The Churchill Mark IV infantry tank in service with the Canadian Army Overseas, December 1942 to May 1943

September 7, 2020

by Mark W. Tonner

Introduction

This article is the fourth, and last, in a series of articles on the various ‘Marks’ of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22), which saw service with the Canadian Army Overseas between 1941 and 1943. The earlier articles being “The Churchill Mark I infantry tank in service with the Canadian Army Overseas, 1941-43,” of August 28, 2015, “The Churchill Mark II infantry tank in service with the Canadian Army Overseas, 1941-43,” of September 7, 2015, and “The Churchill Mark III infantry tank in service with the Canadian Army Overseas, 1942-43,” of December 28, 2015.

The Churchill Mark IV was the fourth ‘Mark’ (the term (‘Mark’) used to designate different versions of equipment) of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22), which was an ‘Infantry Tank’ specifically designed for fighting in support of infantry operations. The Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22) was the fourth in the family of infantry tanks that had been developed by the British¹, and was designed by Vauxhall Motors Limited of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, who also acted as parent to a group of companies charged with the tanks production.

Within the Canadian Army Overseas, the units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade were the main Canadian users of the Churchill infantry tank. The brigade (which was the first formation of the Canadian Armoured Corps sent overseas) had arrived in the United Kingdom at the end of June 1941, and was to have been equipped with the Canadian-built Infantry Tank Mark III, Valentine, before leaving Canada. However, because of delays in Canadian tank production, the British War Office was asked to lend tanks to the incoming 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade. These would be replaced with Canadian-built tanks when Canadian production problems were overcome. With the support of the British Army’s Commander of the Royal Armoured Corps, this endeavour was successful, and immediately upon arrival in the United Kingdom, 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade was able to draw equipment on a respectable training scale. From July 1941 to May 1943, the brigade was equipped with Churchill Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, and Mark IV tanks. Approximately 75 Churchill Mark IV tanks saw service with the units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, while at total of approximately 15 were held as stock by No. 1 Sub Depot of No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (located at Bordon Camp, Hampshire, England), between December 1942 and March 1943.

The 90 Churchill Mark IV tanks that saw service with the Canadian Army Overseas were assembled under contracts from Vauxhall Motors Ltd, by seven firms in the United Kingdom. Metro-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd., of Birmingham, West Midlands, England, assembled six, Leyland Motors of Leyland, Lancashire, England, assembled 22, Dennis Brothers Ltd., of Guildford, Surrey, England, assembled five, Newton Chambers Ltd., of Suffield, Norfolk, England, assembled 19, Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co., of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, assembled five, Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd., of Manchester, England, assembled four, Charles Roberts & Co. Ltd., of Horbury, Wakefield, England, assembled four, and with Vauxhall Motors Ltd., itself, of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, assembling 25.

The British development of and a brief description of the Churchill Mark IV

When the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22), was initially designed and went into production, it had been agreed that the 2-pounder gun mounted in the turret would be replaced by a 6-pounder gun when it became available. According to the British War Office policy of up-gunning cruiser and infantry tanks, the Churchill Mark III, which began coming off the production line in March 1942, was the first ‘Mark’ of the Churchill to mount the 6-pounder gun as its main armament, as opposed to the 2-pounder gun with which both the Churchill Mark I and Mark II had been equipped with. In line with this policy, the Churchill Mark IV, which began coming off the production line in June 1942, also mounted a 6-pounder gun as its main armament, along with the now standardized secondary armament mounted in a Churchill tank of one coaxial Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun, which was mounted in the turret, and another Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the front hull plate beside the driver.

The Churchill Mark IV (like the Churchill Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III) had 102-millimetres (4.0-inches) thick armour (with a minimum thickness of 16-millimetres (0.6-inches)), making it one of the most heavily protected tanks built to that time. It weighed approximately 40-tonnes (39-tons), and was 7.4-metres (24 feet, 5-inches) in length, by 3.3-metres (10 feet, 8-inches) in width (with hull-side air intakes in place, and 2.8-metres (9 feet, 2-inches), without), and stood at a height of 2.5-metres (8 feet, 2-inches). It was powered by a 350-brake horsepower, 12-cylinder, horizontally-opposed engine, which could produce a road speed of 25-kilometres per hour (15.5-miles per hour) and a cross-country speed of 13-kilometres per hour (8-miles per hour) (approximately). It had an onboard fuel capacity of 681-litres (150-gallons), carried in six interconnected fuel tanks, three each side, located within the engine compartment, and also had an auxiliary fuel tank mounted on the outside rear hull, which carried an additional 148-litres (32.5-gallons). This auxiliary tank was connected to the main fuel system, but could be jettisoned from the tank in an emergency. This gave the Churchill Mark IV a total fuel capacity of 829-litres (182.5-gallons) allowing for a cruising range of 144 to 200-kilometres (90 to 125-miles).

