Lot 1070

The Littlefield Collection

Churchill 6.5-inch AVRE

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$39,100 USD | Sold

United States | Portola Valley, California

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Addendum: PLEASE NOTE: This lot is being sold on Bill of Sale only

Weight: 44.8-tons (40,643-kg)

Length: 24' 5” (7.44-m)

Width: 10' 8” (3.25-m)

Height: 8' 2” (2.49-m)

Crew: 5

Armor:

Hull front: 5.5” (140-mm)

Turret front: 6” (150-mm)

Weapons:

-Primary

1x 165-mm L9A1 demolition gun

-Secondary

2x 7.92-mm Besa machine guns

-Ammunition

x 165-mm

x 7.92-mm

Engine: Bedford twin-six gasoline engine, 350-hp

Power/weight: 7.8-hp/ton

Fuel Capacity:

Range: 56-miles (90-km)

Speed: 13-mph (20.5-km/h)

The tank being offered, Churchill 6.5-inch AVRE, is original and unrestored. The exterior paint is in good condition. The interior is very complete. All controls appear to be functioning normally. The tracks, roadwheels and suspension components are all in good condition. All hatches open and close normally. The turret rotates manually. The main armament elevates and depresses manually. The fuel tanks appear to be in good condition. The engine has either a bad head gasket, cracked head or cracked block.

The Churchill 6.5-inch Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) was a post-war conversion of the Churchill Mk VII infantry tank. The Churchill Mk VII was an uparmored version of the Churchill infantry tank. It increased the armor from a minimum of .6-inch (16-mm) and maximum of 4-inches (102-mm) seen on the early tanks up to 1-inch (25-mm) minimum and 6-inches (150-mm) maximum. The AVRE had the Mk VII's 75-mm cannon replaced with a 6.5-inch (165-mm) L9A1 demolition gun which fired a 64-lb (29-kg) plastic explosive-filled round used for demolishing emplacements and obstacles. A bracket was fitted to the front of the tank to carry large fascine bundles used to fill in ditches and trenches.

The Churchill AVRE served with the Royal Engineers until 1963 when the Centurion AVRE replaced it armed with the same L9A1 165-mm demolition gun.

Transport Cost to Storage: $4,752