British Mk.IV "Churchill" - infantry tank, not officially named after Winston Churchill
In 1940, Britain began developing a new tank... The British authorities believed that there was a high probability of German troops landing on the islands, and therefore it was necessary to solve the problems of not only air defense, but also ground defense. And the very next year, the British industry began production of the 38-ton infantry tank "Churchill" - Mk.IV "Churchill".
This combat vehicle was supplied not only to the British army. The new tank, as part of the Lend-Lease program, began to be supplied to the Soviet Union.
In total, over 5,5 thousand of these combat vehicles were produced during the war years. This is one of the most massive British tanks of the Second World War. The Churchill tanks did not differ in maneuverability and speed, but in terms of protection they could give odds to many other armored vehicles.
The maximum speed of such a tank was about 25 km / h, while the cruising range was limited to about 250 km.
It is noteworthy that the official assignment of the name "Churchill" to the tank referred to John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. This is a British commander of the 40th-XNUMXth centuries. At the same time, in the XNUMXs of the XX century in Britain, everyone understood who really is the person in whose honor this car got its name. The "culprit" himself - Winston Churchill - allegedly deigned to joke: "Yes, this Churchill has more flaws than me."
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