Difference between revisions of "Churchill AVRE Petard"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Alpha Strike"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/8912-event-earn-the-churchill-avre-in-the-operation-overlord-event-en|2024 Operation Overlord event]].
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' , officially the "'''Mortar, Recoiling, Spigot, 29mm, Mk I'''", was the first vehicle to bear the name "AVRE" ('''A'''rmored '''V'''ehicle '''R'''oyal '''E'''ngineer) as a breakthrough tank for British Army's Royal Engineers. By 1942, after the dreadful Dieppe raid at very high man cost due to the lack of means for beachhead breakthrough, especially beachheads with extensive bunker/pillbox and during explosive works on breaching obstacles. This led to a program to develop a vehicle specifically for this purpose and serving as a mobile cover for royal engineers while operating in the battlefield; after the evaluations done on different tanks, the Churchill infantry tank became the chosen vehicle for this mission. Aside from some components were replaced by engineering supplies and having larger side doors for infantry operation, a new 290 mm spigot motor dubbed "flying dustbin" was also installed in the turret as the ranged demolition charge without having to leave the vehicle during crossfire. After trials in 1943, the new vehicle now known as the AVRE was ready for service and proved very successful during the breakthrough stage on the Normandy Landings on June 1944, where the 79th Armored Division with their "Hobart's Funnies" vehicles successfully provided reliable support for the first wave of assault groups. The AVRE name would also be retained for all new vehicles designed for these purposes, including the [[Centurion Mk.5 AVRE]] which was still in service in Gulf War of 1990s.
 +
 
 +
Introduced during [[Update "Alpha Strike"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/8912-event-earn-the-churchill-avre-in-the-operation-overlord-event-en|2024 Operation Overlord event]], the vehicle retains most features from a conventional Churchill Mk.III tank with sufficient protection, but when players see the oddly short yet high caliber spigot motor at very close range, the "flying dustbin" will be the very last thing they ever see before the vehicle is blasted into pieces.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
To conclude the protection of AVRE in one simple sentence: identical to a baseline Churchill III. By its tier, Churchill has a relatively reliable protection thanks to its true identity - a heavy tank (although officially an infantry tank); before jumping straight into a game, the "reliable" protection is not equal to invincible as there are still some cannons that can penetrate the III series i.e Soviet F-34 and German Kwk 42, as well as US 3 inch guns. In most cases, if their shot falls onto sloped parts of the hull, AVRE will very unlikely be harmed at all; be sure to keep the flanks clear and not as aggressive as on standard Churchill series since it takes more than 15 seconds to reload the petard, any missed shot is the worst decision players can ever made.
 +
 
 +
As for the crew and internal compartments, the overall layout is mostly identical to a III, but the major difference goes to the remaining demolition charges stored inside the vehicle, while the sufficiently spacious interior might migrate some damage, a direct hit on those charges will certainly blow the turret into the height of Big Ben. So pointing the hull at oncoming fire is very essential for the service of Churchill AVRE.
  
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
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! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' <br> ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
|ull||89 mm ''Front plate''
−
|-
+
89 + 89 mm ''Front plate (MG Port)''
−
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' <br> ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
38 mm (63°) ''Front glacis''
 +
76.2 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis''
 +
|63.5 mm ''Overall side armour''
 +
76.2 mm ''Side hatch''
 +
38.1 mm ''Side edge''||50.8 mm
 +
25.4 mm (60-69°) ''Bottom''
 +
|19.05 mm ''Front''
 +
15.87 mm ''Rear''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
+
|Turret||89 mm (0-49°) ''Turret front''
 +
89 mm (0-30°) ''Gun mantlet''
 +
19.05 mm (77°) ''Roof area''||76.2 mm (0-47°)||76.2 + 7 mm||19.05 mm
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
−
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''
+
Churchill Mk.III uses identical engine to any previous or later production of Churchill series, namely the Belford "Flat Twelve" 12 cylinder, horizontal petrol engine; maxed at 350 hp, although it can drive the vehicle, but this also means it would never be the first to hit the frontline due to its rather slow acceleration and topped at 24 km/h.
  
