Tank black prince in world of tanks. Heavy tank Black Prince. Equipment for Black Prince

Years of production Number of issued, pcs.

6 prototypes

Main Operators Dimensions Length with gun forward, mm Hull width, mm Height, mm Clearance, mm Booking armor type

steel rolled homogeneous

Forehead of the hull (top), mm/deg. Forehead of the hull (middle), mm/deg. Forehead of the hull (bottom), mm/deg. Hull board, mm/deg. Hull feed (top), mm/deg. Hull feed (bottom), mm/deg. Bottom, mm Hull roof, mm Tower forehead, mm/deg. Turret board, mm/deg. Cutting feed, mm/deg. Tower roof, mm Armament Caliber and make of the gun gun type

rifled

Barrel length, calibers machine guns Mobility engine's type Engine power, l. With. Highway speed, km/h Cross-country speed, km/h Cruising range on the highway, km Specific power, l. s./t suspension type

individual, on vertical springs

Passable wall, m Crossable ditch, m Crossable ford, m

Infantry tank A43(English) Tank, Infantry A43), also known as "Black Prince"(English) Black Prince listen)) - British experimental infantry tank of the period of the Second World War. It was created in - years on the basis of the Churchill tank, from which it differed in the increased width of the hull necessary to accommodate a new turret with more powerful cannon QF 17lb. Despite a significant increase in armament, the increase in mass due to the increase in size led to a sharp drop in the mobility of the vehicle, which was already not distinguished by high driving performance. In 1944-1945, 6 prototypes of the Black Prince were manufactured, several of which were sent to the front in May 1945 for military trials, however, these machines did not have time to take part in the hostilities. It was planned to order 300 copies of the tank in May - June of the same year, however, by that time, prototypes of the promising Centurion tank had also been tested, in connection with which further work according to the "Black Prince", which lost their relevance with the end of hostilities in Europe, were discontinued.

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Literature

• M. Baryatinsky. Infantry tank "Churchill". - Moscow: Model designer, 2003. - 32 p. - (Armor collection No. 6 (51) / 2003). - 3500 copies.
• D. Fletcher. The Universal Tank. British Armor in the Second World War. - London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1993. - Vol. 2. - 130 p. - ISBN 0-11290-534-X.
• P. Chamberlain, C. Ellis. Tanks of the World 1915-1945. - London: Arms and Armor Press, 1972. - 256 p. - ISBN 0-30436-141-0.

Light tanks Infantry tanks Cruiser tanks Super heavy tanks Anti-tank self-propelled guns tank destroyers Self-propelled howitzers armored personnel carriers Intelligence “You have everything on your tongue to attack, but you don’t see that we don’t know how to make complex maneuvers,” he said to Miloradovich, who was asking to come forward. - They didn’t know how to take Murat alive in the morning and arrive on time at the place: now there’s nothing to do! he replied to another. When Kutuzov was informed that in the rear of the French, where, according to the reports of the Cossacks, there had been no one before, there were now two battalions of Poles, he glanced back at Yermolov (he had not spoken to him since yesterday). - Here they ask for an offensive, they offer various projects, but as soon as you get down to business, nothing is ready, and the warned enemy takes his measures. Yermolov screwed up his eyes and smiled slightly when he heard these words. He realized that the storm had passed for him and that Kutuzov would confine himself to this hint. “He’s amused at my expense,” Yermolov said quietly, pushing Raevsky, who was standing beside him, with his knee. Shortly thereafter, Yermolov moved forward to Kutuzov and respectfully reported: “Time has not been lost, Your Grace, the enemy has not left. If you order to attack? And then the guards will not see the smoke. Kutuzov did not say anything, but when he was informed that Murat's troops were retreating, he ordered an offensive; but every hundred steps he stopped for three-quarters of an hour. The whole battle consisted only in what the Cossacks of Orlov Denisov did; the rest of the troops only lost a few hundred people in vain. As a result of this battle, Kutuzov received a diamond badge, Bennigsen also received diamonds and a hundred thousand rubles, others, according to their ranks, also received a lot of pleasant things, and after this battle, new changes were made in the headquarters. “This is how we always do it, everything is upside down!” - Russian officers and generals said after the Battle of Tarutino, - just like they say now, making it feel that someone stupid is doing it upside down, but we would not have done it that way. But people who say this either do not know the business they are talking about, or deliberately deceive themselves. Every battle - Tarutino, Borodino, Austerlitz - everything is not carried out in the way that its stewards intended. This is an essential condition. An innumerable number of free forces (for nowhere is a man more free than in a battle where life and death are at stake) influence the direction of the battle, and this direction can never be known in advance and never coincide with the direction of any one force. If many, simultaneously and diversely directed forces act on some body, then the direction of movement of this body cannot coincide with any of the forces; but there will always be an average, shortest direction, that which in mechanics is expressed by the diagonal of the parallelogram of forces. If in the descriptions of historians, especially French ones, we find that their wars and battles are carried out according to a predetermined plan, then the only conclusion that we can draw from this is that these descriptions are not correct. The Tarutino battle, obviously, did not achieve the goal that Tol had in mind: to bring the troops into action in order, according to the disposition, and the one that Count Orlov could have had; capture Murat, or the goal of instantly exterminating the entire corps, which Benigsen and other persons could have, or the goals of an officer who wanted to get into business and distinguish himself, or a Cossack who wanted to get more booty than he got, etc. But , if the goal was what actually happened, and what was then a common desire for all Russian people (the expulsion of the French from Russia and the extermination of their army), then it will be completely clear that the Battle of Tarutino, precisely because of its incongruities, was the very , which was needed during that period of the campaign. It is difficult and impossible to think of any outcome of this battle more expedient than the one that it had. At the smallest tension, at the greatest confusion and at the most insignificant loss the greatest results of the entire campaign were acquired, a transition was made from retreat to offensive, the weakness of the French was exposed, and that impetus was given, which the Napoleonic army was just waiting for to start a flight.

