Churchill Mk V from front
|
|
The Churchill Mk V was the close-support version of the Mk IV, and was armed with a 95mm howitzer. The Mk IV had carried a 6-pounder anti-tank gun in a new cast turret that replaced the welded turret of the Mk III. The Mk V kept the cast turret but was armed with a 95mm howitzer that had a much more powerful high explosive shell.
Only 10% of Churchill production was dedicated to the close support versions, so there were nine Mk IVs for every Mk V. Early in 1943 the War Cabinet decided to approve production of 500 Churchills to keep the production lines active, and of these 300 were to be Churchill Vs. A total of 241 were built during 1943, compared to 1,622 Mk IVs and a total of 2,297 6-pounder Churchills.
The Churchill Mk V saw combat in Italy, where it was used by the squadron HQ troops of armoured squadrons. The squadrons themselves normally had two troops of Churchill tanks, including the Mk IV NA75 and two troops of Sherman tanks.
Later in the war the Mk V was upgraded to become the Mk XI. Officially there were two versions of the Mk XI. Both had appliqué armoured applied. The designation Mk XI was used for tanks that also got the new cast/ welded turret introduced on the Mk VII, while the Mk XI LT (Light Turret) was for tanks that retained the Mk V cast turret.
Names
Churchill Mk V, A22, Infantry Tank Mk IV
Stats
Production: 241
Hull Length: 24ft 5in
Hull Width: 9ft
Height: 10ft 8n
Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver/ hull gunner)
Weight: 87,360lb
Engine: 350hp Bedford twin-six
Max Road Speed: 15.5mph
Max Cross-county Speed: 8mph
Road Range: 90 miles radius
Armament: 95mm howitzer and 7.92mm Besa machine gun in turret, 7.92mm Besa machine gun in hull front
Armour: 16-102mm