Design work began in 1942 on the Archer, a self-propelled anti-tank gun intended as a stopgap until a full-time solution could be found. Mounting the gigantic 17 pounder gun on the relatively small Valentine infantry tank chassis was a challenge which the Archer's designers met with an unusual solution - installing the gun back-to-front, with the fighting compartment taking up the front of the vehicle. Using armor-piercing rounds, it could defeat 192mm of armor at 914 meters, enough to pose ample threat to any German armor of the day. Production began in 1944, and Archers were delivered to the British Army's Armoured and Infantry Divisions, who began using it from October.
