"Sighting telescope No.30"

Actually...

The reason it doesn't distinguish is beacuse it specifically says in the stowage list for the MkI that it was ALL "Shell, H.E. MkII"!

By the time the MkII arrived, the instruction book was re-issued for BOTH the MkI/MkII combined, with differences listed for the MkII's Besa installation....and the stowage list STILL says 58 rounds of "Shell, H.E. MkII"!

This would indeed reflect its intended use as an infantry-supporting assault tank...

By the time the MkI was used by Gerry Chester's North Irish Horse in Tunisia however, as a gun tank, whether officially or as a field expedient the load-out had become "75% HE, 25% smoke"

...and THIS would reflect the fact that the NIH didn't have Close Support (CS) tanks issued to them yet! So despite the elevation issues the MkI gun tanks HAD to throw their own smoke.

Confirming this...after the fighting in Tunisia was over, and the North Irish Horse was re-arming to all MkIII 6pdr-armed tanks for Italy - they were SENT MkI CS and MkII CS Churchills from the UK!

There not being a smoke round for the 6pdr...!

Now THAT....for the 3in howitzer...is VERY interesting!!!

Well, the stowage lists are VERY detailed - and there's nothing other than the spare sighting telescopes - one spare in the turret AND one for the hull installation.

So I'm assuming the "range scale" is the numbers in that gunners'-eye view through the telescope I posted up above...?

 

I doubt very much that a RT was produced unless the equipment was issued to RA. Correcting for non-standard conditions would have been far more than the RAC could have coped with. Assuming they never calibrated their needs would have been met by a simple card giving Range and TE, but I suspect they relied solely on range being marked on the sight.

 

I know I've been a bit slow in coming back on this:

For the 3.7" Tank Mortar, the sighting system used a rotary range drum. To engage: the range is set on the drum, a cam connected to the drum offsets the sight below the bore axis by the appropriate angle, the sight is brought up on to the target, elevating the gun, and bang. Presumably minor corrections could be made through the scope by aiming off.
This system avoids the need to have a graduated reticule for the mortar.