AVRE version.

In gaming terms most specialist vehicles don’t really work, however this AVRE version with it’s Petard Mortar has a place if your opponent had troops skulking in bunkers.

A22 Churchill Mk I

The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England.

Outside the entrance to the car park at the museum is an A22 Churchill Mark I.

A22 Churchill Tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British heavy 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 Churchill was used by British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa, Italy and North-West Europe. In addition, a few hundred were supplied to the USSR and used on the Eastern Front.

This A22 Churchill at the Tank Museum appears to have been completed as a Mark II but has since been altered to resemble a Mark I.

A22 Churchill Tank

Heer 1946

One of the games at the wargames show at Bovington that I did a good look at was this 15mm 1946 game complete with a range of alternate German and Allied tanks that were designed, but either were too late for action, or never got further than the drawing board. I have to admit I never got round to checking what actual models were represented on the table, but there were E-100 and E-50 tanks as well as Panther IIs.

This photograph shows a Sarissa Precision Factory. I really do like this model (and the huge one for 28mm too). Around it are finished and partly finished tanks of a variety of types.

A large tank on a railway wagon. The table also had a lot of HO 1/87th scale buildings that did not seem out of place on the table. There are a range of HO buildings that would be ideal for 15mm games, especially those of the industrial variety.

Here is another Sarissa Precision factory with a couple of JagdTigers outside. As with the other, it looks like the RAF has been busy trying to stem the production of these new German tanks.