That incredible feat was accomplished with the guidance of Vauxhall’s then Assistant Chief Engineer, Harold Drew, who led the task force responsible for bringing the first Churchill Tanks into existence. The development timeline was mercifully shortened, in part, because Vauxhall had previously worked on an engine for a tank project that was ultimately abandoned. Despite the modest head start, Drew and his crack team of engineers worked tirelessly to get the Bedford 350 into working shape in a beyond impressive 89 days.
With a working engine capable of moving the heavily armored, 38-ton tank Vauxhall’s design team had in mind, considerable care also went into creating the vehicle’s turning mechanisms, as increased agility was a primary goal in creating the Churchill. Drew and his team turned to a Merritt-Brown steering system to increase the tank’s agility, as it utilized epicyclic gears that made it possible to regulate the tank’s track speeds while cornering. The gearbox was then linked to the steering mechanism to aid the tank’s ability to maneuver sharply in either direction.
Unfortunately, the gearboxes on early models were reportedly unreliable and required routine maintenance in the field, much to the chagrin of some tank operators. Despite the supposed shortcoming, after hitting the battlefield in 1942, nearly 6,000 Churchill tanks were manufactured for the war effort, becoming a mainstay for the British Infantry through the end of the conflict and arguably ranking among the most legendary tanks of World War II.
