Evolution of The Churchill Tank | "No Damn Good"?

Designed by a company that had never built a tank before with the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, looking over their shoulders and plagued by mechanical teething troubles, the Churchill tank had unpromising beginnings.
Despite this, it became one of the most successful British tanks of WW II: heavily armoured, not fast but with superb climbing ability, the Churchill served not only as a gun tank but the basis many of the specialised vehicles that helped the British and Canadian Armies ashore on D -Day.
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00:00 | Intro
01:20 | History - What was needed?
03:38 | Design, Weaponry and Armour
08:44 | Up-gunned and Upgraded
13:59 | A Look Inside
17:51 | Combat Performance
20:23 | Multi-use Platform
23:10 | Conclusion
This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.
#tankmuseum

[@Biker_Gremling]

8:36 Nick naming one of these "Speedy" must be the best display of British Humor I've must ever witnessed 😂

[@jackdarbyshire5888]

That is good

[@bubbles190]

Thats basic

[@sammni]

Remember my grandad saying he seen one of these going through the side of a shop in Belfast because it slipped on the cobblestones (he was in the navy as an engineer)

[@user-zl8km4sh9p]

Talk about the good old days.

[@lancaster5077]

Cobblestones 1 Tank 0

[@The1nsane1]

Didn't do so well on the pebble beaches of Dieppe either.

[@lancaster5077]

Dieppe was a diversion for the real reason for the raid which was further upstream on the estuary. It was never meant to succeed - it was all to do with getting some code documents. Google it. Hidden history.

[@manuwilson4695]

...well, it did after all look like something out of WW1! 🙄

[@admiral_franz_von_hipper5436]

The Black Prince because of its extra width, just looks proportionally nicer than the regular Churchills.

[@johnnyzippo7109]

100% agree , Black Prince it’s power to weight ratio aside , is phenomenal looking.

[@babalonkie]

All it would of took is a year earlier release and a more powerful engine and it would of definitely seen service/combat... Imagine faster packs of them driving around during 1944...!? Would of been a beast.

[@amandajones8841]

And it was so slow that you'll have plenty of time to appreciate the looks as you walk alongside it

[@Dez456]

Not just the width, but the way the front tracks are slightly lower than the normal Churchill. It's asthetically a very good looking tank. The Black Prince with a Meteor engine would have been fantastic.

[@dazhigh9208]

Must say the "Black Prince is a handsome beast" but dunno why i do think the british tanks in the mid - later part of ww2 looked ace. if you asked a 5 year old to draw a tank would look like a churchill/valetine .. yes yes ok a Tiger/panther as well ;-)

[@jonathanhoward8220]

My dad was in the Guards, co-driver/BESA gunner in a Churchill VII. He had a lot of stories, including how one Churchill in his platoon was hit mid-glacis at close range by a concealed 88. The infantry swarmed the German position and, when it was safe, the tank crews went to investigate the stricken tank. The shell had gone clean through, but lacked enough energy to get out again, so it had ricocheted around inside, killing everyone but the driver. He was physically untouched, but in deep shock and had to be carried out by the side hatch. My dad said he'd always thought the phrase "to turn green" was hyperbole, but the poor feller was a horrible shade of it. I don't think my dad ever went out of his way to dissuade me from the idea of the "glory" of battle; his experience was that combat was frantic, terrifying, and arbitrary, and communicating that reality was enough to do the trick.

[@Bluebottlenose]

Great story!

[@krotma]

This must be one of the best an most informative videos the Bovington lads have made thus far! Brilliant stuff!

[@getinthevantim]

Definitely marks a step change in quality for the mixed media format. Chris is a first class presenter and the resources available to the Tank Museum are unparalleled so looking forward to further instalments.

[@TheJtjensen]

exactly what i was thinking, well said.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you!

[@theslowlearner1633]

Well said.

[@chrisbeauchamp5563]

Please go into the Funnies. My Grandfather was a flamethrower gunner in the Crocodile. He claimed they saved many lives as the Germans were terrified of it and a warning shot would often have hardened defences surrender or abandoned. I would love to see a video on this tank.

