page_title: Churchill tank
section_title: Tanks
hierarchical_section_title: Churchill tank / Variants / Tanks
caption_attribution_description: English: Churchill tank 'Indus' of 'B' Squadron, 9th Royal Tank Regiment, during an exercise at Tilshead on Salisbury Plain, UK. This vehicle, 'Indus' of 'B' Squadron. This vehicle is a Mk I with hull-mounted 3-inch close support howitzer.
context_page_description: The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV 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 origins of the design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought in conditions similar 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 improved versions performed well in the later stages of the war.
  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.
context_section_description: Churchill I (303 produced)
  Equipped with a 40 mm Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun in the turret with 150 rounds and a coaxial Besa machine gun. There was an Ordnance QF 3 inch howitzer in the hull, with 58 rounds, for use against infantry. It was a tank that was noted for poor mechanical reliability. It was used alongside Mark IIs and IIIs with Canadian forces on the Dieppe Raid and in Tunisia; some were still in use late in the war in Italy on the Gothic Line.
  Churchill Mk II (1,127 produced)
  Replaced the hull howitzer with another machine gun to reduce cost and complexity. Sometimes referred to as "Churchill Ia".
  Churchill Mk IICS (Close Support)
  Placed the 2-pounder gun in the hull and the howitzer in the turret, available in very limited numbers. Sometimes called the "Churchill II". Not used in combat.
  Churchill Mk III (675 produced)
  The III was the first major armament overhaul of the series, eliminating the hull howitzer and equipping the tank with a more powerful Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun with 84 rounds. It had a new welded, "cleaner", squarish turret unlike earlier versions. The first Mark to have "catwalks" over the upper track runs to protect the tracks; examples later upgunned with the QF 75 mm gun are known as the Churchill III*.
  Churchill Mk IV (1,622 produced)
  The IV was 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. In earlier models, turrets using the 6 pounder Mark V were fitted with a counterweight. Some were refitted with US75 mm guns from Sherman tanks while others were up-gunned with British Ordnance QF 75 mm guns, creating the Mark IV (75). The QF 75 mm had a muzzle brake unlike the 6-pounder.
  Churchill Mk V (241 produced)
  A Churchill equipped with a close support Ordnance QF 95 mm howitzer with 47 rounds in place of the main gun in a cast turret. The turret was similar to the Marks IV/VI turrets, with a slightly different opening for the gun in the turret front face.
  Churchill Mk VI (200 produced)
  Along with several minor improvements, such as an additional collar at the turret base protecting the turret race, it was produced as standard with the 75 mm Mark V gun. Few were built due to the impending release of the VII and concurrent up-gunning of the Marks III/IV.
  Churchill Mk VII (A22F) (1,600 produced, together with Mark VIII)
  The second big redesign, the VII used the 75mm gun, was wider and carried much more armour, 50 per cent thicker at the front than a Tiger I, giving it the ability to withstand massive amounts of punishment. It is sometimes called the Heavy Churchill and was re-named "A42" in 1945. This version of the Churchill first saw service in the Battle of Normandy and equipped three Royal Armoured Corps regiments in western Europe, one in Italy and with 7th Royal Tank Regiment in Korea. The Mark VII was designed to be able to be converted into the Crocodile flame-throwing variant without major modification.
  Churchill Mk VIII (1,600 produced, together with Mark VII)
  A Churchill VII with a 95 mm howitzer and 47 rounds in a slightly different turret.
caption: Churchill Mark I with hull-mounted 3-inch howitzer in exercises on Salisbury Plain, January 1942
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