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Introduction

Black Prince- a British tier seven heavy tank with good all-round armor, large stock strength, accurate and rapid-fire guns. It is the successor of its predecessors, copes well with the support function.

Research and leveling modules

This tank is researchable on Churchill VII for 54,000 XP and costs 1,400,000 Silver. The study of the modules is as follows:

• Tool. First of all, we examine the top gun. It will increase armor penetration and damage, and besides, it is placed on the stock chassis
• Chassis. Next, we examine the top running gear. It is necessary to install a top engine and a radio station on a tank
• Engine. Accordingly, the engine goes further. It will add power to the tank, it will be a little more comfortable to move
• Radio station. Next, we examine the radio station. It gives an increase of 150 meters to the communication range. And besides, it is relevant for all TTs up to level 9 inclusive
• Well, then we’ll explore Caernarvon level 8 TT for 110,000 experience. Conclusions of characteristics and optimal tactics in different situations

Black Prince is a heavier version of its predecessor: the "prince" has more powerful armor in a circle. Thanks to this, small artillery does not bother us, but we need to be careful: the rear of the tank is poorly armored, there is a chance to get a splash right there. In addition, the dimensions, in comparison with the Churchill VII, have become a little larger, and the speed has remained almost the same.
The top gun Black Prince has a weak alpha for level 7, but this is compensated by good accuracy, fast aiming and good rate of fire. Similar guns are more common on medium tanks than on heavy ones. Here the Black Prince continues the tradition of its predecessors armed with weapons like this one.

Based on all this, we can call the "prince" as a typical medium-level heavy tank. Possessing powerful armor and a good gun, we can use the rhombus tanking tactic in a battle with level 7 tanks. Many tanks of their level cannot penetrate the Black Prince, tanks below the level even more so. From its level, the top heavy is the most dangerous AMX tank M4 45 and AMX AC 46 top-end anti-tank gun.

But everything changes when this tank gets to 8 and 9 levels.
High accuracy allows you to fight with level 8 vehicles: aiming weak spots, you can do good damage to enemies, but here you need to take into account that the "prince" alone is very vulnerable, it is better to stay more powerful machines with more powerful weapons.

In battles with level 9, Black Prince must be used for defense: the tank’s gun is almost useless here, and in terms of speed and maneuverability, it loses to absolutely all TTs. Here you can go to an unprotected flank, and keep opponents on the harp, which will allow you to win at least some time before help arrives. In battles at the bottom of the list, you should not save "gold" shells.

Equipment

Standard equipment: fire extinguisher, first aid kit and repair kit.

