Volume l0 Issue ll2

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 SpecidPurpose
Tanksof
\IUorldWll
Modernarnries cancallupon awhole family of specialist
armowed vehicles for combat engineefing operations, but in
World War II speciat purpose vehicles wete a novelty.
Several nations developed tanks for toles such as a rmoured
recovery, but Britain led the way with a bewildeing variety
of tank conversions reioicing inthe title of 'Funnies''
The contents of this study show something of an imbalance in compari-
son wrth those oiothers in this series, for they deal mainly with the many
types of special-purpose vehicles used by the Bntrsh 79th Armoured
Division. For once there is no preponderance of US designs because
during World War II the Americans spent little of their considerable
potentral on the types ofvehicle included here They concentrated on
combat vehicles pure and simple, and lrom the lactories of the Unlted
States poured streams of combat tanks and all manner of fighting vehi-
cles,
But rt was a different matter once these reached Europe There many
of them were reworked for special purposes, vehicles ranglng from
armoured englneer vehicles to mine-clearing tanks of severai types. It
was different as far as the British were concernedl they had a special
task to perform, namely the invasion of Europe in order to take on the
German army on the continent. The only way they could do that was by
using special vehicles of all kinds, those which could clear battlefield
obstacles, recover precious dlsabled vehicles and perform special
tasks such as burning out stubborn strongpoints The Germans and
+..€==
' - ::.;!, ,i,,:_ {'
.r':-,-,-3:#i=''' .-
rl =.-=:,r=ii:.i=:::
This Sherman Crab flail tank in action clearly shows the
amount of dust and dirt that these anti-tank mine flails
could produce. Sherman Crabs were used by the 79th
ArmouredDivision onD-Day and after, and asmallnumber
were passed to the US Army during 1944.
Americans drd not bother to use specialist vehrcles on such s:'=
lnstead they decided to make do with what they had, and the-,- 3 .=.,
suffered accordingly, For the simple fact is that many of the l-e:--:-:-
included here actually saved ltves. Combat enqtneers operati:-g:-:-
lnslde the protection of an armoured vehicle were much safer ri a:--:-,
than hapless soidiers attempting to work out in the open, and mel- *::,=:
mine-clearing tanks of whatever type were safer than men using :--,-=
clearing methods,
But not all special purpose vehicles fell into this category -:-,.-
described here include command vehicles, ammunitlon or carJ: l--
riers, and even such oddrties as the Rammtlger that was supp:s=: -
knock down buildrngs rn urban warfare, They are a motley buncl c:- - '
of interest and a subject of study in their own right,
A M atild a AMRA (Anti- M ine R oller Att achm en t) r's seen rn I I 4 2. T he s e an t:'
mine rollersweremeantto detonatemines by simply rolling over them ana
were originally developed for use with the eaily Cruiser tanks. The Matilia
was notihe only tank touse this device; somewere fitted toValentines.
!_
- -*t-
F'. -.
'8"
-'
 ffi bemolition charges
The demolition charges used by the
Bntrsh 'Funmes' were nearly all car-
ried by Churchill AVREs, for the em-
placrng of these special powerful
charges was one of the tasks for which
the AVRE was intended. The charges
themselves were special obstacle-
