If ever a British tank aimed to evoke the spirit of Winston Churchill’s resilience, it would be his namesake.
Winston Churchill was the living embodiment of the British mantra « Keep calm and carry on » throughout World War II. However frantic things may have been behind closed doors during the conflict, he presented a stalwart defiance in public appearances. Before the House of Commons in June 1940, he famously declared, « We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds … we shall never surrender. »
If ever a British vehicle aimed to evoke that spirit of resilience and steely stubbornness, it would be his namesake, the Churchill tank. This venerable tank family, however, certainly had its issues. According to Calderdale Museums, the statesman once joked that it was « the tank they named after me when they found out it was no damn good! »
What was it about this model that gave it such a reputation? In this in-depth look at the Churchill tank, we’ll consider its history, variations, capabilities, and how it fared in World War II.A tank conceived for World War I part two
Approximately 9.7 million soldiers died during World War I. The world may have hoped that the horrors of such widescale conflict were behind them when it ended, but just over two decades later, World War II divided the planet once more. And with a new war came worsening weapons. But early days would show that militaries involved in the conflict expected things to be the same as World War I.
For Allied and Axis Powers commanders, rapidly arising questions included how an unfolding conflict would change the face of battle and turn the last war’s technologies obsolete. In September of 1939, David Fletcher wrote in « Churchill Infantry Tank, » that Britain’s General Staff conceived of « a heavy tank, suitable for operating against a fixed German defensive line, crossing wide trenches, possibly over ground that had been pulverized by artillery. » Combating staunch fortifications, of course, is a job for a machine designed to take a ferocious beating, and this seemed to be a philosophy that defined its creation and development.The failings of the initial A20
The desired features for the A20, according to David Fletcher in « Churchill Infantry Tank, » included « a set of recessed tracks, inside the regular ones, to assist it over very soft ground, » as well as the ability to withstand the anti-tank weaponry of the time.