A manganese steel track was used on the Churchill Mk IV tanks. These were composed of steel shoes, connected together by pins. The pins were secured in position by a stainless-steel retainer welded to each side of the link. The pitch of manganese steel track was 20.2-centimetres (7.96-inches) and each complete track was made up of 72 links, for a total of 144 links. Each of these manganese steel track links weighed approximately 22-kilograms (48-pounds). When the pressed steel or manganese steel track types were used, the sprockets on both the final drive and idler units required 23 teeth each. On all three types, the track pins were designed to run dry and therefore required no lubrication. The track, in conjunction with the bogie units, had to cope with all normal tank handling conditions, such as driving, reversing, steering, and climbing low obstacles. It had to provide a 5-kilogram (12-pounds) per square inch ground pressure when fully laden, and it had to be capable of crushing moderately large stones and keeping out barbed wire. It had to sustain a speed of 26- kilometres per hour (16-miles per hour), and should not wear out for a distance of 3,219-kilometres (2000-miles).

The Churchill Mark IV (like the Mark III) had a 6-pounder gun² (capable of penetrating 81-millimetres (3-inches) of armour at 457-metres (500-yards) and a coaxial Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the turret, along with a 51-millimetre (2-inch)smoke bomb-thrower (Mark I) mounted in the turret roof, and a second Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the hull front plate alongside the driver. The 6-pounder gun had an elevation of minus 12.5-degrees to plus 20-degrees. The Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the hull front plate, suffered from the same restricted traverse as that of the 3-inch howitzer  mounted in the hull front plate of the Churchill Mark I, and the Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the hull front plate of the Churchill Mark II, and Mark III, due to the width of the hull between the horns. It had a crew of five men (a commander, a gun layer, a loader/(radio) operator, a driver, a co-driver/hull gunner), all of whom was cross-trained. The hull was divided into four compartments. At the front, the driving compartment also housed the gunner for the Besa 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine gun mounted in the front hull plate. Behind that was the fighting compartment containing the electrically-operated three-man (commander, gun layer, and the loader/(radio) operator) turret. Further to the rear was the engine compartment, followed by the rear compartment housing the gearbox, main and steering brakes, an air compressor, auxiliary battery charging set, and a turret power traverse generator. The hull was constructed of flat steel plates connected together with heavy steel angle irons, with rivets being used to secure the plates to the angle irons. The floor was flat and free from projections, and panniers were provided at each side between the upper and lower runs of the track for storage of equipment. The construction of the panniers was described as a double box girder, because each pannier formed a rectangular structure on each side of the hull, which created a hull of immense strength. The whole hull structure was suitably braced by cross girders and by the bulkheads that separated the various compartments.

The large square door (escape hatch) provided in each pannier just behind the driver and hull gunner positions was an unusual provision for British armoured fighting vehicles of this period, but was also very welcome by crews. Many a crewman who served as a driver or hull gunner, on a Churchill tank, are alive today because of these pannier doors. These doors could be opened or closed only from the inside, but the locking handles were designed so that the doors were automatically secured when they were closed. Each of these doors was provided with a circular pistol port, and two pistol ports were also provided in the turret. Double-hinged doors were provided in the hull roof above the driver and front gunner. They were normally operated from inside, but could be opened or secured from the outside by using a suitable key.

The Churchill Mark IV was fitted with a newly designed (to fit the 6-pounder gun) one-piece bullet-proof steel-cast turret, which offered armoured protection slightly superior to that of the welded bullet proof steel plate construction of the Churchill Mark III turret. The turret could be controlled electrically when the engine was running, or it could be rotated by hand when the engine was stopped. When controlled electrically, the turret could be rotated at a fast speed of 360-degrees in 15 seconds, or at slow speed in 24 seconds. A cupola that could be rotated by hand independently of the turret was mounted in the turret roof for the use of the tank commander, which was rotatable by hand independently of the turret. A large hatch, closed by steel doors, was provided for the loader and gunner. A No. 19 wireless set (radio) was housed in the turret. This set included an “A” set for general use, a “B” set for short range inter-tank work at troop level, and an intercommunication unit for the crew, so arranged that each member could establish contact with any one of the others.

