Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)
was the name assigned to an experimental development of the Churchill tank with a larger, wider hull and a QF 17-pounder (76 mm) gun. It was named after Edward, the Black Prince, a famous 14th century military leader.Development
As a development from the Churchill, the Black Prince was a continuation of the line of Infantry tanks, that is slower, heavier tanks intended to operate in close support of infantry. The parallel development in British tank design were the Cruiser tanks, which were intended for more mobile operations. A43 was the General Staff Specification number issued in 1943, for an interim tank that would eventually be superseded by a "Universal tank" that would replace both Infantry and Cruiser tanks.
The cruiser line led to the Cromwell tank (and the 17 pounder-armed Challenger variant) and then the Comet tank (which had a 77mm gun derived from the design of the 17 pounder). These tanks entered service during the war. While not as heavily protected as the Churchill, the Comet showed the way tank development was going. This led to the last of the cruiser line and the first of the Universal tanks (now more widely known as Main Battle Tanks) - the very successful Centurion tank.
A larger gun than a conventional Churchill required a larger turret on a wider turret ring and consequently a widening of the tank hull to carry this. The Black Prince weighed around ten tons more than the Churchill so the suspension was modified and the tracks widened by 10 inches to carry the extra load. However, the Churchill's 350-horsepower (260 kW) engine was retained, leading to the tank's being underpowered and slow, with maximum speeds of 10.5 mph (16.9 km/h) on roads and 7.5 mph (12.1 km/h) cross country. This was so slow that the tank's tactical usefulness would have been limited. Consideration was given to the use of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine; this would have increased the available power to 600 hp (450 kW), but the idea never left the drawing–board. Likewise, plans to fit the Black Prince with the turret from the Centurion were never carried out.
By the time the Black Prince prototypes had appeared in May 1945, the Sherman Firefly had acquired a proven combat record, the Comet tank was in service and the introduction of Centurion was imminent. All these tanks carried the QF 17-pounder or a derivative; all had better mobility than the Black Prince and the Centurion had frontal armour of comparable effectiveness. The Black Prince had become redundant and the project was abandoned.
The Black Prince marked the end of the development of the A22F Churchill Mk VII, and the end of the Infantry tank concept in British tank design.
The cruiser line led to the Cromwell tank (and the 17 pounder-armed Challenger variant) and then the Comet tank (which had a 77mm gun derived from the design of the 17 pounder). These tanks entered service during the war. While not as heavily protected as the Churchill, the Comet showed the way tank development was going. This led to the last of the cruiser line and the first of the Universal tanks (now more widely known as Main Battle Tanks) - the very successful Centurion tank.
A larger gun than a conventional Churchill required a larger turret on a wider turret ring and consequently a widening of the tank hull to carry this. The Black Prince weighed around ten tons more than the Churchill so the suspension was modified and the tracks widened by 10 inches to carry the extra load. However, the Churchill's 350-horsepower (260 kW) engine was retained, leading to the tank's being underpowered and slow, with maximum speeds of 10.5 mph (16.9 km/h) on roads and 7.5 mph (12.1 km/h) cross country. This was so slow that the tank's tactical usefulness would have been limited. Consideration was given to the use of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine; this would have increased the available power to 600 hp (450 kW), but the idea never left the drawing–board. Likewise, plans to fit the Black Prince with the turret from the Centurion were never carried out.
By the time the Black Prince prototypes had appeared in May 1945, the Sherman Firefly had acquired a proven combat record, the Comet tank was in service and the introduction of Centurion was imminent. All these tanks carried the QF 17-pounder or a derivative; all had better mobility than the Black Prince and the Centurion had frontal armour of comparable effectiveness. The Black Prince had become redundant and the project was abandoned.
The Black Prince marked the end of the development of the A22F Churchill Mk VII, and the end of the Infantry tank concept in British tank design.
| Type | Infantry tank |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vauxhall Motors |
| Designed | 1943 |
| Manufacturer | Vauxhall Motors |
| Produced | -1945 |
| Number built | 13 prototypes |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 50 long tons (51 t)[1] |
| Length | 28 ft 11 in (8.81 m)[1] |
| Width | 11 ft 3.5 in (3.442 m)[1] |
| Height | 9 ft (2.7 m)[1] |
| Crew | 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, hull gunner) |
| Armour | 152 mm (6.0 in) |
Main
armament | QF 17 pdr with 89 rounds |
Secondary
armament | 2 x 7.92 mm Besa machine guns |
| Engine | Bedford Type 120 horizontally opposed 12-cylinder 350 hp (260 kW) |
| Power/weight | 7 hp/ton |
| Suspension | sprung bogie |
Operational
range | about 100 mi (160 km) |
| Speed | 20.5 mph (33.0 km/h) on road 7.5 mph (12.1 km/h) off road |
The only surviving Black Prince tank is held by the Bovingdon
Prototype for a heavier Churchill tank; it never entered production.
