HARLAND AND WOLFF CHURCHILL BRITISH ARMY TUNISIA 1943 - CORGI CC60105 1/50

On May 1, the 120-mile Allied front ran roughly from Enfidaville northwestward to Pont-du-Fahs and then northward to the coast about 18 miles west of Bizerte. The British Eighth Army was on the right, French units on the right center, the British First Army on the left center, and the United States 2d Corps on the left in the coastal strip. The main attack, by the First Army and the 2d Corps, began on May 4, the British drive being directed on Tunis and the American drive on Bizerte. A powerful force of aircraft supported the assaulting troops and the attack was preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment. Although the Axis troops fought with great determination, by May 6 the defense had cracked, and on the following day American and British troops entered Bizerte and Tunis, respectively. Confused fighting occurred from May 7 to May 12, but the British succeeded in clearing the Cape Bon Peninsula, where it had been thought that the Axis troops might make a last stand. On May 13, all Axis forces laid down their arms in surrender. About 240,000 prisoners were taken, including 125,000 Germans. Col. Gen. Dietloff Jurgen von Arnim, the German commander in Tunis, was among those captured. Field Marshal Rommel escaped. This final push began in April of 1943 when the North Irish Horse and 142 Regiment RAC, the 21 Tank Brigade RTR, 48 RTR and 145 (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment RAC supported the infantry divisions surge through the Medjerda Valley east of Medjez el Bab to penetrate the Axis forces now cornered behind the mountain defenses in Tunis. The "Duke's" used a tigerstripe pattern to break up their outlines and in the junior regiment of the 21 Tank Brigade all insignia would have been obscured apart from the blue 'C' on the side of the turret bin.

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.