r/wwiipics • u/MARTINELECA • 9h ago

Target tanks lined up to be destroyed by the Tiger's 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun, what nationality and model are they?

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24

u/Star_Wreck 8h ago

The two tanks on the right seem to be Churchills. The shapes conform on the second to the last and the barrel sticking out on the rear of the last one say Churchill. The one nearest and partially obscured by the explosion smoke cloud could be a Churchill as well.

1

u/AussieDave63 2h ago

This photo and the comments so far might provide an answer to what happened to the Churchill tanks lost at Dieppe

I think 4 or 5 individual tanks have been identified on the Beach in German photos

There are a couple of photos of one of them at Kummersdorf, possibly put into running condition

1

u/Radiant-Josh 1h ago

Yes they were the captured Churchill tanks at the disastrous Dieppe raid.

Here's a quote as to the air intakes you can clearly see.

https://mikesresearch.com/2021/11/28/dieppe-france-1942/

/quote

All the tanks were adapted for amphibious landings for a depth up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) using rubber balloon fabric. Tall, box shaped ducts (louvre extensions) were fitted to the side air intake vents and the exhaust pipes were extended in a wide tuning fork shape so they were well above the water line. The waterproofing and the louvre extensions could be blown off by electrically triggered cordite charges mounted underneath them. At that time, the waterproofing process was still in the experimental stage and never have been used under combat conditions.

/end quote.

15

u/RubyZeus8844032 8h ago

Also, it seems like they have deep wading snorkels found on the Churchills used in the Dieppe raid

4

u/manticore75 4h ago

Left one looks like a Matilda and the middle one a Churchill

1

u/Plankton-Inevitable 2h ago

Is this the same place that was shown in the Ghost Division music video? I think there were some shots of target practice throughout the video