Black Prince was designed in 1943, the idea being to create a heavier version of the Churchill tank mounting the17 pounder anti-tank gun. Designed, like the Churchill, by Vauxhall Motors, Black Prince was wider in the hull to accommodate a larger turret to house the big gun, but in most other respects the two tanks had a lot in common. Armour thickness was the same, as was the suspension system, but the strangest similarity of all was that both tanks had the same engine, the horizontally opposed, 12 cylinder Bedford.
Later models of the Churchill tank, which weighed around 40 tons, were generally regarded as under-powered yet the designers elected to use the same engine in Black Prince which weighed ten tons more. Many experts believed that it would have been wiser to fit the 600hp Rolls-Royce Meteor but there is no evidence that this was ever done. Indeed, the prototypes did not appear until 1945, by which time there was no further use for them and the project ended.
The development of Black Prince closely paralleled that of Centurion and it was planned, at one stage, to fit the Centurion turret to the Vauxhall tank. Once again there is no reasonable explanation as to why this was never done. The Black Prince turret was not an impressive design, being vertical slabs of armour except at the front, and both turrets were designed to mount the same gun. Our exhibit is the only complete survivor.
Black Prince's hull is a larger version of Churchill VII and the turret design is from projected Centurion M1. Project abandoned in 1945 as Challenger, Sherman Mark Vc and Comet all had a comparablegun and were superior in cross country performance. Only 6 experimental models produced.
Precise Name: Tank, Infantry, Black Prince
Other Name: A43
DESCRIPTION
The Black Prince was a futile attempt to update the design of the Churchill Infantry Tank, (See E1949.339), by fitting a new turret with the 17pdr gun to an enlarged Churchill hull. The project was abandoned in 1945.
Vauxhall Motors designed the Black Prince to General Staff specification A43 in 1943. It was seen as ‘interim’ design, pending the availability of the ‘universal tank’ that would replace both Infantry and Cruiser tanks. (See E1951.34, Centurion Mark 1) The Black Prince was based on the design of the Churchill. The hull was enlarged to carry a bigger turret that mounted a 17pdr-tank gun. The Churchill’s suspension was modified and the tracks were 10 inches wider than those of the Churchill, (24in vs. 14in), to carry the 10 tons of extra weight due to the bigger hull, new turret and the larger gun.
Despite the increase in weight the Black Prince used the same 345hp Vauxhall engine as the Churchill, giving it a power: weight ratio of about 7hp/ton. As a result the new tank lacked agility and was very slow with a maximum speed 10.5mph on roads, about 7.5mph across country. This severely limited its’ tactical usefulness. Many believe that the Black Prince should have been fitted with the proven Rolls Royce Meteor engine of about 600hp. Contemporary documents suggest that this was investigated but never done.
The development of the Black Prince closely paralleled that of the Centurion and it was planned to replace its original turret with the better one developed for the Centurion; this was never done.
Six prototypes were built. By the time that these appeared in May 1945 the 17pdr gun was in service in the Sherman Firefly, the recently introduced Comet had the similar 77mm gun and the Centurion was about to makes its’ debut. All of these had much better cross-country performance than the Black Prince and as there was no need for an improved Churchill the project was abandoned.
The Tank Museum’s exhibit is the fourth prototype and is the only survivor.
Summary text by Mike Garth
Black Prince was designed in 1943, the idea being to create a heavier version of the Churchill tank mounting the17 pounder anti-tank gun. Designed, like the Churchill, by Vauxhall Motors, Black Prince was wider in the hull to accommodate a larger turret to house the big gun, but in most other respects the two tanks had a lot in common. Armour thickness was the same, as was the suspension system, but the strangest similarity of all was that both tanks had the same engine, the horizontally opposed, 12 cylinder Bedford.
Later models of the Churchill tank, which weighed around 40 tons, were generally regarded as under-powered yet the designers elected to use the same engine in Black Prince which weighed ten tons more. Many experts believed that it would have been wiser to fit the 600hp Rolls-Royce Meteor but there is no evidence that this was ever done. Indeed, the prototypes did not appear until 1945, by which time there was no further use for them and the project ended.
The development of Black Prince closely paralleled that of Centurion and it was planned, at one stage, to fit the Centurion turret to the Vauxhall tank. Once again there is no reasonable explanation as to why this was never done. The Black Prince turret was not an impressive design, being vertical slabs of armour except at the front, and both turrets were designed to mount the same gun. Our exhibit is the only complete survivor.
Black Prince's hull is a larger version of Churchill VII and the turret design is from projected Centurion M1. Project abandoned in 1945 as Challenger, Sherman Mark Vc and Comet all had a comparablegun and were superior in cross country performance. Only 6 experimental models produced.
Precise Name: Tank, Infantry, Black Prince
Other Name: A43
DESCRIPTION
The Black Prince was a futile attempt to update the design of the Churchill Infantry Tank, (See E1949.339), by fitting a new turret with the 17pdr gun to an enlarged Churchill hull. The project was abandoned in 1945.
