Churchill tanks about to move into the Odon Valley, Normandy, July 1944

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

The Churchill was armed with a 75 mm gun. The tank weighed 39 tons, had a top speed of 17 miles (27 kilometres) per hour, and had a range of 90 miles. A highly versatile tank, some Churchill models were adapted to mount flame throwers. The Churchill chassis could also be fitted with equipment for mine sweeping, bridge laying and other specialised engineering tasks.