[@kylelantan9220]

Lindybeige has a video on the "most effective weapon of ww2" and made a very compelling case for Crocodiles being the answer.

[@user-xq2zn8bu9q]

Seen it & its brilliant. 😊

[@fulgrimventris8506]

@@kylelantan9220 Lindybeige is an idiot when it comes to anything that isn't medieval.

[@thetankmuseum]

Hi Tank Nuts! Let us know in the comments what you think of our new video.

[@aarondavies8486]

More like this please love this type of video instead of some bloke stud next to it talking

[@simonrigg8391]

As the Churchill supported infantry I support this video.

[@catmus1506]

Fantastic.

[@rudigerbruss1163]

Fantastic video - again. So great to hear Chris doing the presentation.

[@msngrpat]

Gentlemen, whenever you say “we haven’t got time to..” it makes me wish you actually did do long form content. Like twice a year do a deep dive on one particular tank. If c&rsenal can do hour long videos on ww1 small arms, you could certainly make an hour long video of a tank be just as engaging and informative.

[@m8rshall]

"And they fitted mudguards which were a godsend" - numerous times I remember hearing that the very first thing my grandad and most other drivers did with their Mk7 was rip them off as they always got broken, we're in the way, and we're more hassle than they were worth

[@wbertie2604]

The front mudguards could be deformed by the blast of the main gun, and the mid sections, if damaged in battle, could jam the turret.

[@rickcheyne]

Apparently in the winter snow and ice would jam the turret so they would remove the middle sections of the mudguards.

[@imbetterthanyou6927]

I suppose it would be more accurate to say "They were a godsend for their intended purpose but the rigors of battle made them a real pain."

[@animalyze7120]

Common in the military around the world, the Men always think they know better mainly because they learn things during real combat that the engineers could only assume or speculate. It persists to this day. If Governments ever actually let combat vets design some of this stuff it would be far more useful reliable.

[@tvgerbil1984]

Maybe those mudguards were more useful in the sandy North African deserts than in muddy Europe. Those high tracks probably could kick up huge sand storms without some kind of covering over them.

[@babalonkie]

"Can climb well" Don't tell Gaijin that lol.

[@Imp-mq1be]

they cant handle making a low tier British tank good

[@tankolad]

​@@Imp-mq1beYeah they should make it burn uncontrollably when you hit the white phosphorus smoke grenade racks in the turret.

[@babalonkie]

@@tankolad I can see 75mm/88mm Smoke shells (also Phosphorous) being a lot more dangerous than the smoke grenades... Do not open a door if you don't like what is behind it.

[@Imp-mq1be]

@@tankolad that would be a funny mechanic tbh similar to how the leo 2 cooks off when you hit its ready rack

[@Maggi9909]

The Churchill is good in WT tho​@@Imp-mq1be

[@rrhine]

If I recall, one of the issues encountered at dieppe was the beach itself. It’s made of smooth rocks, not sand and the tanks had great difficulty getting traction to move in an effective manner.

[@comentedonakeyboard]

Or tiny peebles that rolled under the tracks plus a sea wall just to tall to be climbed the later one inspiring german fortification designs

[@jonprince3237]

There seems to be an enduring myth that the Churchills that landed simply dug themselves straight into the shingle and sat there, but it's recorded that a number of the tanks made it off the beach, either being disabled, or returning to the beach to support the infantry after being unable to progress into the town due to roadblocks. Ultimately they were more capable of getting off the beach than the poor bloody Canadian infantry were.

[@anthonyjackson280]

It is called shingle

[@ruuman]

To be honest nearly everything gets stuck on shingles, you need huge flotation to cross it. Just think of the gravel traps at race tracks.

[@rrhine]

This invites the question as to why wasn't this brought up during planning? Was the beach composition not noticed during planning?

[@wbertie2604]

When originally issued the Churchill came with a sheet listing several dozen known issues, explaining that they would get fixed but not to report those issues. One issue some versions suffered was that the turret ammunition ready rack was in the perfect spot to act as a footrest when entering the tank but had no lid so a hobnail on a boot could potentially detonate a round. A cover was soon fitted.

[@chaz8758]

The manufacturers had teams with the units issued with Churchills to immediately identify and rectify issues as found, these were then changed on the production vehicles and retro fitted to those in Units - this helped fix the issues much faster.

