CHURCHILL Gun Carrier 3in Mk.I, (A22D)

In 1941, General Staff feel the need to mount more powerful guns in their vehicles to beat even the heaviest German tanks. That is why they asked the Tank Board to study the possibility to mount large caliber guns in the cruiser and infantry tanks. Unfortunately the Churchill and Valentine tank turrets did not have enough space to install guns larger than the 6 pounder. So finally, it was decided that 3-inch (76mm) AA guns could be installed in a limited traverse mount on a Churchill chassis. Although there are doubts about it, it is believed that it was the Churchill Mk.III chassis that was chosen for this new vehicle. It was equipped with an 88mm thick superstructure in which an “QF 3 in 20 cwt” AA gun was installed. The prototype was presented in 1942, and although a hundred vehicles were ordered, they were eventually reduced to 24, which were not used operationally.

A22D CHURCHILL Gun Carrier 3in gallery and more info