Produced from 1943, the Churchill Crocodile was a British flame-throwing tank and was introduced as one of the specialized armoured vehicles developed under Major General Percy Hobart, informally known as ‘’Hobarts Funnies’’.
The armour on the front of a Churchill is much thicker than the Tiger’s, making it an incredibly strong tank. It was slow, but it had an amazing ability to climb, which proved useful in the hills of Tunisia and Italy. Names after Britain’s wartime Prime Minister, the Churchill first appeared in 1941, but it was riddled with mechanical problems. The much improved Mark VII came out in 1943.
The Churchill Crocodile was adapted as a flame-thrower and used from D-Day onwards. Although a deadly weapon, it was vital to use the flame gun within 30 minutes of the gas pressure being raised, otherwise it would leak away and the gun would fail.
The Tank Museum’s Churchill Crocodile
This Crocodile was made up by The Tank Museum from a separate Churchill Mark VII and Flame Thrower Trailer Number 1 Mark 1/1. Before this was done, it was painted in its present markings – 34th Tank Brigade in Normandy in 1944. The trailer was donated in 1962, the tank in 1949. This tank was in fact the last Churchill ever built, in October 1945.