[@chrishieke4109]

My father served in the Czech Independent Armoured Brigade. He was in tank recovery and repair. I remember him telling me the Sherman was faster and easier to work on, but the Churchill had better armour and a better gun. His two elder brothers were tank drivers!

[@nickthenoodle9206]

Point of clarification. The tank which was part of King Force at the 2nd Battle of El Alamein was struck 6 times by 75mm AT rounds, and 38 times by 50mm shells. 1 of each penetrated in a non critical area, but the tank was not invulnerable. It was destroyed by a 6pdr shooting it in the rear by accident.

[@animalyze7120]

There's always one.

[@nickthenoodle9206]

I'll take that as a compliment 😁@@animalyze7120

[@razgriz380]

'2 Churchills from 51RTR charged down...' hell of a great feat at 15 mph 😂. All things considered still one of my all time favourite tanks. Despite all the detractors of the Churchill being obsolete and a glorified great war tank, nothing is quite as imposing and cool imo. To each their own.

[@FieldMarshalFry]

"It's a glorified WW1 tank!" is always a funny ciricism coming from people who probably stan tanks that couldn't make it down the road without breaking down "HANS! ZE TRANSMISSION BROKE!" and all that

[@zoiders]

15mph is faster than you can run wearing fighting order. Or more precisely - you won't outrun it when it comes after you.

[@jevans80]

Little bit like the charge scene at the end of Monty Python and the holy grail!

[@chaz8758]

Whats even more surprising was Of particluar interest, on 10th April fire from Churchills BESAs successfully downed a Messerschmitt 110 - the first (and possibly the only) occasion that fire from turret mounted guns had accomplished this feat. The pilot baled out landing almost on top of one of 'B' Squadron's tanks of the North Irish Horse

[@chaz8758]

@@zoiders Average walking pace with no kit on the road - 4 MPH, so 15MPH across country when you are encumbered with all your kit is fast

[@philo6850]

I think this is the best video you've made yet. The photo you included about midway with U.S. Airborne infantry riding on that Churchill is the perfect illustration of Allied cooperation which won the war. Just look at those faces, they exude confidence and aggressiveness, makes me wonder how the Germans could have ever thought they could win. Happy we have a beautifully restored Churchill on this side of the pond at The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA. Thank you all so much, a most enjoyable video, chockablock with information!

[@daveanderson3805]

Photographs of german troops show the same expression. Even towards the end of the war. Soldiers are soldiers. Only the uniforms change.

[@philo6850]

Yep, you are right, in the end they were all fighting to survive

[@Boric78]

The cousins just wanted to hang out together. Where better than the back of a Churchill? Bet they even had time to stop of to play a bit of baseball / cricket - well a bats a bat.... But I will bet a tenner when it came down to food everyone went American.

[@philo6850]

@@Boric78 I'm down with ya on the food 😂 been to the UK 🇬🇧 absolutely love it and the people too, but we couldn't even find a decent fish and chips. Now of course we're biased, my wife is a Kiwi 🇳🇿 once you've had good New Zealand tucker like fish and chips, sausage rolls, and meat pies nothing else can compare!

[@Boric78]

@@philo6850 God Bless the Kiwi's - some of gods children those. Friends with many. Good in a fight too.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

the churchill complimented the shermans really well though

[@gabrielneves6602]

Yeah man, and before anyone say "but muh 88", remember: the Churchills where plenty and used in many operations theaters, the tigers were used In many too, but had one small problemd:quantity

[@afs101]

Unfortunately, there weren't enough churchills available in Normandy, so shermans were used in the infantry role. The M4 wasn't suitable, and took heavy losses as a result.

[@afs101]

The Cromwell, however, was the absolutely perfect compliment as it was so fast as to dispense with inconvenient things like gravity when needed.

[@petermuller3995]

@@afs101 What?

[@jdb47games]

@@petermuller3995 He means that Cromwells can sometimes leave the ground like rally cars.