Equipment

Of the equipment, we put a rammer on the tank to reduce reloading, this will play an important role in battle, a vertical aiming stabilizer and improved ventilation to increase the effectiveness of crew skills.

Crew upgrade

The first skill will be for the commander - sixth Sense, the rest - repair. The second skill is for everyone the Brotherhood of War . The third skill will be for the commander - repair, for the gunner - sniper, for fur-water - smooth running, for the radio operator - radio interception, for the loader - intuition. The fourth skill is optional.

Outcome

The Black Prince is a tank that is generally enjoyable to play. It has a fast-firing weapon, but a small one-time damage. If you can do without mega-damage, as well as good speed and dynamics, if you can tank - then this tank is for you. That's all for me. See you soon.

Prepared by: SobolVadim

British heavy tank of the seventh level. It is distinguished by good all-round armor with an irrational slope and a high margin of safety. The gun is quite accurate and fast-firing, but has relatively low penetration. It is the successor to the traditions of its predecessors and does an excellent job of supporting allies.

Modules

Compatible hardware

Compatible Gear

combat effectiveness

It is a heavier version of its predecessor, we have more armor and fewer holes, but the dimensions have become somewhat more and the speed remained at the same level. Frontal armor, although it has an impressive thickness, but at the same time it has a number of vulnerabilities, for example, a course machine gun. In general, the car has decent armor for level 7, but there are such ridiculous moments when in one battle you are pierced by the KV-2 from the ZiS-6, and in another you are suddenly not pierced by the ISU-152 from the BL-10, in other words, the armor is extremely random. The effectiveness of the armor can be increased by placing the car in a rhombus, as a rule, your classmates and everything below are not able to damage you, especially at long distances (the most dangerous is the AMX M4 (1945), armed with a 90mm gun). It is worth noting good all-round armor, we are almost not afraid of small artillery, however, the stern greatly undermines this plus, the MTO has very weak armor even in comparison with Churchill I, so there is a risk of taking full damage even from the SU-26. Our weapon has relatively weak performance for level 7, but this is not so critical. The 17-pounder is notable for good accuracy, fairly fast mixing and a very acceptable rate of fire, and taking into account the fact that our classmates are not very durable (the only exception is the KV-3, which is probably the most problem with it), we can quite confidently pierce our neighbors and cars below level. However, the situation is quite different if we get to 8 or 9 levels. In general, high accuracy allows you to resist level 8 vehicles, targeting weak spots can quite harm the enemy, but keep in mind that you are very vulnerable alone, it’s better to stick to more powerful vehicles, sometimes you even have to get hit for them (for example, covering T34), your armor is very randomly, where you may not be pierced, some AMX 50 100 will take damage, while he himself should inflict it. At 9 levels, we play the role of an exclusively defensive machine and in extreme cases cover less armored comrades, our gun is almost useless here, and in terms of mobility we lose to absolutely all TTs. In such a disappointing situation, it is quite reasonable to stay on the defense of an unprotected area (you should choose that position on which is the hardest to get to.) The armor can easily withstand several hits even from the top guns and thus allow you to buy some time for your teammates, and an accurate and fast-firing gun will allow you to keep the enemy without the harp, which also gives you some time. Playing in a platoon will make your life much easier, it is advisable to combine BP with vehicles that have penetrating and long-range weapons (for example, with Panther or AMX M4 45), you will be able to hold back the enemy in close combat (thus being able to target weaknesses in opponents), and your comrades will be able to support you from afar with their more powerful weapons.

• The top gun partially solves problems with penetration, but heavy tanks of tiers 7-9 are still problematic to penetrate head-on. Knowing the armor of opponents helps a lot.
• Rapid aiming allows you to fire on the move - use it. Often the enemy begins to crawl away, knocking down his sight and mixing.
• Despite the monstrous price of gold shells, it makes sense to carry 4-5 pieces with you to use in a situation where the outcome of the battle depends on the outcome of the battle and, as a result, your profit and experience. For example, when you are hit by an IS-3 and both of you have 100 HP left, the one that hits first wins. A gold projectile can be the difference between winning and losing at certain points in a fight.
• Beware of enemy artillery, you have a very low speed and impressive size

Equipment, equipment and ammunition

BB100BP20OF20

Assault variant

Sniper variant

Alternative variant

Equipment - some explanations.