 
{{tankMobility}}
 
{{tankMobility}}
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{{main|Petard (230 mm)}}
 
{{main|Petard (230 mm)}}
  
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
Players might have some confusion with the official name of the tank and its true caliber; the 29 mm is in fact referring to the spigot (the tube that the ammunition inserted onto), the ammunition itself is 230 mm and known as the Petard or commonly as the "flying dustbin" referring to its dustbin like appearance. With around 17.8 kg TNTe of demolition charge, a single hit can literary demolish most, if not all targets AVRE will face at its tier; be careful of its rather long reload time (reloaded by driver from a overhead hatch into the barrel) and damages to the ammunition itself even from machine gun fire.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}
 
{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}
  
−
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
All British-built tanks in WWII retains a .303 BESA machine gun; in this case, the machine gun is retained in the turret for taking out exposed crews of enemy vehicles.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->'''Pros:'''
−
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
−
'''Pros:'''
 
 
* Huge explosive filler in mortar shell can obliterate anything it touches, even above its BR
 
* Huge explosive filler in mortar shell can obliterate anything it touches, even above its BR
 
* Due to curved arc of the mortar, it can be easily lobbed over obstacles or terrain to hit target hiding behind them
 
* Due to curved arc of the mortar, it can be easily lobbed over obstacles or terrain to hit target hiding behind them
 
* Extremely thick armour, especially for its BR
 
* Extremely thick armour, especially for its BR
 +
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 +
 
* Extremely terrible shell velocity; cannot shoot further than 10 meters in a straight line, and has a maximum range of only 150 meters
 
* Extremely terrible shell velocity; cannot shoot further than 10 meters in a straight line, and has a maximum range of only 150 meters
 
* Being a mortar shell, the shell takes very long time to lob and descend onto the target if shooting at range, making it nearly impossible to hit moving targets
 
* Being a mortar shell, the shell takes very long time to lob and descend onto the target if shooting at range, making it nearly impossible to hit moving targets
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 +
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''

Revision as of 18:53, 3 July 2024

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
This page is about the British heavy tank Churchill AVRE Petard. For other variants, see Churchill (Family).
Churchill AVRE Petard
uk_churchill_avre.png
GarageImage Churchill AVRE Petard.jpg
Churchill AVRE Petard
Britain flag.png Britain
II Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.7 2.7 2.7
Class:
PREMIUM
Purchase:Bundle or Gift
Show in game

Description

The Churchill Mk.III AVRE Petard , officially the "Mortar, Recoiling, Spigot, 29mm, Mk I", was the first vehicle to bear the name "AVRE" (Armored Vehicle Royal Engineer) as a breakthrough tank for British Army's Royal Engineers. By 1942, after the dreadful Dieppe raid at very high man cost due to the lack of means for beachhead breakthrough, especially beachheads with extensive bunker/pillbox and during explosive works on breaching obstacles. This led to a program to develop a vehicle specifically for this purpose and serving as a mobile cover for royal engineers while operating in the battlefield; after the evaluations done on different tanks, the Churchill infantry tank became the chosen vehicle for this mission. Aside from some components were replaced by engineering supplies and having larger side doors for infantry operation, a new 290 mm spigot motor dubbed "flying dustbin" was also installed in the turret as the ranged demolition charge without having to leave the vehicle during crossfire. After trials in 1943, the new vehicle now known as the AVRE was ready for service and proved very successful during the breakthrough stage on the Normandy Landings on June 1944, where the 79th Armored Division with their "Hobart's Funnies" vehicles successfully provided reliable support for the first wave of assault groups. The AVRE name would also be retained for all new vehicles designed for these purposes, including the Centurion Mk.5 AVRE which was still in service in Gulf War of 1990s.

Introduced during Update "Alpha Strike" as a reward for the 2024 Operation Overlord event, the vehicle retains most features from a conventional Churchill Mk.III tank with sufficient protection, but when players see the oddly short yet high caliber spigot motor at very close range, the "flying dustbin" will be the very last thing they ever see before the vehicle is blasted into pieces.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull89 / 76 / 51
Turret89 / 89 / 76
Crew5 people
Visibility87 %

To conclude the protection of AVRE in one simple sentence: identical to a baseline Churchill III. By its tier, Churchill has a relatively reliable protection thanks to its true identity - a heavy tank (although officially an infantry tank); before jumping straight into a game, the "reliable" protection is not equal to invincible as there are still some cannons that can penetrate the III series i.e Soviet F-34 and German Kwk 42, as well as US 3 inch guns. In most cases, if their shot falls onto sloped parts of the hull, AVRE will very unlikely be harmed at all; be sure to keep the flanks clear and not as aggressive as on standard Churchill series since it takes more than 15 seconds to reload the petard, any missed shot is the worst decision players can ever made.