demolishrng packs of high explosive
that had to be placed agrainst the
targret, which might be anything from a
sea or anti-tank wall to a blockhouse or
an offendinq building, Sometrmes the
charges were large single chunks of
explosive, and in others they were
small charges setin a pallern and held
rn a steel frame, One thing all the va-
nous charges did have in common and
that was odd and even bizarre names.
One of the more straightforward of
these charge devices was the Banga-
lore Torpedo, These pipe chargres
were intended for mine- or barbed
wire-clearinq, but could be used for
other purposes and on the AVRE they
were held in front-mounted frames,
also used for the Jones Onion. The
Jones Onion first appeared rn 1942 and
was the codename given to a frame
onto which various charges could be of the AVRE on a simple steel arm. The plosive, and the whole ie'.-_::',';- :::-
attached, The frame was carried on
The Jones Onion, seen here carried
idea was that the AVRE simply moved ried on he AVaL a'.' :_:.: --: _:-= by a Churchill tank, was a demolition
two arms, one on each side of the up to the target and the charge was Goat was so lt-:J.l=: -.'.:- :- --. := device carried on a steel frame that
AVRE, and was held upright as the then ignrted, The charges involved pushed ag.:-:.::.=-::-::-:= .- :: -t l:. could be placed against an obstacle
targel was approached. Once rn posr- rangred in werght from 5.44 kg (12]b) molshed a:.: 'i.: :::i:.= -.'.':
tion the frame was released by pulling up to 11.34k9 (25 Ib), the smaller automa:_tl_;:._.=-= :. : ,:i:,-a -t : :.:n
JSL-
such as an anti-tankwall. The frame
was then released to allow the tank tc
on a cable and two legrs on the bottom charge rejoicing in the name of Light -ron. T:-.- :. , :.a .', : ..l -l_=:.
:=.:erse retire and detonate the charge.
of the frame were so arranged that the Carrot. The Carrot was used exten- at"a,'.+,',--.: --.::--:l; .r -:::-:_.]on lo
frame always fell agarnst the tarqet sively for trrals but was abandoned be ::::l :,.:=: :-::::-:aiiy or by the wall to be demolished and th=:_
obstacle. The charges could then be during late 1943 and was not used rn l---+,:- -::: -;--:: _:-:l:se cous_n released from the AVRE, Once in oc.: .
fired electrically by a trailing cable action. :: :: l:=: -.';:. :i:: Elevatable Goat, tion another release cable allowed -:-=
after the AVRE had reversed away, However, the Goat was used tn ac- -:-= -,';:-. :- ::-i=i:::;e agairist high linked charges to fall away from ,:-=
The side-mounted arms could then be
jettisoned if required,
tion, This may be considered as a de, ::: ::-:S ---::, - .i:.-iank walls, and frame, The top section of the frame r.;'.
velopment ol the Onion bur ri ,., - r---i-:--: -* -:^ Ai/DF-..
v,\L vvas carried above the top of the wall, and i:_.
Another device that appeared in much larger and Lnvolved the uss .' , ::- -:-: :-::: :: ire ^hull rather like an allowed the charges to fall onto ea:'
1942 was the Cafiot. This was a much frame 3.2 m (10 i' 6 in) wrde arrc . :: -. :r<,1*.:t-:)l:e The 'bridge'was in fact side of the wall, which could then :=
simpler device than the large Onion (6 fl 6 in) Ionq. Onto th-s toame : _ -: : : = :=:---: ::-'r;Lch lmked charoes were destroyed once the AVRE had mo-;=:
and consisted of a charge held in front arranged up to 816 kg (1 BOi li' :- =,.- , -- =- . :.= lajne was placed aqainst away,

