Churchill 3” Gun Carrier
(BR089)
includes one Churchill 3" Gun Carrier.
In September 1941, rumours of new German heavy tanks in development led the General Staff to request the Tank Board to produce cruiser and infantry tanks mounting large-calibre high-velocity guns specifically for engaging heavy German tanks.
The Challenger cruiser tank ran into difficulties and only a small number saw service in 1944 and 1945, although the turret was fitted to the TOG 2* heavy tank. The A22 Churchill infantry tank was the obvious candidate for a heavily-armed infantry tank.
Unfortunately the need to fit through rail tunnels meant that the turret ring on the Churchill was too small for a turret capable of mounting a bigger gun. The answer was to fit the gun in a limited-traverse mounting in the hull, resulting in the A22D. While this had tactical disadvantages, the resulting tank could be built in short order. As the 17 pdr selected for the Challenger would not be available for some time, the old 3” anti-aircraft gun was selected instead. Plenty of these were available after having been replaced in anti-aircraft units by the new 3.7” gun.
Originally 100 vehicles were planned, but in December 1941 it was decided that most Churchill production should focus on tanks fitted with the new 6 pdr gun, and the order was reduced to 24. The first prototype was ready in February 1942 and the remainder of the first production run was finished in the middle of the year. Fitting the OQF 3” anti-aircraft gun in a limited-traverse mounting on the Churchill infantry tank was a quick way to field a weapon capable of knocking out a Tiger heavy tank. On hearing rumours that the German Tiger tanks were in the area, some infantry colonels have actually refused to attack unless they had Gun Carriers in support.
Wide Tracks
Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain.
If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.
Protected Ammo
Many tanks are destroyed not by the enemy shell but by their own ammunition being hit by white-hot fragments of armour and exploding. The chances of this were minimised by providing a safe place for stowing ammunition within the vehicle, such as an armoured compartment or inside a water-filled jacket.
If forced to bail out, crews of tanks with protected ammunition are far more confident when it comes to remounting their vehicle quickly.
Tanks with Protected Ammo re-roll all failed Motivation Tests to Remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step (see page 102 of the main rulebook).
The Churchill 3” Gun Carrier in Flames of War
Mobility: Slow tank
Armour Front: 8
Armour Side: 7
Armour Top: 2
AA MG, Protected ammo, Wide tracks
OQF 3” gun
Range: 32”/80cm
Rate of Fire: 2
Anti-tank: 11
Firepower: 3+
Hull mounted, Semi-indirect fire
Hull-mounted Guns
Some tanks mount weapons in the front of the hull instead of in a turret to save weight or to make them easier to produce.
A hull-mounted weapon mounted in the front of a vehicle has a 180-degree Field of Fire covering everything in front of a line drawn across the front of the vehicle. If the weapon is mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the Field of Fire covers everything to the rear of a line drawn across the rear of the vehicle.
Semi-indirect Fire
British heavy tanks often open fire at very long ranges, where their prolific use of ammunition can compensate for the difficulty of hitting the target. It means that their ammo racks empty fast, but there’s plenty more available for resupply.
Weapons capable of Semi-indirect Fire that didn’t move in the Movement Step may re-roll failed rolls to hit when shooting their main guns at platoons with all teams more than 16”/40cm away.
15mm, resin/metal
Battlefront Miniatures