As for the crew and internal compartments, the overall layout is mostly identical to a III, but the major difference goes to the remaining demolition charges stored inside the vehicle, while the sufficiently spacious interior might migrate some damage, a direct hit on those charges will certainly blow the turret into the height of Big Ben. So pointing the hull at oncoming fire is very essential for the service of Churchill AVRE.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
ull 89 mm Front plate

89 + 89 mm Front plate (MG Port) 38 mm (63°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (19°) Lower glacis

63.5 mm Overall side armour

76.2 mm Side hatch 38.1 mm Side edge||50.8 mm 25.4 mm (60-69°) Bottom

19.05 mm Front

15.87 mm Rear

Turret 89 mm (0-49°) Turret front

89 mm (0-30°) Gun mantlet 19.05 mm (77°) Roof area||76.2 mm (0-47°)||76.2 + 7 mm||19.05 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB30 / 3 km/h
RB and SB28 / 3 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight39.0 t
Engine power
AB668 hp
RB and SB350 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB17.1 hp/t
RB and SB9.0 hp/t

Churchill Mk.III uses identical engine to any previous or later production of Churchill series, namely the Belford "Flat Twelve" 12 cylinder, horizontal petrol engine; maxed at 350 hp, although it can drive the vehicle, but this also means it would never be the first to hit the frontline due to its rather slow acceleration and topped at 24 km/h.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 30 3 39 _,___ 668 __.__ 17.13
Realistic 28 3 _,___ 350 __.__ 8.97

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB566 Sl icon.png
RB645 Sl icon.png
SB770 Sl icon.png
Crew training3 400 Sl icon.png
Experts23 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces380 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 40 / 60 / 60 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism

Armaments

Main armament

230 mm Petard mortar
Ammunition16 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
26.0 → 20.0 s
Vertical guidance-3° / 15°
Main article: Petard (230 mm)

Players might have some confusion with the official name of the tank and its true caliber; the 29 mm is in fact referring to the spigot (the tube that the ammunition inserted onto), the ammunition itself is 230 mm and known as the Petard or commonly as the "flying dustbin" referring to its dustbin like appearance. With around 17.8 kg TNTe of demolition charge, a single hit can literary demolish most, if not all targets AVRE will face at its tier; be careful of its rather long reload time (reloaded by driver from a overhead hatch into the barrel) and damages to the ammunition itself even from machine gun fire.

230 mm Petard Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 16 -3°/+15° ±180° - __._ __._ __._ __._ __._ _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic __._ __._ __._ __._ __._

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
No.1 Demolition Bomb Rocket 64 64 64 64 64 64
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
No.1 Demolition Bomb Rocket 50 18.14 0 0.1 17.73 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
16 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Machine guns

7.92 mm BESA machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition9 450 rounds
Belt capacity225 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main article: BESA (7.92 mm)

All British-built tanks in WWII retains a .303 BESA machine gun; in this case, the machine gun is retained in the turret for taking out exposed crews of enemy vehicles.

7.92 mm BESA
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
___ (___) ___ __° __°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Huge explosive filler in mortar shell can obliterate anything it touches, even above its BR
  • Due to curved arc of the mortar, it can be easily lobbed over obstacles or terrain to hit target hiding behind them
  • Extremely thick armour, especially for its BR

Cons:

  • Extremely terrible shell velocity; cannot shoot further than 10 meters in a straight line, and has a maximum range of only 150 meters
  • Being a mortar shell, the shell takes very long time to lob and descend onto the target if shooting at range, making it nearly impossible to hit moving targets
  • Due to very limited range of the mortar, the tank struggle to perform in open terrain where virtually all of the enemy can outrange it
  • Mortar shell can be detonated inside the barrel, potentially causing lethal damage
  • Very poor top speed and mobility, highly vulnerable to airstrike

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Britain heavy tanks
Matilda  Matilda III · Matilda Hedgehog
Churchill  Churchill I · Churchill III · Churchill VII · Churchill Crocodile · Churchill NA75 · Black Prince
Post-war  Caernarvon · Conqueror
Other  Independent · Excelsior · TOG II

Britain premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II 1939 · AEC Mk II · Crusader "The Saint" · Rooikat 105
Medium tanks  A.C.I · Grant I · Cromwell V (RP-3) · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" · A.C.IV · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
  Centurion Mk.2 · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk.5/1 · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet · Centurion Action X
  Vijayanta · Khalid · Challenger DS · Challenger 2 OES
Heavy tanks  Independent · Matilda Hedgehog · Excelsior · TOG II · Churchill Crocodile · Black Prince
Tank destroyers  Alecto I · Achilles (65 Rg.) · QF 3.7 Ram

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