In the assault version, we have a standard set for the most active actions. We shoot more often and have the opportunity to do it on the go with greater efficiency. In the sniper variation, we sacrifice the rate of fire and accuracy right off the bat, but in return we get some plus to invisibility and a more impressive view in order to detect the enemy as early as possible. In the alternative, we keep the rate of fire, but have a slightly lower accuracy on the move, but get a stable increase in vision.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• Good circular armor, sometimes saving even from level 9 guns
• Accurate and fast-firing weapon
• Good accuracy when shooting on the move
• The largest margin of safety among level 7 TTs (only the Tiger has the same amount, despite the fact that its armor is much weaker)
• No need to upgrade the top tower (saving time and experience)
• The stock chassis pulls all the modules (again, we save time and experience)
• Good review for its level, only T29 is better
• Impressive ammunition load
• Quickly enough brought to the top state

Flaws:

• low mobility
• Very large dimensions
• Relatively weak weapon for its level
• Lack of rational tilt angles for armor
• Extremely vulnerable food
• Presence of vulnerable points in VLD
• Lack of any alternative to the 17-pounder

Black Prince rating

• - quite strong armor and a quick-firing gun allow you to effectively deal with STs and vehicles on a lower level
• - good armor, high strength, accurate and rapid-fire guns allow long time destroy base capture
• - for good armor and high strength
• - high accuracy of the 17-pound gun
• - for a combination of excellent rate of fire and low one-time damage.
• - excellent all-round armor and high durability allow you to defeat most of your classmates and cars below the level
• - vulnerability to artillery and relatively frequent crits, with a large margin of safety, contribute to this award

Main characteristics

Briefly

in detail

5.7 / 6.0 / 6.0 BR

5 people Crew

Mobility

50.0 tons Weight

4 forward
1 ago checkpoint

Armament

89 shells ammo

10° / 20° UVN

8,100 shells ammo

225 rounds clip size

600 shots/min rate of fire

Economy

Description

The Black Prince or the Lord, as many players who saw him on the battlefield called him, is worthy of his name and is able to single-handedly withstand crowds of enemy tanks attacking his position or break through the enemy’s defenses in some problematic place without any problems. This tank It has high security, as well as an excellent 17-pound cannon with shells capable of penetrating even some of the representatives of the 5th era into the frontal projection, which is why only a few can cope with it at their level. But due to the use of an outdated and weak engine on the tank, mobility and speed leave much to be desired. The maximum is only 17 km / h (even from the hill) and this is one of the lowest rates in the game.

Main characteristics

Armor protection and survivability

Right angle armor on the turret

The tank has an impressive defense, which is quite problematic to overcome by many shells of the III and early IV era. For this reason, the Black Lord is able to take the blow of many barrels at the same time. This tank is almost impossible to destroy with a stray hit from afar on the silhouette, even with 122-mm and 152-mm high-explosive fragmentation (and at the right angle and armor-piercing) shells, they can only knock down the caterpillar and occasionally break the gun barrel. If trouble with a broken barrel happens in close combat, then often the tank is repaired faster than the enemy has time to reload, and the victory eventually goes to the Prince.

Although the armor is good in itself, but still 152-mm armor is pierced by most opponents at a right angle without much effort, so it’s worth turning with a rhombus to the opponents standing in front; the tower should also be slightly turned away during reloading. So the reduced armor will increase significantly and the enemy with a high chance will not break through the Prince. Don't turn the turret too far away from the enemy - a straight side part of the turret can open in which there is only 95 mm, which can easily penetrate almost any tank of the III era.

Prince withstands hit by Is-2

Sufficiently smart enemies, riding on the Prince, are not in a hurry to shoot, but wait until he pays attention to them and turns the turret towards them, which minimizes the angle of entry of the projectile into the turret. At the same time, the Prince needs some more fractions of seconds to aim and fire a shot, and the enemy is already ready to shoot. Such an insidious situation can be avoided if you, in turn, also do not rush, and when you find a new enemy, you begin to wait - if the enemy left and did not shoot almost immediately, but began to wait until you turn the tower in his direction, then start teasing him, then momentarily pointing the tower in his direction, then substituting the rhombus back for him. Usually nervous system the enemy cannot stand it and he shoots at the moment when they think that now the angle will be minimal.

