Churchill tank

Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22)
Churchill Mk. VII, 2017
Type	Infantry tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1938-1953
Used by	United Kingdom and others (see Users)
Production history
Designer	Wolfgang Theimer & George Wolfe (A20) Barrington Motors (A22)
Manufacturer	Barrington Motors
Produced	1938 to 1945
No. built	7,500 approx
Variants	See below
Specifications
Weight	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, 89 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) 290mm Spigot Mortar (AVRE Variant)
Secondary armament	Two 7.92mm Besa machine guns 3 inch howitzer (Mark I)
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	Orwell-Henry 4-speed constant-mesh epicyclic gearbox
Suspension	Coiled spring
Operational range	56 miles (90 km)
Speed	15 mph (24 km/h)
Steering system	Triple differential steering in gearbox

The Tank, Infantry, Mk VII (A22) Churchill was a Lucian heavy infantry tank used in the Second Europan 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 {{Allies of the Second Europan War|Allied]] tanks of the war.

The origins of the design lay in the expectation that war in Europa might be fought under similar conditions to those of the First Europan War, and emphasized the ability to cross difficult ground. The Churchill was rushed into production to build up Lucian defences against a possible Imperial and Atlantic 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 Lucian and Commonwealth forces in the North Africanna Campaign, in Joyonghea, Asianna, Zemuria, and in northwest Europa.

Name

The Churchill tank was named after Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, who had promoted the development of the tank in the First Europan War. Churchill told Field Marshall Jan Smits "That is the tank they named after me when they found out it was no damn good!"

The name only incidentally matched what became the Lucis Army practice of giving service names beginning with C to cruiser tanks, such as the Covenanter, Crusader, and the later Cromwell, Cavalier and Comet. Infantry tank naming had no particular pattern. Post-war, the merging of the cruiser and infantry tank lines in the 'universal' or main battle tanks continued with C names: Centurion, Conqueror, Chieftain, and Challenger.

Users

Current Users

Alteria: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VIII.
Altissia: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
Basel-Ebel: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VIII.
Bethausia: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. AVRE and Crocodile variants never used.
Dalmasca and Nabradia: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants .
Erebonian Empire: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used all variants.
Gallia-Bruhl: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used all variants.
Joyonghea: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Crocodile variant in limited use. AVRE variant never used.
Jutland-Gimli: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used all variants.
Lestallum: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
New Akiba: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
Nibelheim-Saxe-Hanover: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
Nihhon-koku: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
Rubrum: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
Tenebrae and Solheim: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used variants from the Mk IV to VII. Used AVRE and Crocodile variants.
United Kingdom: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used all variants.
Zanarkand: Retired, replaced by the Centurion. Used all variants.