[@danestormfeltz7815]

Chris is an excellent presenter, I like how detailed his presentations are! The historical footage was really cool to see! Well done Tank Museum!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@stuartaaron613]

Excellent video, very informative. For many years I've regarded the Churchlil as a joke of a weapon. This video has given me a new respect for it. Well done!

[@thetankmuseum]

Great stuff! Thank you!

[@The.Great.And.Powerful.Trixie]

Churchills are some of my most favourite WW2 tanks. I just really like that old, boxy design, and those tracks, its just beautiful. Sturdy and reliable, with strong armor protection, with later variants having even more armor than Tiger I. Especially the late Mark VII is my favourite, and of course the Black Prince. Shame it wasnt deployed, but then again with the same engine and even more weight.. At least we can try it in video games nowadays 🙂

[@Arthion]

One can wonder how the Churchill would've performed had it received the Meteor or another more powerful engine instead.

[@chaz8758]

@@Arthion Part of its success was the very low gearing and high torque with the Bedford engine - this complimented the small road wheels Fitting a meteor may be a bit too much of a power increase for the transmission and road wheel arrangement - a more powerful engine would have been better 400 to 450 maybe rather than double to 700

[@MichaelGibbons-uk2mc]

Ugliest tank of the war.

[@philodonoghue3062]

Excellent analytical and contextual explanation. I didn’t realise the Churchill was in service as early as the North African campaign. Its ability to take out 88s would have been a great reassurance to Eighth Army infantry including my dad a Vickers machine gunner in the 27th Machine Gun Battalion of the 2nd New Zealand Division. He would relate how feared the 88 mm was, and the Stuka. Just the Swiss Army pocket knife simile.

[@Imprudentman]

Could Churchill withstand being hit by an 88 mm armor-piercing shell?

[@tvgerbil1984]

The Churchill's in North Africa were the Mark III or earlier variants. The heaviest armored area of the Mk III was its hull front which was about 100mm thick. The German 88 Flak could just about penetrate 100 mm vertical armor plate at 1km. So the Churchill's were not immune to the 88's in North Africa in normal combat distances but they certainly survived a lot better than the Crusader, Valentine, Matilda and Sherman.

[@WayFastWhitey02]

You guys really do a phenomenal job with these videos! From the narration, to the historic footage, to the in museum tours of the vehicles, they truly are a joy to watch!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@Tom-Lahaye]

This was an excellent portrait of the Churchill tank. Really good how Vauxhall worked on getting a better tank with every new iteration they produced and even working on upgrading existing tanks instead of building new ones. Making the existing ones to perform better and more survivable made a lot of sense as it reduced use of resources and very important, lost lives.

[@roygardiner2229]

After watching the shocking losses shown in the Villers-Bacage video watching this one has cheered me up substantially. "Started badly, ended well". I like that! It just goes to show what perseverance and determination can achieve. Thank you for another cracking production!

[@sgtrock6283]

Holy Cow, that thing has the roomiest interior I have ever seen! He can fit!

[@user-nn7mb4ip4l]

As an American, I very much like the sherman M4,but 8 do very much like almost ALL British tanks! ..Great channel,KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK GOD BLESS!!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you!

[@davidpowell7614]

Excellent information on the Churchill. Crazy British thinking that worked! Thank you.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you for watching!

[@TheNigelrojo]

When I served in 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment (British Army) in the 1980s, there was a Churchill AVRE on a plinth outside RHQ. My troop Staff Sergeant said he had been a young sapper in the 1960s when these AVREs were still used by the Royal Engineers, & he watched the tank being driven up onto the plinth (which sloped up at about 30 degrees) when the regiment moved to Munsterlager. He said these tanks were painfully slow on the roads but had excellent cross-country mobility. The "dustbin thrower" was also a potentially fearsome weapon in built-up areas.

[@thegeneralist7527]

The crocodile was instrumental in clearing the channel ports. The flamethrower was useful in forcing strongpoints to surrender without the need for a costly infantry assault.

[@rotwang2000]

To me the Churchill is that rather lovely Airfix kit, with the very difficult, nearly impossible to assemble bogies. I did spent quite a while struggling with it, trying to adjust each bogie until you could fit the other half of the side frame over them. A struggle until the day a gentleman at an event in the UK told me that the wheels were perfectly spaced on the sprue to mount them without hassle onto the chassis frames. A great bit of advice that came two decades too late.