>K tar,galore Torpedo tanks

The Bangalore Torpedo is an ancient
combat engineerinq device that was
revived dunng World War I for clear-
ing barbed-wire entanglements. In its
simplest form the Bangalore Torpedo
is a metal tube fllled with explosive
and sealed at both ends, Most types
have attachment points at each end to
enable other torpedoes to be joined to
make up extra lengths, The charges
are set off either by a burmng fuse or
by some form of remote detonator.
These torpedoes were soon in use by
armoured combat engineers to clear
paths through minefields, and simple
delivery devices such as that fltted to
the front of a Churchtll AVRE were
soon devrsed,
However the normal Bangalore Tor-
pedo is only about I 5 m (5 ft) long, and
armoured engdneers were often caled
upon to brrdge minefields many
metres deep. It would obviously save
time and effort if longer torpedoes
could be joined up to clear paths
through deep minefields, and thrs
course of action was followed to pro-
duce the 76.2-mm (3-in) Snake. On the
Snake the lengths of explosive-filled

The Snake was a form of Bangalore

Torpedo used to clear large
mtnell'e/ds. Seen here carried on a
C hurchill, lle Snake r.rzas assemb/ed
onthe edge of aminefield, pushed
across it by the tank and then
detonated to clear a path.

2222
Bangalore Torpedo tanks (continued)
tubrng or pipe were 6, I m (20 ft) lonq
and could be joined together into
lengths of up to 366 m (1,200 ft) to en-
able them to be pulled across
minefield and then detonated to clear
a path up to 6,4 m (21 ft) wlde, It was
better if the Snake tubing could be
pushed across a mrnefield, but when
this happened the lengths involved
were less. OnIy 122 m (400 ft) of Snake
tubing could be pushed in front of a
tank with any degnee of control, The
tanks involved with Snake were usual-
Iy Shermans or Churchill AVREs, but
the Royal Engineers did also have
small numbers of a special vehrcle
This was known as the Snake Carrier
and was a conversion of the Churchill
Gun Carrier, a Churchill variant wrth a
box superstructure that had been in-
a tended to mount a 76 2-mm qun for use
as a tank destroyer. For a number of
reasons the Churchill Gun Carrier was
not accepted for service and the few
vehicles rnvolved carried Snake in-
stead, on both sides ofthe box super-
structure. The Gun Carrrer moved the
tubing to a point close to the target, and
here the crew assembled the Snake,
whrch was then pushed into posrtron
across the minefield and detonated
Allhough Snake was used lor training
and trials it was not used operationally.
The Conger was towed behrnd a (457 m/500 yards) had been pulled
Special Purpose Tanks of World War II
Churchill AVRE or a Sherman in an irom the 1.- -,: -:=:1-:-- -= ''-.. :=
engrneless Universal Carier that car- Ionaled ro :l=i :.. :-. -:i -' :- -- '-
ried a rocket, a length of hose and a have been ro-:.: :, -: '. :::
tank of liquid explosive, The rocket 152m150ri;. ::.. :::.:L:--'. : . :
carried the hose across the minefield, ing tank r,r'as lJ-:'.'.-.-:. j.j.- -.: , . . -
and when in place the hose was filled purposes.
with the liquid explosive and deton
ated. The Tapeworm was another hose
--:- -.=.---: :r -
Perhaps the ..r:.
lore- type de\,'tce -.'; -
--s I1_.::.; 3.=-:.;-
device that was carrred tn a trailer to alore. This was r:r :- :-- ::,
lhe edge of a mrneheld where -t was fltled with CIRD tc--::-. ::-i .'-j j
deposited. A tank with a CIRD (Cana- tended for barb= i-,'. -: :-. -: : -
dian Indestructible Roller Device) Each of rhe CIRD arr;-, r:--.: I i :::. '.
then moved across the minefield and alore Torpedo nrrei '.','.-'. = | . .:
as it proceeded the tank pulled the moror. The rockers car:-=: ::-.- :,:. - ,
explosive-filled hose across the lo res across rhe wre a-r-i . . r- . -- - -
minefield, When the full length of hose ed smal] Qnapntrls nelo':=-. .-:.'::'::
agarnst the wrre for expl: : ' :'

