- Black Prince (tank)
Infobox Weapon
name=Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)
caption=Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)
origin=flagcountry|UK
type=Infantry tank
is_vehicle=yes
length=7.7
width=3.4
height=2.7
weight=49 t
suspension=sprung bogie
speed=11 mph (off-road 7 mph)
vehicle_range=~100 miles
primary_armament=QF 17 pdr
secondary_armament=2 x 7.92 mmBesa MG
armour=152
engine=2 x Bedford Flat 12
engine_power=350
pw_ratio=
crew=5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver/hull gunner)The Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43) was the name assigned to an experimental development of the
Churchill tank with a larger, wider hull and aQF 17-pounder (76 mm) gun. It was named after a14th century figure, Edward, Prince of Wales, who fought at Crécy.As a development from the Churchill, the Black Prince was a continuation of the line of
Infantry tank s, that is tanks intended to operate in close support of British infantry. The parallel development in British tank design were theCruiser tank s which were intended for more mobile operations.The cruiser line of tanks led to the
Cromwell tank (and the 17 pounder armed Challenger variant) and then theComet tank , (which had a variant of the 17 pounder gun) entering service during the war. While not as heavily protected as the Churchill the Comet showed the way tank development was going and the last of the cruiser line and the first of the "Universal tanks", theCenturion tank was approaching completion.In the light of the slow speed of the Black Prince, and the 17 pounder armament of the Centurion the Black Prince project would be limited. Only six prototypes were completed while the first Centurions were rushed to Germany to try to beat the wars end.
Black Prince tanks are held by the
Imperial War Museum Duxford and theBovington Tank Museum .External links
* [http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/7413/a43blackprince.html A43, Tank, Infantry, Black Prince]
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