[@hideshisface1886]

A wonderful video as always. Churchill tank. A vehicle that looks like it stands with one leg in previous era of warfare. A proof that looks can be deceiving - a machine that looked obsolete at the moment it was introduced, yet proved adaptable and sturdy enough to last the entire war.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

You summed up the Churchills appearance quite nicely, that WW1 style track, like the French Char B1 Bis of the interwar design period.

[@petesheppard1709]

'Started badly, but ended well'. Never a bad epitaph. Thanks for the information about the Dieppe Churchills. My understanding was that they mostly got couldn't move through the peculiar beach shingle and made little contribution to the raid.

[@chaz8758]

Of 30 tanks due to land - 27 got on shore (2 drowned in 8 foot and 10 foot of water and one landing craft had bow damage preventing 1 from being disembarked so went back to UK) - of the 27 landed dryshod 15 made it onto the promenade where the Sappers were unable to clear the obstacles so 10 returned to the beach to give fire support and protection to the infantry (one on promenade was disabled by shell to track, one fell into an underground bunker, one hit by "Stuka"), the remaining 2 were destroyed by the crews using "Sticky Bombs" 6 Tracks broken by shellfire 4 Tracks broken by Chert build up (one after returning to the beach from the promenade) 1 Track broken unknown 1 bogged down (grounded) There was no tank of the day that could have coped as well as the Churchills did

[@petesheppard1709]

@@retiredbore378Well said.

[@chaz8758]

@@retiredbore378 Only prototype parts used were Mk 1 OKE flamethrower tanks (3 of them) and a couple of tanks with an early version of track laying (both broke) The Tanks were mostly standard Mk III with a few MK II and MK I

[@Spitfiresammons]

That poor Churchill gun carrier needs to be restored so it can be displayed along side with other Churchill tanks. I would say The Churchill tank is a war winner tank but it’s very slow like a turtle great video.

[@sebastianthomsen2225]

someone give it a blanket🥺

[@causewaykayak]

I suppose funding would be hard to come by. Imagine the running costs of such a huge museum.

[@exharkhun5605]

Mr. Willey has already answered that question with a very diplomatic: As a museum it is our mission to preserve and restore every object entrusted to us eventually. You can interpret that as: After everything else AND after we've bought the workshop guys a new espresso machine and re-gritted the kitty litter.

[@alanwiseman3235]

went to the tank museum in Oshawa for the first time. found and got myself a die-cast Churchill 3. Beautiful machinery, the people there dedicate a lot of effort in their explanations. Definitely recommend

[@johnnyzippo7109]

Churchill tank , best looking tank ever , it just has a certain vibe about it .

[@ErwinPommel]

I love this sort of longer form video compared to the older 5 minute long tank "chats"

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@371gm]

My father came ashore in a petard tank in D Day. I am glad he was in that tank, as I was born in 1956!!

[@jackdaniels8918]

Its neat to see your improvement and increased comfort with presenting the material in front of the camera since you first started. Additionally, a great video on the Churchill tank series.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@alecpryde1979]

I have to agree with what has already been said, this was a fantastic video. Showing the positions inside the turret, along with red highlighting really helped to explain how they operated the tank.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@desroin]

When I was a kid I used to build every version of the Churchill model kits I could get my hands on. Had a fairly decent collection of the major marks in the end including the bridge layer and crocodile. I just thought the tank looks really cool ^^

[@russwoodward8251]

This is a really great presentation. The museum’s access to archival footage and fantastic presenters like Chris is as important as its collection. Thank you!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@BraytonNixon]

Brilliant video, great to hear it get a bit of focus over and above Sherman’s as well. As the grandson of a guards amoured division gunner who went through Northern Europe it’s good to see some of what I owe to my being here!

[@zebop917]

I really enjoyed watching this one and seeing the interior. My dad served in Churchills with 145 Regiment, RAC. They were in the latter stages of the Tunisian campaign with 21st Brigade, 1st Army and then later with 25th Brigade in the Gothic Line campaign as mentioned here. I have a photo of the 17 men in his troop as they finished training in Feb 1943. I believe at least 6 of them were killed in Tunisia.