Vauxhall Motors designed the Black Prince to General Staff specification A43 in 1943. It was seen as ‘interim’ design, pending the availability of the ‘universal tank’ that would replace both Infantry and Cruiser tanks. (See E1951.34, Centurion Mark 1) The Black Prince was based on the design of the Churchill. The hull was enlarged to carry a bigger turret that mounted a 17pdr-tank gun. The Churchill’s suspension was modified and the tracks were 10 inches wider than those of the Churchill, (24in vs. 14in), to carry the 10 tons of extra weight due to the bigger hull, new turret and the larger gun.
Despite the increase in weight the Black Prince used the same 345hp Vauxhall engine as the Churchill, giving it a power: weight ratio of about 7hp/ton. As a result the new tank lacked agility and was very slow with a maximum speed 10.5mph on roads, about 7.5mph across country. This severely limited its’ tactical usefulness. Many believe that the Black Prince should have been fitted with the proven Rolls Royce Meteor engine of about 600hp. Contemporary documents suggest that this was investigated but never done.
The development of the Black Prince closely paralleled that of the Centurion and it was planned to replace its original turret with the better one developed for the Centurion; this was never done.
Six prototypes were built. By the time that these appeared in May 1945 the 17pdr gun was in service in the Sherman Firefly, the recently introduced Comet had the similar 77mm gun and the Centurion was about to makes its’ debut. All of these had much better cross-country performance than the Black Prince and as there was no need for an improved Churchill the project was abandoned.
The Tank Museum’s exhibit is the fourth prototype and is the only survivor.
Summary text by Mike Garth
Other Numbers
| Number | Type |
|---|---|
| 35949 | Original Accession |
| 1019 | Original Entry |
Main utility type
HeavyCountry of Use
U.K. (1944)Production
Object Production
| Role | Attribution | Date | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufactured | 1944 | Vauxhall Motors Ltd. | United Kingdom | Luton, Bedfordshire |
Era
World War 2Nationality
BritishLocation
Current Location
BOVTM - B18 - WW2 Hall (Moved here on 14/11/2012)Physical
Features
| Part Name | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tracks/Wheels | Full Tracked | |
| Armament - Main Weapon Type | Gun - 17 pdr Gun QFSA Mark 6 | |
| Armament - Secondary Weapon Type | 2* 7.92mm Bessa Machine Guns Mark 2 1 Bomb Thrower 2" | |
| Engine | Bedford, horizontally opposed flat 12 cylinder, type 120, water cooled | |
| Transmission | Merritt-Brown : 5 Forward, 2 Reverse | |
| Suspension | Independent coil spring |
Dimensions
| Part Name | Dimension | Value | Unit | Precision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | Number | 5 | |||
| Overall | Weight | 49 | tons | ||
| Speed - Road | Maximum | 10.6 | mph | ||
| Fuel | Type | Petrol | |||
| Range | Radius | 100 | ml | ||
| Armour Thickness - Hull | Maximum | 152 | mm | ||
| Main Gun | Calibre | 17 | pdr | ||
| Engine Output | Power | 345 | bhp | ||
| Fuel | Volume | 158 | gall | ||
| Overall | Length | 8.5 | m | ||
| Projectile | Number | 89 | rounds | ||
| Overall | Width | 3.53 | m | ||
| Overall | Height | 2.74 | m |
SPECIFICATION
Designation: Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)
Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, loader, co-driver-hull gi!nner)
Battle weight: 112,000lb
Dimensions: Length 28ft 11 in Track width 24in
Height 9ft Track centres/tread Width 11ft 3.5in
Armament: Main: 1 x 17pdr OQF
Secondary: 2 x 7.92 cal Besa MG (one co-axial)
Armour thickness: Maximum 152mm; Minimum 25mm
Traverse: 360°
Engine: Bedford twin-six 350hp
Maximum speed : 11 mph
Maximum cross-country speed: 7mph (approx)
Suspension type: Sprung bogies
Road radius: 80 miles (approx)
Fording depth: 3ft 4in (unprepared)
Vertical obstacle: 2ft bin
Trench crossing: 10ft
Ammunition stowage: -
Designation: Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)
Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, loader, co-driver-hull gi!nner)
Battle weight: 112,000lb
Dimensions: Length 28ft 11 in Track width 24in
Height 9ft Track centres/tread Width 11ft 3.5in
Armament: Main: 1 x 17pdr OQF
Secondary: 2 x 7.92 cal Besa MG (one co-axial)
Armour thickness: Maximum 152mm; Minimum 25mm
Traverse: 360°
Engine: Bedford twin-six 350hp
Maximum speed : 11 mph
Maximum cross-country speed: 7mph (approx)
Suspension type: Sprung bogies
Road radius: 80 miles (approx)
Fording depth: 3ft 4in (unprepared)
Vertical obstacle: 2ft bin
Trench crossing: 10ft
Ammunition stowage: -
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