The Churchill ‘Crocodile’ tank was an effective and terrifying armored vehicle. Development began in the early 1940’s and it saw service into the Korean war, with about 800 made in total.

Built on the chassic of the Mk. VII ‘Churchill’ A22F, the Crocodile had a flamethrowing nozzle in place of the Churchill VII regular hull machine. A fuel pipe ran from the nozzle to a wheeled trailer which carried about 400 gal of flamethrower liquid as well as a supply of pressurized nitrogen gas. This nitrogen could supply around 80 bursts of fire, at a maximum distance of 450 ft (140 m). This flame burned on water and was highly effective in bunker assault, with a heavy psychological effect. The first round of vehicles produced were completed near the end of October 1943, and saw widespread service in the Allied push through Europe as well as the D-Day invasion. Feared by the enemy, it was kept highly confidential and disabled units were destroyed in the field to prevent enemy capture.

Built for a crew of 5, the 40 ton Churchill Crocodile was powered by a 350 hp twin-six gasoline engine, which could bring it to a top speed of 15 mph (24 km/h). Its armor ranged from .98 in – 5.98 in (24 to 152 mm) and it was armed with the standard QF 75 mm tank gun as well as a 7.92 mm BESA machine gun along with its powerful flamethrower.

This vehicle currently resides at the National Armor and Cavalry Museum at Ft. Benning in Georgia, USA. Support the NACM Foundation here: [ Ссылка ]

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