[@battlemetal-666]

My Gradfather drove a Churchill crocodile during WW2 so I will always have a soft spot for the Churchill. Plus I just love the design of the tank

[@michaelhart895]

Anyone interested in the Churchill Tank and anyone who has any doubts of its effectiveness, I suggest you read D Day to victory the diaries of a British tank commander written by Sgt . Trevor Greenwood. A great book , written by a man who fought and commanded in a Churchill Tank. He has nothing but praise for the Churchill saying it could go and fight where no other tank could .

[@daviddavies2072]

Great video thank you , as an ex fox armored car driver, I found this video very interesting, 👍🇬🇧

[@jackthedragon612]

One of my favourite tanks ever and one that is a bit underrated in my opinion when compared to other Allied tanks of the era like the Sherman or even the Cromwell. If they had introduced the 77mm cannon derivative of the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun early and put that in the latest mark of the Churchill then it may have gotten a bit more limelight.

[@chaz8758]

A pity the panic in 1940 was so persuasive and so the 6 pdr which was due to enter service in late 1940 was stopped to produce more 2pdrs (which at the time were still effective), pushing the 6pdr back a year and the 17pdr back to 1942 (its design was started in 1940)

[@Beniah107]

Great show Chris, love to see the variants of the Churchill, especially the NA75. You’re filling some big boots from where Mr Fletcher trail blazed, keep up the excellent work. 👍🏻

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you so much for your feedback!

[@pspops-kw2we]

Thank you for sharing this as i was a carer for a driver called harry in the changing churchill tank seeing the inside of how he was living with hearing hes personal stories through caan towards italy and then back home he knew he was one of the lucky ones & was so proud

[@pcka12]

Good to have the Churchill recieve a fair hearing!

[@douglasmaccullagh7865]

The first tank model kit I built as a child was a Churchill. I forget the mark, but it was a later Mark with the 75mm gun. I've been fascinated by the Churchill ever since. This video is a wonderful lesson on the history of a favorite machine. Thank you! I look forward to more stories about the Churchill varients.

[@RohanGillett]

I really enjoyed this. The Churchill is one of my favorite WW2 tanks and I haven't seen many good videos about it. Nice job!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Nice military evaluation about British designed Churchill tanks...thanks

[@derekp2674]

Great video, thanks Chris and team. In my photo collection I think I have one or two photos of an experimental British "RG" active infra red night vision system on a Churchill. My buddy Cgristian Wellard at Royal Armouries recently mentioned that he seen relics from that programme occasionally appearing for sale on eBay. However, my brother suggested that one set of such equipment has previously been donated to the Tank Museum.

[@davydatwood3158]

The closest I've ever been to an actual tank battle is tabletop minis gaming - but that said, I always loved the Churchill in almost every game it's in. I especially liked Churchill IVs in Gear Kreig. They were essentially invulnerable to anything but the very heaviest Axis weapons, and the 6-pounder was great for killing German "Walkers". (Gear Krieg is a Weird World War genre game.) Their incredible mobility was replicated, too, in that they only had 1 movement point - but by the rules, you can always move a minimum of one inch. So any terrain that would normal cost extra to enter just got ignored. No, they weren't good in any scenario with a time limit - but if you could just take your time, then they'd eventually squish pretty much everything in front of them. (And you could save points by not giving the infantry any vehicles, since they could actually walk *faster* than the Churchill, usually.) Anyway, that's a longish anecdote to say "thank you for featuring my favourite tank!

[@davidgillettuk9638]

I had two uncles that were in these in North Africa, they both survived thank God.

[@battleriverbill-uv5vk]

Best video I've seen on the Churchill tank. It is my favorite tank of WWII. 👍

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@Patches-vq8cd]

So happy to see my favourite tank getting some light out on it! Love the churchills

[@ziggurat-builder8755]

Fabulous documentary. Many, many thanks for making it for us.

[@karlbrundage7472]

The British artificers who mated the gun and mantlet of an M-4 Sherman to the turret of the Churchill were absolute geniuses. It's worth a separate video to recount the process they went through to produce a fighting machine greater than the sum of its parts.......................