Mobility

A.43 Black Prince

Due to extremely weak power density engine for this heavy weight tank, the Prince is not able to develop at least some high speed - only 17 km / h. It will always be the last one to get to the points and with great difficulty due to the equally low passability. Many hills and potholes are insurmountable for him, so you have to spend time on getting around them. The backward speed is even more limited - only 2 km / h, although often this is not a problem due to the fact that the Sovereign simply does not need to retreat, but in cases where he is nevertheless pierced and damaged by some modules and it is necessary to retreat and repair - this feature becomes a very unpleasant property for the tank.

Armament

main gun

Prince Shot

The best was installed on the Lord anti-tank gun allies during World War II - Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm). This gun has excellent penetration and ballistic performance. Its main “disadvantage” is the lack of chamber shells in the ammunition load. We have to be content with “only”: armor-piercing-sabot shells with a detachable pallet, which have a breakdown of 207 mm per close range or 200 mm at a distance of 500 meters; three types of solid armor-piercing shells (which are available all at once), the top of which - Shot Mk.8 - has a breakdown of 171 mm at close range; high-explosive shells unable to cause significant damage. Since the best piercing shells are armor-piercing sub-caliber shells, in which the armor-piercing effect is rather meager, you will almost always have to target modules and crew members and gradually destroy enemy equipment: engine / transmission / driver, gunner / breech of the gun, finishing off the remaining members crew. You can also carry a certain amount of armor-piercing shells with you for great damage in situations when the enemy is sideways to the Prince or you are sure that you will pierce the enemy with them in the frontal projection.

In short and point by point, then sub-caliber shells:

• They pierce any Panther and Yagpanther in the VLD or on the side at a slight angle;
• They pierce the Tiger almost anywhere (except for very large angles). Problems with the Tiger can only arise in the mask of the gun, so it is more desirable to shoot at the hull;
• T-34s of any suit and modifications make their way anywhere even with an armor-piercing projectile, and for sure with sub-caliber ones, but with worse armor action;
• IS-2 and IS-2 of the 44th year, it is advisable to shoot in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe driver, then the chance of breakdown is higher and the projectile will cause more tangible damage;
• Problems can arise with the rarely seen King Tiger and Ferdinand. Their VLD this gun is not capable of penetrating, and half of the frontal part of the Tiger’s tower is occupied by a mask, which is also not so easy to overcome by shells. Here it is worth studying the location of the crew members in these tanks in the hangar and point-shooting at their location or shooting at the NLD.

Machine gun armament

BESA machine gun caliber 7.92 mm with 8100 rounds of ammunition. This machine gun can be effective against lightly armored enemy vehicles, as well as for marking enemies on the battlefield.

Use in combat

Black Prince in the game

Due to the problem described above in the form of extremely poor mobility, the Prince is not always able to reach desired point in time, but when he does, there is a greater chance that the battle at that particular location will be won by the Prince's team. The tank is capable of acting alone, but there are times when opponents simply surround it and shoot at its weaker sides and stern, so it is better to have several other tanks with you for cover and not rush forward. Always try to choose positions for advance or defense where your side will be protected from enemy projectiles by some kind of cover.

All battles in the arcade mode can be reduced to one thing - to get to a section of the map, from which it will be possible to control as much as possible large quantity directions and places in which the enemy may appear, and then shoot the appeared opponents on the lead cross. Due to the high armor penetration of shells, almost all hits will cause damage to enemy tanks. On the Black Prince, you can not be very afraid of being in an open area, he can withstand hits from almost all shells of all cannons (located on a given combat rating) in the forehead, and in response he can give his accurate shot. Climbing thoughtlessly ahead of half the enemy team, of course, is not worth it, but if necessary, you can substitute your armor instead of the weaker armor of an ally and save his life. Closed spaces like narrow streets should be avoided: even though the turret spins fast enough in an arcade battle, there can always be a nimble enemy tank that will jump out from around the corner and break through the insufficiently well-protected side of the turret or hull.

