The Churchill infantry tank with General Staff number A43, the Black Prince. This tank was assigned to an experimental development of a new Churchill tank with a longer and wider hull and a QF 17-pounder – 76 mm gun. It was named after Edward, the Black Prince, a famous 14th century military leader. The tank became obsolete before the production process even started for the Sherman Firefly and the tank Cruiser Comet used the same gun and had proven themself on the battlefields in France. Photographed at The Tank Museum in Bovington, England 2017.
Churchill Tank Black Prince
The Churchill Tank Black Prince was a British heavy tank developed during the later stages of World War II, specifically in 1944. It was an experimental modification of the existing Churchill Mk VII tank, designed to provide more firepower and armor, in response to the increasing threat from heavily armored German tanks like the Tiger II.
The Black Prince was armed with the powerful 17-pounder (76.2 mm) QF gun, which was capable of engaging and penetrating the thick armor of German heavy tanks. This was a significant upgrade over the earlier 6-pounder guns mounted on Churchill variants. The Black Prince also retained the coaxial BESA machine gun for anti-infantry use.
Powered by a 350-horsepower Bedford HL 12T engine, the Black Prince had a top speed of around 24 km/h (15 mph), which was relatively slow, reflecting the heavy armor it carried. The tank weighed around 40 tons and featured thick armor, ranging from 152 mm to 152 mm at its front, offering excellent protection against most enemy anti-tank weapons of the time.
Despite its formidable firepower and protection, the Black Prince was not mass-produced due to the war’s later stages and was never used extensively in combat. However, it served as a prototype for future heavy tank designs and demonstrated the importance of combining firepower and protection.