[@Maclabhruinn]

Really excellent video, I love learning about the various engineering and operational challenges that steered tank design.

[@creativeframework2068]

Amazing video! Lots of archive footage there which I've not seen before too. Can't wait for the video covering the variations on the Churchill

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you!

[@davey7452]

Interesting thing about the 75mm NA gun mantlel is the gun had to be mounted upside down because American tanks had the gunners position on the right hand side of the turrent while British tanks had the gunners position on the leftside of the turrent awkard but it worked.

[@tasman006]

Awesome vid on a British tank that deserved more credit.

[@zabdas83]

I never knew anything about the Churchill Tank, always assumed it wasn't any good. Brilliant video. Cheers 🍻

[@matthewoconnell4700]

Used to know a tank commander who led I believe 6 Churchills throughout the war, he at some point had them changed into flame thrower versions, the crocodile, told me how he would wet fire entrenchments and the Germans would just give up, this was just shooting the fuel without igniting it.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

3:11 First time I seen a Macrocephalic in an old picture outside of the medical context. Dude's head is huge! You may _think_ it is perspective and his arms are twiggy but the man works on tanks,,, NOTHING about tanks are light. Not even the tools to work on them. Love me some Churchill tanks!

[@bombfog1]

About whom are you speaking? I didn’t see anyone with a particularly aberrant head.

[@LegacyUser]

I really enjoyed the video. I always enjoy seeing the interior of the vehicles. Especially when it is well maintained.

[@simongee8928]

An advantage of the QF 6pdr. was that it was a better A/T gun than the GP 75mm. fitted to the M4 Shermans, so Monty ordered that a number of the 6pdr. equipped Churchills be kept on strength until the 17pdr. was available in sufficient numbers.

[@chaz8758]

the 6pdr was better at short range, the 75mm was better and longer range (due to the weight of the projectile).

[@simongee8928]

@@chaz8758 Although the 6pdr. had a muzzle velocity of 2,600 - 2,950 fps, with the 75mm of 2,030 fps for A/P it depends much on the situation at the time of engagement.

[@simongee8928]

However, as the mudguards were made of sheet metal, being bent as a result of battle damage could prevent the turret from properly traversing, so many crews removed the centre sections to prevent this happening.

[@hunterjohnston2886]

This was a SUPER interesting video! Please do more in-depth videos like this!!

[@aceofhearts573]

Wish the Black Prince had been designed from the start to have a meteor engine. My favorite Churchill tank.

[@bigpappa_rock4147]

This was a very well done video! I love all the little extras that were put in and how there were delivered. It was fun just to watch the video. I learned a lot about Churchills that I never knew before.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you!

[@mdog111]

Thanks for this excellent deep dive!

[@alexgregory2398]

I think the Churchill might be my favourite British tank, it took time to get good but when it did it was a beast. Like always, incredible video 👌🏻

[@scatton61]

Brilliant video really enjoyed it. I was at the Tank Museum in 2024 for the model exhibition. There was one exhibitor who had a whole table full of different versions and variants of the Churchill tank it was really good having a chat with him as he really knew his subject. A very enjoyable day.

[@thetankmuseum]

Super - glad you enjoyed your day!

[@happyjohnwalks]

I was in the team that recovered the gun carrier from Lydd, it was absolutely battered then, glad to see it's still around!

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

Great work, thanks for your efforts.

[@martentrudeau6948]

To sum up the Churchill; all's well that ends well. ~ Loved this video.

[@JeromeRothlisberger]

Nice Production and Camera work. great boost in Quality!

[@stco2426]

Thanks for making and sharing. Such great contnet, always.

[@user-ec9dh2oh5e]

As a big fan of young mr hewes.... 👍👍👍and viewing this channel it never ceases to amaze me how claustrophobic tanks are.... love the noise and mechanicals of a tank but how brave those guys where to use them....

[@ThePhoenix198]

Know what you mean. Served on Chieftains in the late 70s as a young man, and was never entirely comfortable with the claustrophobic environment. The thought of having to use that escape hatch on the Churchill just brings me out in a cold sweat! And to think that I once used to enjoy caving as a hobby ... 😵‍💫

[@TallDude73]

Great video, thanks for sharing

[@AustrianTommy]

Thanks a lot to Bovington for this great tank video! Greetings from Austria.

