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Britain's Archer Self Propelled 17 pdr
S-P 17pdr Valentine Mk I5
Archer in Germany in 1945  |
Archer Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum |
Archer |
Archer, in use with Egyptian forces after World War II |
Design
The 17 pdr anti-tank gun was approved for service in May 1942 and it was decided that it need to be mounted on a self propelled tank chassis.5 Initially it was thought to used the Bishop, but this was impracticle.5 Then the Crusader tank was chosen but it was unreliable.5 Vickers was then asked to use a Valentine chassis.
The gun was mounted with it facing towards the rear as it was too long to face forwards.5 The Archer had a low silhouette which was advantageous in battle.5
The driver was located in the front of the Archer, but he couldn't remain in his seat when the gun was fired.5
Prototype
Firing trials of the Archer occurred in April 1943.5
Production
800 Archers were initially ordered.5 First Archer was completed in March 1944.5
- Total: 6553, 6655
Usage
Northwest Europe
It first appeared in combat in NW Europe in October 1944.5 It went to equip anti-tank units in the armored divisions.5
Italy
A few were sent to the 8th Army fighting in Italy.5
| Archer | |
|---|---|
| Crew | Commander, gunner, loader, driver.2 41,2,3,5 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 35,840 lb3, 36,960 lb2 14.75 tons1, 18.5 tons5 14,990 kg1, 16,257 kg3, 18, 796 kg5 |
| Length w/gun | 21' 11"3,5, 21' 11.25"2 6.68 m3,5 |
| Length w/o gun | 18' 6"3, 17' 9"1 5.41 m1, 5.54 m3 |
| Height | 7' 4"1,5, 7' 4.5"2,3 2.23 m1, 2.24 m5, 2.25 m3 |
| Width | 8' 7.5"2, 8' 8"5, 9'1, 9' 0.5"3 2.64 m5, 2.75 m1, 2.76 m3 |
| Ground clearance | |
| Ground contact length | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament | |
| Main | 17 pdr (76.2 mm) OQF Mk I1 17 pdr OQF2,5 17 pdr (76.2 mm)3 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | 7.7 mm (.303 cal) Bren MG3,5 |
| MG - antiaircraft | .303 cal Bren2 |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | 392,5 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 82, 602,5 |
| Hull Front, Upper | |
| Hull Front, Lower | |
| Hull Sides, Upper | |
| Hull Sides, Lower | |
| Hull Rear | |
| Hull Top | |
| Hull Bottom | |
| Turret Front | |
| Turret Sides | |
| Turret Rear | |
| Turret Top | |
| Engine (Make / Model) | GMC 6-711 General Motors 6-713 GMC M105 |
| Cylinders | 63 |
| Net HP | 1655, 1923 |
| Transmission | |
| Fuel type | Diesel3,5 |
| Octane | |
| Capacity | |
| Performance | |
| Traverse | 11° left, 11° right.2 |
| Max Speed | 15 mph2, 14.9 mph1, 20 mph3 24 kph1, 32.2 kph3 |
| Cross Country | 8 mph2 |
| Road radius | 90 miles1,2, 140 miles3 145 km1, 225 km3 |
| Turning Radius | |
| Elevation Limits | -7.5° to 15°2 |
| Fording depth | 3'2,3 0.91 m3 |
| Trench crossing | 7' 6"2, 7' 9"3 2.36 m3 |
| Vertical Obstacle | 2' 9"2,3 0.84 m3 |
| Suspension (Type) | "Slow motion" with 3-wheel bogies.2 |
| Wheels each side | 6 |
| Return rollers each side | 3 |
| Track length | |
| Tires | |
| Track width | 14"2 |
| Track centers/tread | 7' 3"2 |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- British and American Tanks of World War Two, The Complete Illustrated History of British, American, and Commonwealth Tanks 1933-1945, Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, 1969
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
- -
- World Encyclopedia of Armored Fighting Vehicles, Jack Livesey, 2006
