CHURCHILL MKIII TANK BRITISH ARMY EL ALAMEIN EGYPT 1942 - CORGI CC60104 1/50

In October 1942, El Alamein (Egypt) saw a decisive allied victory. The famed German General Rommel's advancing Afrika Korps were out-manned and outgunned by the British General Montgomery's 8th Army who had a two-to-one advantage in tanks enabling their forces to push the Germans back to Tunisia. The victory in El Alamein eliminated the German threat to the Suez Canal and the Middle East. By May 1943, the Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered, giving the allies a foothold to attack Italy. There was a feeling that the Churchill's cooling system was quite inadequate for desert warfare, so in order to find out, six MKII's were shipped to Egypt in order to take part in the Second Battle of Alamein, These were to be manned by a small unit known as 'Kingforce' and commanded by Maj. Norris King of the Royal Gloucester Hussars. Under the direct command of 1st Armoured Division, 'Kingforce' went into action twice, first near Kidney Ridge on 27th October and the second at the major tank battle of Tel el Aqqaqir on 3rd November 1942. In these two actions the six vehicles absorbed 106 hits resulting in one tank destroyed, one immobilized, and one with a jammed turret, resulting in seven men being killed and eight wounded. In response, 'Kingforce' claimed five enemy tanks and three anti-tank guns. As a direct consequence of this seeming success, two Churchill tank brigades were dispatched to Tunisia to support the 1st Army although 'Kingforce' was immediately disbanded. The modeled tank was commanded by 2nd Lt. Howard and was badly damaged on 3rd November at Tel el Aqqaqir. The '510' scrawled on cardboard and fastened to the front track guard was the tactical number of 'Kingforce.'

Harland and Wolff Churchill

Designed as a heavy infantry tank to replace the Matilda II, the Churchill prototype was completed in June 1940 and the type entered production in June 1941. The design was largely influenced by the British Army's experiences with trench warfare during WWI. As a result, the Churchill was a large, heavy (38 tons), and relatively slow machine, built to traverse heavily cratered landscapes to take on lightly armored infantry. The small turret significantly restricted the size of armament that could be fitted to the Churchill but it's heavy armor made it much more resilient than contemporary allied tanks.

Corgi Military Vehicles

The Corgi "Military Vehicles" range presents higly-detailed, ready-made diecast models of military vehicles. Corgi diecast tanks require no glueing or painting. Each model is an instant display piece or diorama centerpiece straight from the box. Made from diecast metal, die cast tanks from Corgi are 100% true to scale... these don't look like model tanks, they look like tanks!. Color, camouflage and unit markings are carefully researched for Maximum authenticity, marking the difference between and authentic scale model tank and a "toy" tank.

Corgi "Military Vehicles" diecast vehicles feature:

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Rotating turret, elevating cannon and accurate hull in diecast metal.
• Accurate moving tracks on detailed rotating wheels.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Limited Edition model – certificated 2,700 produced worldwide.