Vehicles · United Kingdom · 1943-1945
Archer
tank destroyer
Built to get the powerful 17-pounder gun into the field quickly, the Archer mounted it in an open superstructure on the older Valentine infantry tank chassis, facing to the rear of the vehicle rather than the front. The unconventional layout kept the light chassis from being overloaded and let crews fire from ambush and reverse away immediately without turning around; it entered service in October 1944 and fought in North-West Europe and Italy.
| chassis | Valentine |
|---|---|
| gun | QF 17-pounder (76.2mm) |
| weight | 15 long tons |
| produced | 655 |
Western Europe, Mediterranean and North Africa
