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Products mentioned in this Article
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Churchill Platoon (BBX23) with three resin Churchill hulls and turrets with 6pdr, 75mm, CS & AVRE gun options, three sets of individual sculpted tracks, one stowage sprue, two track sprues, three hatch sprues & three Commander half-figures. Churchills in the Normandy Campaign Churchill tanks were amongst the first armoured vehicles to land on the beaches of Normandy in support of the Allied invasion of France on 6 June 1944. These were the specialised tanks of the 79th Armoured Division. Known as ‘Hobart’s Funnies’. These first tanks ashore were specialised Churchill AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) tanks developed to perform combat engineering tasks, not the standard Churchills of the Infantry Tank Brigades. This product is no longer available and has been replaced with BBX48
Click here to go to the Churchill Tank Troop (plastic) (BBX48)...
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"The heavily-armoured ‘I’ tanks work closely with the infantry, escorting them forward and providing direct fire support in order to get them onto the objective." |
The first proper Churchill tanks into combat, the 31st Tank Brigade (consisting of 7th and 9th Battalions, Royal Tank Regiment), landed at Juno Beach on 19 June. Later they were heavily involved in Operation Epsom, expanding the beachhead, and then Operation Jupiter, which sought to retake the infamous Hill 112. In these operations the brigade fought with 15th (Scottish) Division, 43rd (Wessex) Division and 53rd (Welsh) Division. The 31st Tank Brigade later fought in Operations Totalize and Tractable that took Falaise. The 31st Tank Brigade’s third regiment, the 141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, had been converted to Churchill Crocodile flame-throwing tanks prior to the invasion. As such it was permanently attached to the 79th Armoured Division, and like all the other regiments of that division, was allocated out to different units along the front as the situation required. |
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"This box contains all of the models needed for you to field a complete Tank Platoon of three Churchill IV, VI or AVRE tanks, or two Churchill V CS tanks. It also contains three stowage sprues to customise your tanks." |
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The 34th Tank Brigade (consisting of 107th (King’s Own), 147th (Hampshire), and 153rd (Essex) Regiments, Royal Armoured Corps) arrived in Normandy in early July and its first action was Operation Greenline on 15 July (a series of diversionary attacks to distract the Germans attention from Operation Goodwood) with the 15th (Scottish) Division. The raids also assisted in tying down the Panzer divisions to the British sector of the front, so they were unable to interfere with the planned breakout from the American sector. |
The 6th Guards Tank Brigade (consisting of 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards, 4th Battalion Coldstream Guards and 3rd Battalion Scots Guards), landed over Gold and Juno beaches on 20 July. Their first action was Operation Bluecoat, where they sought to take Hill 309 on the Caumont-l’Evente ridge from the German 326th Infantry Division in order to stymie any attempt by the enemy to contain the American breakout. |
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The attack proceeded well, but in the heavy Bocage country the tanks quickly began to outstrip their attendant infantry and in the end the plan was modified into what became the most concentrated infantry tank action of the war. In the course of a day the Churchill tanks covered six miles through terrain that would have stopped any other tank, before taking Hill 309, despite three heavy Jagdpanther tank-hunters from 654. Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung ambushing ‘S’ Squadron, 3rd Scots Guards, destroying eleven Churchill tanks for the loss of two Jagdpanthers in the space of a few minutes. |
Unflappable When all around them are in a ‘flap’, the Guards will still be following orders immaculately. Guard platoons fight to the last and may re-roll any failed Platoon Morale Checks and Company Morale Checks. Learn more about Churchills in Normandy here... |
Churchill tanks from all three tank brigades participated in the battles that followed the capture of Caen and supported the infantry attacking the Falaise Pocket and the advance to the River Seine. The brigades were then given the opportunity to rest, retrain and restructure as the faster Armoured Divisions undertook the pursuit of what was left of the German Army in France. |
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Churchill Main Guns in Flames Of War |
Weapon |
Range |
ROF |
Anti-tank |
Firepower |
Notes |
OQF 6 pdr |
24"/60cm |
3 |
10 |
4+ |
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OQF 95mm CS howitzer |
24"/60cm |
2 |
7 |
3+ |
Smoke. |
Firing bombardments |
48"/120cm |
- |
4 |
5+ |
Smoke bombardment. |
Petard mortar |
4"/10cm |
1 |
5 |
1+ |
Bunker buster, Demolition mortar, Slow traverse. |
OQF 75mm gun |
32"/80cm |
2 |
10 |
3+ |
Semi-indirect fire, Smoke. |
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Below: The OQF 6 pdr. |
Below: The OQF 95mm CS howitzer. |
"What the 6 pdr lacks in range (24"/60cm) it makes up in ROF (3)." |
"The OQF 95mm CS howitzer is a versatile weapon; able to fire directly or as artillery. It also has the ability to fire smoke." |
Below: The AVRE Petard Mortar. |
Below: The OQF 75mm gun. |
"Nicknamed the "Flying Dustbin", the Petard mortar can be used to destroy anything for anti-tank obstacles to heavy tanks." |
"The OQF 75mm was based on a bored-out 6 pdr with a muzzle break added. Chambering the same ammunition as the American Sherman; this meant that ammunition was in plentiful supply. The OQF 75mm gun uses the British Special Rule Semi-indirect fire (see page 174 of the main rulebook for more details)." |
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Armour |
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Name |
Mobility |
Front |
Side |
Top |
Equipment and Notes |
Churchill III or IV |
Fully-tracked |
8 |
7 |
2 |
Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Slow tank, Tow hook, Wide tracks. |
Churchill V CS |
Fully-tracked |
8 |
7 |
2 |
Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Slow tank, Tow hook, Wide tracks. |
Churchill VI |
Fully-tracked |
8 |
7 |
2 |
Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Slow tank, Tow hook, Wide tracks. |
Churchill VII |
Fully-tracked |
13 |
8 |
2 |
Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Slow tank, Tow hook, Wide tracks. |
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"The Churchill V CS has the ability to fire Smoke in either direct fire or as a Smoke bombardment. Smoke can be used to conceal your units as they advance across the table or to prevent a specific enemy unit from targeting your troops." |
“The AVRE Petard mortar is rated as Bunker Buster. If a weapon with this attribute scores a hit on a team in a building, it also hits every other team in the building. This can make your opponents think twice about using buildings for cover and concealment” |
"The Churchill tank has Protected ammo; this means crews are more willing to remount a Bailed Out vehicle." Tanks with protected ammo re-rolls all failed motivation tests to remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step. |
"The Churchill was designed as an infantry support tank; therefore it only needs to go as fast as a infantryman can walk. The Churchill is rated as a Slow Tank and can only move 8"/20cm normally or 16"/40cm At the Double." |
"The Churchill is fitted with a tow hook and may tow a 6 pdr or 17 pdr gun, carrying the crew as tank riders." |
"The Churchill tank has Wide tracks. If a Churchill becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the tank immediately frees itself and continues moving." |
"A weapon capable of Semi-indirect fire like the OQF 75mm gun may re-roll failed rolls to hit if they didn't move in the movement step and all targets are more than 16"/40cm away." |
"The AVRE is rated as having Slow Traverse. Tanks with slow traverse add +1 to the score required to hit when shooting any weapons at targets that are entirely behind a line drawn across the front of the tank's hull." |
The Churchill Platoon On The Move |
Last Updated On Thursday, July 5, 2018
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