For optics and viewing, the driver was provided with a large vision aperture, which could be reduced to a small port protected with very thick glass. When necessary, this small port could also be closed. The driver and hull gunner both had periscopes, and there was one other periscope mounted in the front of the turret for the gunner. The commander’s cupola was fitted with two periscopes. A Churchill tank driver’s vision was more restricted than on other tanks, because the driving compartment was set back so far from the forward track horns. Churchill drivers could see ahead, but could see very little on either side of the vehicle, and they relied on the tank commander to warn them of obstacles.

As with the Churchill Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III, there was adequate provision for stowage of ammunition and equipment, with the Churchill Mark IV able to accommodate 85 rounds of 6-pounder ammunition, 6,975 rounds of 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) ammunition (in 31 belts of 225 rounds each), and 30 smoke bombs. Additionally, each tank also carried one .303-inch Bren (Mark I or Mark II) light machine gun with an anti-aircraft mounting and six 100-round drum type magazines, two .45 calibre Thompson sub-machine guns with 21, 20-round box type magazines each, 12 hand grenades, and one Signal Pistol, No. 1, Mark III (or Mark IV), with twelve cartridges (four red, four green, four white). Designated stowage locations for vehicle tools, spare parts, and equipment, and the crew’s personnel equipment, were also provided.

The cast turret aside, the Churchill Mark IV hull was identical in appearance to those Churchill Mark III tanks produced from May 1942 onwards, with top opening air intakes (louvres) on the side of the hull, and track guards fitted. The Churchill Mark IV also incorporated all of the up to date corrections, and modifications to the design and construction of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22). Production of the Churchill Mark IV began in June 1942, and it was the most numerous ‘Mark’ of the Infantry Tank Mark IV, Churchill (A22) produced, with a total production run of 1622 tanks.

The Churchill Mark IV in Canadian service

As mentioned earlier, the units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade were the main users of the Churchill infantry tank within the Canadian Army Overseas, having been initially equipped with Churchill Mark I, Mark II (since July 1941), and Mark III tanks (which entered Canadian service in April 1942). By early August 1942, at a time when Canadian tank production plans were under much discussion, and the Churchill infantry tank, despite its effective protection, was not considered a success, Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton³ despatched to the Canadian Vice Chief of the General Staff, for the information of the Minister of National Defence, a personal telegram containing an appreciation of the tank situation in 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, and his proposals for future policy concerning the equipment of this brigade. In this telegram, McNaughton pointed out that of the 182 Churchill Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III tanks currently operated by units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade (which were on loan from the British War Office as an interim arrangement pending the supply of Ram tanks⁴ from Canada), that 63 of these were out of service. He went on to point out that despite every effort, it had proved impossible to keep the Churchill tanks in running order, firstly due to certain vital defects in the original design, and secondly due to the impossibility of obtaining spare parts, and that he had been informed by Headquarters Royal Armoured Corps that the situation would continue to deteriorate for some months to come before an increased availability of spares and reworked⁵ or new model tanks, could be expected. Lastly, he commented on the serious fact that personnel had lost confidence in the mechanical reliability of the Churchill tank, and that on this account, he was most anxious to replace the Churchill Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III tanks currently held by the brigade, with reworked or new models and then, and as soon as possible, with Ram Mark II (see note 4) or preferably with Churchill Mark IV tanks.

Starting in December 1942, No. 1 Sub Depot of No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (who handled all receipts and issues in the United Kingdom of Churchill tanks for the Canadian Army Overseas) began to receive Churchill Mark IV tanks from the British. No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot began to issue this latest version of the Churchill tank in exchange for Churchill Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III tanks (which had covered many miles and were generally in very poor condition) to units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, on 3 December 1942, beginning with the 11th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (The Ontario Regiment (Tank)), Canadian Armoured Corps. At this time, 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade consisted of Headquarters, 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, Canadian Armoured Corps, the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade Headquarters Squadron (The New Brunswick Regiment (Tank)), Canadian Armoured Corps⁶, the 11th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (The Ontario Regiment (Tank)), Canadian Armoured Corps, the 12th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (The Three Rivers Regiment (Tank)), Canadian Armoured Corps, and the 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (The Calgary Regiment (Tank)), Canadian Armoured Corps.