Here the Black Prince is just as good as in the arcade battle due to the fact that it is more difficult to detect the enemy, sometimes it is not possible to determine in which direction the help of the Prince is more needed and therefore the tank will be more difficult to implement. But this does not prevent him from showing his magnificent armor and cannon in those few skirmishes that will take place with the participation of the Black Lord. Unlike arcade battles, in realistic mode, you should choose the directions of defense of control points and directions and, after finishing the defense, gradually move forward, trying not to leave opponents behind you, pushing them to the respawn point. It also makes sense to take a position from which only your tower near the point will be visible and defend it.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• Excellent weapon with huge penetration
• Very thick frontal armor
• Quick turn in zero gear
• Good accuracy of fire on the move

Flaws:

• Extremely low speed
• The cross-country performance is one of the lowest in the game
• The tank is a priority target for attack aircraft and bombers

History reference

Tank in the stowed position

The tank was developed in 1943-1945 on the basis of the Churchill tank. new, big gun demanded the installation of a new tower due to the fact that it did not fit in the old one. And the tower, in turn, demanded to expand the hull of the tank for its installation due to the fact that the old hull could not withstand such a large weight of the new turret. The new tank with a 17-pounder weighed 10 tons more than the original Churchill. An engine with a capacity of 350 hp, which had already become obsolete, was left on the tank, which was clearly not enough for the fast movement of such a heavy vehicle, and because of this, the speed of the tank was extremely limited: 17 km / h on the highway and 12.1 km / h over rough terrain. In 1944 - 1945, 6 units of this modification were built and several of them were sent to the front, but did not participate in hostilities. Due to such low driving performance the tank was declared unfit for military operations, and at that time prototypes of a new tank, the Centurion, had already been provided, so the order for the construction of 300 copies of the Princes was canceled.

Media

The heavy infantry tank Mk IV Churchill, which was actively used by Great Britain and friendly states, had a number of characteristic flaws that seriously limited its combat capabilities. First of all, the claims were caused by insufficiently powerful weapons of early modifications and a relatively weak engine. To get rid of the existing shortcomings, modernization of the existing machine was repeatedly carried out. In addition, new projects of armored vehicles with improved performance were proposed, based on the existing Churchill. One of the attempts to carry out a deep modernization of the existing tank was the A43 Black Prince project.

By 1943, it became clear that current form infantry tank Churchill does not meet the requirements of the time. Several of the first modifications of this machine carried guns of 45 and 57 mm caliber, the power of which no longer allowed to fight different purposes on the battlefield, primarily with existing enemy tanks. The simplest and most obvious solution to this problem was to use more powerful weapons. As part of the development of the Churchill, several new modifications were soon created with guns up to 95 mm in caliber. In addition, in parallel with the improvement of the existing machine, it was proposed to create new model tank with the required characteristics.

Experienced tank A43 Black Prince. Photo Weaponsandwarfare.com

The development of a new project was entrusted to Vauxhall specialists. The objective of the project was to create a new infantry tank based on the design of the existing Churchill armored vehicle and having more powerful weapons. It should be noted that the new project eventually became the last attempt to create the so-called. infantry tank. Soon the British military became disillusioned with the existing concepts of armored vehicles, as a result of which work began on the so-called. universal tanks.

A promising tank capable of replacing the Churchill machine received the working designation A43 and the name Super Churchill. AT further project renamed the Black Prince - in honor of the English historical figure Edward Woodstock, nicknamed the "Black Prince". It was under the new name that the latest project of an infantry tank became widely known.

Front view, the forehead of the tower is not covered by a cover. Photo by C Ward / Flickr.com

The goal of the new project was quite simple. Designers were required to equip an existing heavy tank with a new Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun with increased power. To install a larger gun, certain changes had to be made to the design of the tank. preliminary analysis capabilities showed that in order to install a new gun, it would be necessary to rework not only the existing turret, but also the armored hull. As a result, the promising A43 tank was indeed based on the design of the existing Mk IV, but at the same time it had to differ from it in size and other features.

To install a 17-pound gun in the framework of the A43 project, a new larger turret with a larger diameter shoulder strap had to be developed. Last Feature new project led to the need for some increase in the width of the hull. Other features of the hull design remained almost unchanged. The existing design was corrected only in connection with the installation of one or another new equipment.

Outwardly, the tank looked like a serial Churchill car. Photo aviarmor.net

The result of this approach to the creation of a new model of armored vehicles was the preservation of the existing shape of the hull while changing its size. In addition, it was proposed to increase the level of protection of the machine by using thicker bookings. The hull retained the wedge-shaped profile of the frontal part with an inclined upper part mated with a vertical sheet. The bottom sheet of the forehead was 140 mm thick, the middle one 57 mm, and the top one 152 mm. The hull of the tank had side niches located inside the track. The side parts of such units had a thickness of up to 95 mm. From above and behind the hull was covered with a 19-mm roof and aft sheets up to 51 mm thick.

