Churchill I World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	Churchill I
Type	Heavy tank
Tier	V
Armament	75mm Vickers HV: penetration 145mm; damage 135
Armoring	Hull: 89mm/63mm/76mm, turret: 89mm/89mm/76mm
Durability	700 health points
Mobility	Top speed: 25km/h, engine: 350HP
Role	Medium distance combat, close combat

Churchill I is the first British heavy tank available in the game. This vehicle is, to some extent, a counterpart of the Soviet KV-1: it is sluggish, well armored, has a lot of health points and a cannon that can deal with opponents in no time at all. This tank is good for both combat over medium distance, where it is capable of destroying the enemy using the high accuracy of the 75mm Vickers HV cannon, and also block the crucial points, or lead an attack, while taking on the enemy fire. Mastering this vehicle will be profitable for you because, the next two vehicles (Churchill VII and the Black Prince) are nearly identical in how they play.

Development, equipment, crew

Before you start playing with Churchill I, I recommend that you develop completely the Valentine Mk. III medium tank, thanks to which you will have access to several, already unlocked cannons. Depending on your preferences, you can remain with the QF 2-pdr Mk. X cannon, or mount OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk. I. the next step is the development of the new suspension and the turret. After you mount these modules, you will be able to replace armament to the 75mm cannon Mk. V. Now you only have to unlock, the slightly more effective, 75mm Vickers HV cannon, the engine and the radio.

Preferred equipment: shell rammer, improved guidance system, improved ventilation

Optional equipment: toolbox, vertical stabilizer

Skills and perks: sixth sense for the commander, repair for the rest of the crew. Then, brothers in arms for the entire crew. You can also try selecting a skill that improves on the tank handling, like the clutch braking or the off-road driving.

Weak points

At first look, Churchill I may look as if it was nearly indestructible but, the practice will quickly verify that. The plates of the armoring, in spite of their thickness, are quite easy to penetrate, because the angle of their inclination is not too high. For that reason, if only you have the cannon capable of penetrating 100mm of armor, you only need to position yourself at the angle of 90 degrees, towards the Churchill I and start your fire. While attacking the tank from the front, you can aim at the tracks, because unlike in the case of the other vehicles, you can deal damage if you score a hit. Apart from that, at the front, there are several smaller points that are vulnerable to fire - they have been marked in the picture. While attacking Churchill I from the side, it is sufficient to aim at the center of the hull, best towards the rear of the vehicle, in hope to set the vehicle on fire.

Churchill I, just like most of the vehicles, has access to two various turrets. It is worth knowing, however, that the vehicle, while equipped with its basic version, has the front much better armored than while mounted with the improved turret. If you encounter the Churchill I with 650 health points , do not attack this point. In the case, in which the enemy tank has 700 health points you can easily fire at the turret - it is much weaker and the cannons, of the penetration value of 100mm, can penetrate it without any problems.

I recommend against attacking the Churchill I if it is angled towards you- both its sides and the front reflect a lot of shells, and the enemy is capable of defeating you, thanks to its firepower.

How to play...

...as the driver of the Churchill I?

• Although the vehicle is well protected, and has a lot of health points, you should not (unless required by the circumstances) fight on it in the first line. While keeping the distance of 200 meters of the enemy, you are capable of penetrating its armoring without any problems, whereas he will have problems situating itself in the position convenient to respond with fire.
• If it is necessary, you can shorten the distance and start your attack. All of the cannons will then be pointed at you, which should allow the rest of the squad to smash the enemy forces.
• While fighting vehicles of the same tier, you should have no problems with one-on-one duels, or even two-on-one. The high rate of fire of the 75mm Vickers HV cannon, in combination with good armoring and high amount of health points, allows you to conduct duels at short distance.
• While fighting tanks of the higher tiers, you are still capable of penetrating their armor, but your bulk and the insufficient armoring, will make it difficult to fight a well-balanced fight. Whenever possible, you should attack the enemy at a larger distance, at the moment at which it is busy exchanging fire with another vehicle.
• Your tank is slow. Very slow. Before you start your journey around the map, you should find out where your support will be the most needed and go there. Unfortunately, the Churchill I is incapable of changing positions quickly, and therefore, the inappropriate assessment of the allied forces' distribution, may result in the enemy ignoring you and capturing your flag.
• The improved turret is much more poorly armored than the basic one - if you are not going to mount the improved cannon (you haven't developed it yet), you should not do that.
• This tank has a very low radius of cannon elevation and it should not fight in hilly, or mountainous areas. Additionally, the fight in the relatively flat areas increases the effectiveness of your front armoring.

...against the Churchill I?

• While driving a tank of the same, or a lower, tier, you should never get engaged into fight against the Churchill I - even if heavily damaged tank can win such a duel.
• While fighting with the opponent, you should shorten the distance and, after you render it immobile (de-tracking) you will be able to circle around it easily and conduct continuous fire. The spin of the Churchill I is very slow and therefore, it should not manage to follow you.
• This vehicle often receives critical damage - any penetration of decreases its combat value considerably. I especially recommend that you aim at the back of the hull, because the Churchill I is quite easy to set on fire.
• Just like in the case of any other slow vehicle, you can de-track this tank and summon the support of self-propelled guns. Even the artillery of the lower tiers is capable of destroying Churchill I pretty quickly.