No. 1 Sub Depot of No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, RCOC (1 SD, 1 CBOD), located at Bordon Camp, Hampshire handled all receipts and issues of the Churchill tank for the Canadian Army in the United Kingdom. The Sub Depot received all incoming Churchill tanks from the British Army, and then issued them to their Canadian user units. They also received tanks that were being withdrawn from Canadian units to be reworked and returned these to the British. The inventory held by the depot varied over time, mainly caused by the rework program and production problems. All tanks issued to 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade from No. 1 Sub Depot were first sent to the 1st Canadian Tank Brigade Ordnance Company, RCOC⁷, for a routine inspection before joining their unit within the brigade.

As of 5 January 1943, of the 200 Churchill tanks held by units of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, 57 were Churchill Mark IV tanks, with the Ontario Regiment holding 50, and the Calgary Regiment seven, The Three Rivers Regiment held a total of eight by month’s end. Also in January 1943, besides being involved with infantry and tank cooperation training with Canadian infantry formations, and individual troop training within their respective regiments, the three tank regiments of 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade started combined operations training at the 1st Canadian Corps Combined Training Centre, located at Poole, Dorset (combined operations in this context means army-navy cooperation in assault landings). Subunits of each regiment, in turn, went through a seven-day course at this training centre, during which lectures were given on combined operations and the use of combined arms, and the practical loading of Landing Craft Tanks was carried out. Also, as part of this training, with the tanks loaded onto Landing Craft Tanks, the ships left Poole harbour in the evenings and sailed to the Isle of Wight, where they anchored just west of Cowes, in preparation for a ‘dawn assault’ on the beaches west of Cowes. Following each “dawn assault,” the tanks were brought back to the beaches and re-embarked aboard their Landing Craft Tanks and sailed back to Poole, arriving there late each afternoon.

By the beginning of March 1943, the British War Office intended that 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade should retain their Churchill Mark IIIR (reworked) and Mark IV tanks, and also keep their Churchill Mark IR (reworked) tanks as close support tanks, but this never happened. By 19 March 1943, the Canadian Army had decided to immediately re-equip 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade with the Canadian-built Cruiser Tank, Ram Mark II for their Churchill tanks on a one-for-one basis. Starting on 22 March 1943, the Churchill Mark IV (along with the other Marks of the Churchill tank) began to be withdrawn from units of 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, with the Calgary Regiment turning in one Churchill Mark IV tank to No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, for return to the British. This was followed on 26 March 1943, by the Ontario Regiment turning in 35 Churchill Mark IV tanks to No. 1 Canadian Base Ordnance Depot, for return to the British.

On 29 March 1943, the Three Rivers Regiment turned in their 18 Churchill Mark IV tanks, and the Calgary Regiment their remaining six Churchill Mark IV tanks. Earlier, on 19 March 1943, before the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade began to re-equip with Ram Mark II tanks, “B” Squadron of the Ontario Regiment with eighteen Churchill tanks (fifteen of which were Mark IVs) was sent to the British School of Infantry at Catterick, North Yorkshire, to assist in training infantry for a period of two months. These tanks were operated by Ontario Regiment crews on a rotational basis until 11 May 1943, when they were handed over to the British 148th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, at Catterick, and struck-off-change of the Canadian Army Overseas.

