17 PDR SELF-PROPELLED GUN "ARCHER" 1944

Description

When the 17 Pounder Anti-Tank gun entered service in 1942, a great deal of time was spent trying to mount this powerful weapon in a suitable vehicle. The Valentine tank was one vehicle that was put forward in the Spring of that year. Vickers were asked by the Ministry of Supply to try and adapt the Valentine chassis to mount the 17 Pounder. The result was the Archer, which featured a low open-top superstructure, which was ready for trials in March 1943. The Archer was a unique design, with the gun mounted backwards over the engine deck to reduce the length of the vehicle. This layout proved highly effective as the Archer could be reversed into fire positions, and quickly driven out of danger if the need arose. The Archer was relatively small and compact, it weighed only 16 tonnes and had a road speed of 32km/h. However changes to the gun mounting and other details meant that the Archer was not mass produced until mid-1944. The 17 Pounder gun firing APCBC ammunition could penetrate 140mm of armour angled at 30 degrees at a range of 1,000 meters. It was well able to destroy German Tiger and Panther tanks at battle ranges. The Archer was mostly issued to the Anti-Tank Regiments of the Royal Artillery attached to Infantry Divisions. Archers served in small numbers after WWII and some were exported to friendly nations. Over 800 Archers were ordered, but only about 665 were built before the war ended. (Scale : 1/35e)