Archer Tank Destroyer |
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Wednesday, 31 December 2008 20:24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Archer Tank DestroyerThe tank destroyer concept was initially dismissed by the British but due to the success German Tank Destroyers were having it was decided to ahead. The first attempt was to mount a 3" Anti-Aircraft gun on a Churchill Tank, the first of these were completed in August 1942 and a total of 50 of these vehicles were completed. These vehicles do not seem to have been used in combat but their gun would have easily been capable of dealing with any German tank of the period. It had been hoped that the American M10 would have been available in numbers in 1942 but when it was realised this would not be the case it was decided to try to mount the 17pdr on any vehicles that would take it. Both the Valentine and Crusader were looked at, the Crusader due to it's high power to weight ratio and the Valentine due to its reliability and low profile. The Valentine was eventually chosen as mounting the gun on the Crusader would have meant it was extremely exposed. Development continued in 1943 but progress was slow as the M10 had been made available in larger numbers and it was realised that the M10 would also be able to be converted to carry a 17 Pounder gun. The first Archers were completed in April 1944, the 17 Pounder gun was mounted facing backwards on the Valentine. Armour was very thin and would probably only have protected against small arms fire and shrapnel but the gun was powerful and the vehicle had a low silhouette.
Production of Archer SP by year (UK Only)
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Last Updated on Sunday, 12 August 2012 13:54 |