Challenger tank (A30) crossing a Bailey bridge near Esch, Luxembourg, 27 October 1944

Photograph, World War Two, North West Europe (1944-1945), 1944.

The Cruiser Tank Mk VIII Challenger (A30) was produced in relatively small numbers as a stop-gap response to the threat posed by German heavy tanks. Fitted with a powerful 76 mm gun its primary role was as a tank destroyer. Production was limited as the Sherman Firefly quickly assumed this role within the Allied armoured formations.