Characteristics of the Churchill Mark IV tank

• Crew: five (commander, gun layer, loader/operator, driver, co-driver/hull gunner)
• Weight: 40-tonnes (39-tons)

• Length: 7.4-metres (24 feet, 5-inches)

• Width: 3.3-metres (10 feet, 8-inches) (with air intake louvres), and 2.8-metres (9 feet, 2-inches) (without air intake louvres)

• Height: 2.5- metres (8 feet, 2- inches)

• Length of tracks on ground: 3.8-metres (12 feet, 6- inches)

• Width over tracks: 2.8-metres (9 feet, 1-inch)

• Clearance under the hull: 50.8-centimetres (1 foot, 8-inches)

• Armour thickness – Maximum: 102-millimetres (4.0-inches), Minimum: 16-millimetres (0.6-inches)

• Road speed: 25- kilometres per hour (15.5-miles per hour)

• Cross country speed: 13-kilometres per hour (8-miles per hour) (approximately)

• Engine: 12-cylinder Vauxhall Bedford twin-six 350 horsepower

• Weight of the engine: 1,531-kilograms (3,376-pounds) (dry)

• Fording depth: 1.0-metres (3 feet, 4-inches) without preparation

• Trench crossing ability: 3.0-metres (10-feet)

• Vertical obstacle capacity: 0.8-metres (2 feet, 6-inches)

• Turret: Cast

• Armament: 6-pounder Ordnance, Quick Firing, Mk III or Mk V in the turret

Coaxial 7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) Besa Mk II MG in the turret (mounted on the left of the 6-pounder)

7.92-millimetre (0.3-inch) Besa Mk II MG mounted in the hull front plate

51-millimetre (2-inch) bomb-thrower Mk I in the turret roof

• Elevation: 6-pounder – minus 12.5-degrees to plus 20-degrees

• Muzzle velocity: 6-pounder – 853-metres (2,800-feet) per second (able to penetrate 81-millimetres (3-inches) of armour at 457-metres (500-yards))

6-pounder (Mk V) – 904-metres (2,965-feet) per second (able to penetrate 83-millimetres (3-inches) of armour at 457-metres (500-yards))

• Ammunition stowage: 84 rounds of 6-pounder, 9,675 rounds of 7.92-millimetre (belted) and 25 smoke bombs

• Remarks: Square escape doors; top opening engine intake louvres (on hull sides); tracks fully covered; early models of the Mk IV have a 6-pounder (Mk V) with a counterweight on the muzzle.

Acknowledgements:

The author wishes to thank Richard J.S. Law, for continuing on with publishing articles for MilArt (Military Artifact), and for posting this article.

Any errors or omissions, is entirely the fault of the author.

Bibliography:

Churchill III and IV Instruction Book, T.S. 182, First Edition, July 1942 (Chilwell Catalogue No. 62/426) (with Amendment No. 1 (October 1942), Amendment No. 3 (November 1942), Amendment No. 4 (February 1943), Amendment No. 6 (August 1943) and Amendment No. 8 (December 1943)).

Tonner, Mark W., The Churchill in Canadian Service (Canadian Weapons of War Series), 2010, Service Publications; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ISBN 978-1-894581-67-7.

Tonner, Mark W., The Churchill Tank and the Canadian Armoured Corps, 2011, Service Publications; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ISBN 978-1-894581-66-0.

Notes:

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1. The three previous infantry tanks developed by the British, were the Infantry Tank Mark I, Matilda I (A11), the Infantry Tank Mark II, Matilda II (A12), and the Infantry Tank Mark III, Valentine.

2. Some early production Churchill Mark IV tanks were armed with the 6-pounder Ordnance Quick Firing Mark 5 gun, which was distinguishable from the 6-pounder Ordnance Quick Firing Mark 3 gun, by its longer barrel of “lighter” appearance, which was usually fitted with a counterweight on the muzzle.

3. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, First Canadian Army, from 6 April 1942 to 26 December 1943.

4. The Canadian designed and built, Cruiser Tank, Ram, of which the Mark I was armed with a 2-pounder Ordnance Quick Firing gun, and the Ram Mark II was armed with a 6-pounder Ordnance Quick Firing gun.

5. Because the first issue of the Churchill Mark I, and Mark II tanks to units were to begin in June 1941, Vauxhall Motors Ltd., was forced to work straight from the drawing board, which virtually eliminated the possibility of detailed user and development trails, a rework programme to correct the initial design faults of the tank was launched in March 1942, under which early production Churchill Mark I, and Mark II tanks were withdrawn from service, and brought up to the mechanical  standard of the Churchill Mark III.

6. 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade Headquarters Squadron (The New Brunswick Regiment (Tank)), was disbanded with effect from 1 January 1943.

7. 1st Canadian Tank Brigade Ordnance Company, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, was redesignated 1st Canadian Tank Brigade Workshop, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, with effect from 14 January 1943.