The tower of the "Black Prince" was supposed to be a modified unit of the serial "Churchill". From the existing product, the dome of the new tower differed more powerful protection and increased sizes. In addition, some contours of the structure were finalized. The maximum thickness of the turret armor reached 152 mm in the frontal part, the minimum - 20 mm of the roof. The tower had a frontal unit with an inclined front and an embrasure in which there was a swinging mask internal location. The sides were formed by two sheets placed at an angle to each other. It was planned to use a small feed niche.

View of the starboard side. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk

Being a deep modernization of a serial infantry tank, the new A43 was to be built according to the same layout. In front of the hull there was a control compartment, behind it - a tower and a fighting compartment. The aft compartment was completely allocated for the engine, transmission units, fuel system, etc.

For some not entirely clear reason, probably because of the desire to receive maximum degree unification, the new heavy tank was supposed to receive exactly the same engine compartment equipment as the serial Churchill. It was proposed to leave a two-row 12-cylinder Bedford gasoline engine in the rear of the hull, developing power up to 350 hp. Two radiators were placed next to the engine, it was also mated with a single-disk main dry friction clutch, a four-speed manual gearbox, a turning mechanism and other transmission units.

Car at the landfill. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk

According to some reports, the issue of equipping a heavy tank with an 600 hp engine was considered. However, apparently, this proposal never left the stage of preliminary studies. As a result, the specific power of the machine remained at the level of 7 hp. per ton, although it could be increased by one and a half times with the corresponding consequences for mobility.

used chassis existing structure. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk

On the side niches of the hull, 10 small-diameter road wheels with individual spring suspension were attached from below. In front of the main rollers and behind them, the project provided for the use of two similar parts suspended at a certain height above the ground. Guide wheels were placed in front of the hull, and drive wheels in the stern. Instead of traditional support rollers, special guides were used on the corresponding surface of the body. For the tank, new tracks had to be developed to compensate for the increase in combat weight. The tracks, in general, retained the existing design, but differed in width increased to 24 inches (610 mm). Increasing the track width by 10 inches reduced the specific pressure to an acceptable level.

The main idea of ​​the A43 Black Prince project was to use the powerful Ordnance QF 17-pounder tank gun. This gun had a 76.2 mm barrel with a length of 55 calibers. A muzzle brake and advanced recoil devices were provided. The gun was to be mounted on modified mounts in the frontal part of the turret. In the fighting compartment of a relatively large volume, it was possible to place stacks and racks for 89 unitary shells.

Front view, the tower received a cover. Photo aviarmor.net

With the help of comparative long barrel the QF 17-pounder gun could disperse high-explosive projectile up to a speed of 880 m / s, armor-piercing - up to 1200 m / s. Depending on the type of armor-piercing projectile used, the gun at a distance of 900 m could penetrate from 130 to 190 mm of homogeneous armor. In some cases, the gun retained the ability to destroy an enemy tank at distances up to 2-3 km.

As an auxiliary weapon, the crew of the new tank was to use two rifle-caliber BESA machine guns. One of them was mounted on a gun mount and served as a pair. The second was located in the course setting of the front sheet, to the left of the longitudinal axis of the machine. The total ammunition load of two machine guns consisted of several thousand rounds.

Tank at the range. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk

Being an improved version of the existing machine, new tank The A43 retained a similar crew composition. The Black Prince was to be driven by five tankmen. The driver (on the right) and the gunner (on the left) were placed in the front compartment of the hull control. The latter also served as an assistant driver and radio operator. The commander and gunner were located inside the tower, at its left side. To their right was the loader. The crew had hatches in the roof of the hull and turret: the control compartment and the fighting compartment each had two hatches. The driver's workplace also had a front inspection hatch for driving on the march. In case of emergency evacuation, the tank had auxiliary hatches in the sides of the fighting compartment.

The installation of a new, more powerful gun, with the accompanying modifications to the turret and chassis, resulted in the new tank being noticeably larger and heavier than the base vehicle. The total length of the A43 infantry tank, including the gun, was 8.81 m, width - 2.9 m, height - 3.44 m. The combat weight reached 50 tons, which was about 10 tons more than the corresponding Churchill parameter. Given the preservation of the 350-horsepower engine, the increase in weight led to a noticeable drop in power density. The mobility of the "Black Prince" was to be provided with only 7 hp. per ton.