[@Floods-uy6tl]

Sensational as always!

[@user-xk8tx4rt3r]

My great grandfather drove a Churchill over a minefield in the falaise gap, 34th armoured brigade

[@VosperCDN]

One of the first model tanks I built was a Churchill - still a favourite to this day.

[@Bottle-OBill]

"Started poorly, but ended well" - The Churchill tank, a microcosm for the entire British army's experience in WW2

[@Lassemalten]

Finally a video of my favorite warthunder tank!

[@Claymore5]

Wonderfully informative video - can't wait for the one on 79th Armoured's 'Funnies'!

[@Ubique2927]

I war-gamed the 79th and it was the Bain of my opponents. Letting my armour go places that the rules said that they couldn’t.

[@Arminorin]

Very informative and entertaining video!

[@johncartwright8154]

My wife's father commanded a 'Croc' during the last months of the war. He told me that even the knowledge of these fearsome weapons being in the vicinity caused demoralised, sometimes old or very young German troops to flee or surrender. He was 6'4", a tight fit in a tank, even a Churchill!

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

Height and the military mind never seem to meet for some odd reason. I served in the South African Armoured Corps in 1989/90, and of the two leadership squadrons based on our height, the tall guys of B Squadron went into the tiny 'Noddy car' commonly known as the Eland 90. Us shorter chaps in D Squadron were tankers... the old, but great, Centurion tanks. Seeing those tall blokes getting in and out of the Noddy car was hilarious, as well as seeing the crew commander sticking up out of the turret hatch and ducking to avoid low hanging branches.

[@johncartwright8154]

@@robert-trading-as-Bob69 post-war Mike was deployed to India during the Partition strife, in 'Dingo' Scout Cars. It must of looked like he was commanding a shoe on roller skates.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

@@johncartwright8154 That's it exactly! During the Driving and Maintenance course, a turret-less Eland was used, so it looked even worse than normal... one day my mate Grant was under instruction, and the single bolt holding the steering wheel came loose and fell off... he couldn't get the car under prooer control without the wheel, and tried to tell the Crew Commander. There was no comms in that stripped hull though, so Grant waved the steering wheel through the drivers hatch to explain why he wasn't turning away from the building directly in front of them... The Crew Commander was either young a young man named Pocock or Landsman, the two tallest recruits on the base, who had to duck going through doors. He looked like the mast of a ship standing there, frozen in disbelief as the warehouse wall got closer. Good memories... Can you imagine how the British Universal, or Bren, Carrier would look with really tall troops trying to occupy it? Those vehicles have dividing compartments all over the place, in fact I'm surprised they even fit a driver in there!

[@charliemyres5450]

An excellent commentary and enjoyable to watch.

[@NAACat81]

Another outstanding video. Engaging, informative, educational. Thank you.

[@thetankmuseum]

Thanks!

[@jimeditorial]

My WW2 vet Dad told me that the 2 pounder gun was regarded as useless from the beginning, and he trained with these and General Lees, with the latter thought to be far superior. But he said that no one wanted to crew a tank....he talked of being "brewed" inside

[@Hiznogood]

Excellent video! High quality production with superb narration! Hussah!

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you!

[@Kapitaen_Flauschbart]

very very nice presentation! Thanks!

[@Spartan902]

I have always been a fan of the Churchill tanks. I now play WOT-B and have all the variants available including the Black Prince. They are slow tanks in the game but have really good armour and I have heaps of hits bounce. I also have one in my model collection. Just about to build another variant. Cheers guys, I learnt heaps!👍😎

[@ianbell5611]

Very good. Thank you for posting

[@thetankmuseum]

Thank you for watching!

[@danbendix1398]

Your videos are always rich in detail yet not verbose. Thx.

[@diskopartizan0850]

Great video, hope to hear a bit about Op Astonia in the follow up on 79th Armoured!

[@simongee8928]

Because of the different proportions of the Churchill, the NA 75 was a much more stable gun platform so more accurate fire could be achieved.