First was an old childhood favorite of mine, the Airfix Churchill Mk VII. The most impressive part of the Churchill VII to me was the 75mm gun, the thick armour was "nice" but not sloped which wasted a lot of protection potential (it just gave the crew ten seconds to bail) and slowed it down, still no match for a Panther, Tiger I or Tiger II, but a good "infantry support tank". The kit assembly was straight forward, the only extra fiddly bit was leaving the turret hatches open for a commander to poke out of. The tracks are awaiting the "staple" method of connection (see below, and yes I have not glued the track covers on yet, that would have been silly):
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The assembled product (see below):
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This is the third tank of a Command Decision company the question I am trying to work out is whether I need a fourth? RTR (cruisers) have four tanks to a company, I am unsure regards to the Infantry Tank Brigades, as to whether they were so richly endowed, the Spearhead OoB suggests so.
Any thoughts and information appreciated?
5 comments:
No caffeine and Airfix Churchills...This will all end in tears.
3 Tanks per Company is my suggestion. 4 sounds rather excessive!
Resist...you must resist.
Actually, I agree with Paul...it's going to be difficult to stay off coffee with an airfix kit!
I read somewhere that the Churchill was built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast ...and my father remembers a place in the yard called the 'tank shop'. Of course they might have found it easier to build the real thing without a cup of Java.
3 Tanks per troop - have a look here:
http://www.royaltankregiment.com/9_RTR/appendices/Appx%206%209RTR%20Organization.htm
I would add I dont think they would all be Mk VII unless very late in the war
Thanks Paul/Duc4 days in and my body is "kicking my ass" with the caffeine withdrawal. The headache phase is just leaving me and I am now getting onto the flu-like muscle ache, if truth be told the Churchill was done with caffeine and Jack Daniels and coke to hand ;)
Renko/Paul:
Re: Churchill stands per Command Decision, each stand 3-5 tanks, the Churchill Sabre squadrons had 15 (5 troops x 3 tanks) so it could fall either way. In the field probably a complement of three is correct
Renko:
I take your point re: Churchill Mk V's, but note those 6 pdr guns with ATDS rounds were packing a better panzer killing punch than the 75mm armed tanks
In some ways it's a terrible shame that the quirks of logistical management forced them to drill out the 6pdrs to take the American 75mm ammo just so "tank ammo" was standardised. Doubly so when you realise the 6pdr was in service with the yanks as the 57mm AT gun anyway....
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