Right view. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk

Insufficiently powerful engine did not allow to obtain acceptable mobility. Max speed tank on the highway was only 10.5 miles per hour (18 km / h), on rough terrain - 7.5 miles per hour (10-11 km / h). The design of the undercarriage ensured climbing a wall 75 cm high and crossing a trench 3 m wide. Without preparation, the tank could cross a ford 1 m deep.

The Vauxhall A43 Black Prince project started in 1943. The pace of development of a promising tank left much to be desired. The project was completed only by the beginning of 1945, after which the construction of the first prototype began. The prototype was brought to the test only at the beginning of the 45th. The tank went to the training ground, where it confirmed all the most serious fears. In practice, it was found that, along with the growth of firepower and the level of protection in the new project, a noticeable reduction in mobility was obtained. Due to the low driving performance, the tank could not compete with other modern armored vehicles of British or foreign design.

The turret is deployed "in marching", the gun is fixed. Photo Weaponsandwarfare.com

For testing and future testing at the front, six experienced tanks"Black Prince". By the time the fighting in Europe ended, these prototypes remained at the manufacturing plant or training ground. Equipment with enhanced combat characteristics simply did not have time for the war. At the same time, the military and industry got the opportunity to carefully study new models of armored vehicles and draw the necessary conclusions. Considering the characteristic problems of the project, it was hardly worth hoping for a positive decision from the customer.

Even before the start of testing of experimental A43 tanks, the military was considering the possibility of signing a contract for the supply of three hundred serial vehicles of this type. A similar document was supposed to appear after testing prototypes, in late spring or early summer of 1945. However, by this time, the insufficient characteristics of the equipment had been confirmed, and in addition, the end of the war made it possible to reduce the pace of development of new combat vehicles. As a result, plans to order production tanks were rejected. Vauxhall never received an official order to launch full-scale production of the Black Princes.

Machine diagram. Figure Weaponsandwarfare.com

Further development of the project was also considered inappropriate. To improve mobility, it was necessary to rework the project, which required certain time. At the same time, the British army has already managed to get several hundred Sherman Firefly medium tanks with a 17-pounder gun and acceptable mobility. In addition, by 1945, the medium-weight cruising tank Comet was created and put into series, which was further development the older Mk VIII Cromwell. This tank carried a 77 mm HV gun - a shortened QF 17-pounder with slightly less high performance penetration. Finally getting ready mass production medium tanks Centurion.

All existing tanks with similar weapons favorably differed from the A43 in higher speed and maneuverability. The only advantage of this machine was more high level protection provided by armor up to 152 mm thick. However, the combination of such armor with low speed was considered unacceptable for new technology. According to some reports, the possibility of additional modernization of the Black Prince tank was studied by installing the Centurion turret with a 76-mm cannon, but this idea did not reach practical implementation.

The only prototype in the Bovington Museum. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

By the middle of 1945, the development company and the army had six experimental A43 Black Prince tanks at their disposal. After testing and deciding to close the project, this technique began to be used as test platforms to test other new developments. As the resource developed, experienced infantry tanks were decommissioned and dismantled as unnecessary. In a few years, five tanks were disposed of. Only one prototype, built fourth in its series, managed to avoid this fate. After years idle tank was transferred to the museum of military equipment in Bovington. Repairs were carried out there, after which the armored vehicle again got the opportunity to move independently.

The A43 Black Prince project was a promising attempt to significantly improve the combat qualities of existing heavy infantry tanks Mk IV Churchill through the use of a more powerful 76 mm gun. However, in practice, the original proposal encountered a number of serious difficulties that did not allow the desired armored vehicle to be quickly obtained. The required results in the form of an increase in firepower were achieved at the cost of an unacceptable weighting of the tank and a drop in mobility. Such a machine, which has advantages over other equipment only in protection and gun power, was not of interest to the army. Moreover, by the middle of 1945, other tanks with similar combat qualities were created, which made the promising A43 simply unnecessary. Not the most successful project eventually put an end to the so-called. infantry tanks.

According to the websites:
http://tankmuseum.org/
http://militaryfactory.com/
http://aviarmor.net/
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/
http://tankimira.ru/