How to Kill a Tiger

Tom, did you ever come across the phrase 'Churchill fingers'? My Uncle once told me that the early Churchills didn't have any retaining springs on the turret hatches. If you were lowering one and the tank lurched forward the other half of the hatch would slam down with dire consequences if your fingers weren't moved quicksharp!

 

Jamie -
Quite right about the "Churchill fingers" fairly common problem in the early Marks until the catches were finally fitted - might have been the Mk Iv's - which we had all the way through -

Most reliable Tank - the Churchill - only recall one time we broke down which was a communications problem and it left us on the battlefield for a night - was sorted out in the a/m. when we got back to the squadron by the attached signalman - never did learn what the problem was so always guessed that it was something I did - or didn't do - but was sound asleep when he fixed it - didn't happen again -

we never even broke a track - no transmission or engine problems until I was helping the driver - dismantle the four carburretors - clean and re-install - engine wouldn't start ! Studied all the books - scratched our heads - nothing until I found all four floats sitting in the sun drying out on top of the turret - didn't live that down for a while.....didn't eat for hours until the engine ran....

Cheers

 

I have been waiting for Gerry's book since our meeting in London with Ron in January 2009 as he keeps claiming problems with his publisher...missed him by one day in London last month...


Hi Tom,

Cannot sue the volcano for missing you in May!

If the original publisher hadn't been bought out by a much larger one it would have been out last year. The new people decided to break the book into four parts - supposedly the first of which will be out this month but I am not holding my breath!

Relative to the topic in hand. many bad decisions were made during the war - for the Tank Brigades that fought in North-west Europe the worst being sending them into action in Churchills sans 6-pdr guns and authorising the welding of spare tracks on to turrets.

Regarding the former, 25TB's http://northirishhorse.net/documents/25thTB-Tiger.html was ignored. The 21st/25th Brigades' joint report on the latter was also - during the last few days of my stay in London hopefully it will found buried deep in the National Archives.

Gerry

PS BA cancelled my original booking while offering an unsuitable alternative. So it's aboard a United flight to LA next week with a nearly five hour wait for a connection to Phoenix.

 

Tom,

Forgot to add this link:
Armorama :: North Irish Horse in WW2 - New Book

Gerry

 

Gerry -
I can believe you .......as you say - I won't hold my breath either -still looking forward to it ... and about BA - they ONLY charged me $300o to cancel a flight from Vancouver- Heathrow - so came via Gatwick on a flight just as good - with stewardesses who were NOT trained by the Wright Bros......in fact they had never heard of the Wright Bros !
Cheers