Archer

This vehicle was unusual in that its gun faced the rear of the chassis instead of the front.

• Name — SP 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer • Origin — United Kingdom • Type — Self-propelled artillery anti-tank gun • Is Vehicle — yes • Is Uk — yes • Service — September 1944 - early 1950s (UK) • Used By — United Kingdom, Egypt, Jordan • Wars — Second World War, Suez Crisis • Designer — Vickers-Armstrongs • Manufacturer — Vickers-Armstrongs • Production Date — March 1943 – May 1945 • Number — 655 • Weight — 15 long tons (15 tonnes) • Length — 21 ft • Width — 9 ft • Height — 7 ft • Crew — 4 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver) • Armour — 14 - • Primary Armament — QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) gun 39 rounds • Secondary Armament —.303 Bren light machine gun • Engine — GMC 6-71 6-cylinder diesel • Engine Power — 192 bhp • Fuel Capacity — 50 impgal • Pw Ratio — 10.1 hp/t • Suspension — coil spring bogie • Vehicle Range — 140 mi on roads • Speed — 20 mph off-road: 8 mph

Compared to German tank designs, British tanks generally lagged behind in terms of firepower during the war. This prompted British planners to devise a short-term solution to enhance the firepower of the British Army. They investigated tank chassis in production and landed on the Valentine because of its rapid adaptability to a new role. It was decided that the 17-pounder gun was to be mounted in a simple, low, open-topped superstructure with the gun facing to the rear to avoid the new design from being too front-heavy due to the 17-pounder's immense weight. The mounting allowed for 11° of traverse to either side, with elevation from -7.5° to +15°. The engine in the Archer had a higher power rating than in the Valentine. The first prototype was completed in 1943, with firing trials carried out in April 1943. On firing, the gun breech recoiled just shy of the driver's space. The unorthodox way the gun was mounted let the driver stay in position ready to drive the vehicle away without turning around if needed to move quickly. The rear mounting combined with its low silhouette made the Archer an excellent ambush weapon, allowing its crew to fire, then drive away. Vickers-Armstrongs were given orders for 800 vehicles—with 655 being made before the end of the Second World War.

The rear-facing mount of the 17-pounder allowed crews to adopt "shoot-and-scoot" ambush tactics: Archers were typically emplaced behind cover, fired on advancing armour, then drove away without having to turn the vehicle around, which aided rapid withdrawal and survivability in defensive operations. The Archer's low silhouette made concealment easier, increasing the effectiveness of such ambushes, though the confined fighting compartment and limited gun traverse reduced effectiveness in close or highly mobile engagements. Contemporary and later accounts also note that recoil and crew layout constrained ergonomics, but that the vehicle was a practical and economical solution for mounting the powerful 17-pounder on an existing chassis.

• Illustration — An 'Archer' in position at Rafah, Sinai War, 1956. Production started in mid-1943 and the Archer entered service in October 1944. It was used in North-West Europe and (in 1945) in Italy. Under military doctrines prevalent in Commonwealth armies at the time, vehicles such as the Archer were "self-propelled anti-tank guns" and operated by the Royal Artillery (RA), rather than Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). This was the same for two vehicles of US origin, that were initially conceived as "tank destroyers" though not used as such by the British: the 3 in. Self-Propelled Mount M10 and 17 pdr Self-Propelled Achilles. Post-war, the Egyptian Army received 200 ex-British Archers after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Some were successfully used against Israeli armour in 1956. The Archer served with some units of the Royal Armoured Corps in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s. Jordanian Arab Legion and National Guard were supplied with 36 ex-British Archers in 1952.

Surviving vehicles are preserved at • Yad La-Shiryon museum in Latrun • National War and Resistance Museum, Overloon in the Netherlands • National Military Museum, Soesterberg in the Netherlands • The Tank Museum in the UK • The Wheatcroft Collection in the UK, awaiting restoration • Cavalry Tank Museum, Ahmednagar, India. One Archer with a short-barrelled gun minus gun mantlet • Australian Armour and Artillery Museum in Cairns, Australia • The Royal Tank Museum, Amman, Jordan