ffi ffi ifiih"-"rearins nails

The notion of using chain flails to de-
tonate mines in the path of a tank came The ShermanCrabwas the mast
from a South African engineer Major widely-used mine flail tank of World
A S.J. du Toit. The idea was that a hori- War IL Although fitted to other types
zontally-mounted drum carried on of tank, the Shermanwas the
arms in front of a tank would be rotated preferred carrier. The odd- looking
under power. As it turned rt would beat device at the hull rcar is a station-
the ground rn front with chains that car- keeping marker to guide other flail
ried weights on their ends, and this tanks.
beating would provide enough press-
ure to set off any mines underneath.
Early trials proved the effectiveness of
the idea, and the first sets of mine flails
were fltted to Matrlda tanks rn North
Afrrca during 1942.
These first flails were known as
Scorpion, and on the Matilda Scorpion
the flail drum was powered by an arx
iliary engine mounted on the rigrht-
hand srde ofthe tank, These Scorpions
were used during the El Alamein bat-
tle in October 1942 and also duringr
some later North African actions, They
proved to be so effective that a more
specialized versron known as the
Matilda Baron was developed. On the
Baron the turret was removed and the
flail drum was powered by two auxili-
ary engines, one on eachside Howev-
er the Scorpion concept offered more
long-term promise as it could be fitted
to several types of tank to produce, for
example, the Grant Scorpion and the
Valentine Scorpion, But before that
could happen a great deal of further *!ft'
development work had to be carried iI
out, for the early flails had demons-
trated some unwelcome traits Among
these were uneven beating patterns
that left unbeaten patches, and flarl
charns that either became tanqled and
useless or simply beat themselves to
pieces. Another problem became
apparent on uneven ground, where
the flaiis were unable to beat into sud-
den drps,
The development work carried out
in the UK resulted rn a device known as
the Crab which was usually fltted to
Sherman tanks to produce the Sher-
man Crab. The Crab had 43 chains
mounted on a drum powered by a
take-off from the main engrne and had
such features as srde-mounted wrre-
cuttrngr discs to hack through barbed-
wire entanqlements, screens to shield effectrve rn rts own riqtht, and also per- ing from gears on the front sprockets of The Matilda Scorpion prototype
the front of the tank from flyinqr dust mitted the carrier to retain its turret the carrier tank. Again, it was passed shown here was an earIy atterrp:- :a
and debris and, later in the Crab's de- and main gmn, enabling it to be used as over in favour of the Crab, produce a mine flail tank. The
velopment, a device to follow ground a qun tank rf the occasion arose. The Americans drd not spend much =a::
flail drumwas driven by two 22.4-i\'
contours and enable the flail drum to Needless to say there were many development time on mine flails, In- G0- hp) Bedford engines. one ea :i
rise and fall accordingly, Crabs were other experimental models ol mine stead they concentrated on anti-mrne side of the hull, and the device z'-
used by the 79th Armoured Division flails, One was the Lobster, a device rollers and when they drd require Iaterfitted toValentine and Gta:.:
and iater a number were handed over that came chronologically before the flails, as they did when they encoun- tanks as well as the Matilda.
to the US Army for use in North West Crab but was not accepted for sewice, tered the large defensive mine belts
Europe. The main advantaqes of the The Pram Scorpion was an off-shoot of along the German borders rn the win- British Crabs which ,'+.. ::::-:. :- -.'
Crab system were that it was very the Scorpion wrth the drum drive com- ter of 1944-5, they used numbers of the Mine Exploder T4
The"Funnies'iR Acfion
I n oppased landing on the F renchcoaslpresen ted a host of engineering problems
{or the Allies, rlngingfromhow to land nnks on a beach, howt6 pass t"iityiiioiin
rninefields and how tobreach the huge seawalls. TheBritish deieloped tne;fiiiies,,
a unique series of armaured vehicles designed to overcome alt theie ab.sfac/es.
To the rest of the British armv the 79th
Armoured Drvision were rhe funnies. a name
no doubt prompted by the odd appearance oi
some of their combat vehicles, and a name that
stuck To -he men oi the 79th Armo-red Divr.
sion the name was at first seen as anything but
humorous, for they were hard at work attemp
ting io formulate tactics and workingr methods
in an area of warfare in which there was no
prevrous expene:lce. tverl-hrno they had ro
do nad ro be worked out from Lne betinnLnqs
ou' ihey conquered -he problems so well ha'
their successes made them proud of their nick-
ranle.
The 79th Armoured Drvision was a very egd
litarian formation. In the early days, when 'the
book was siill beinq written', everyone from
:roopers upwards was allowed his say in how
lhings should be done, Ilanyone had a sugges-
iion it was lisiened to, assessed and rf suitable
lmplemented, Thus bv the trme the 79th
.'rilnoured Division went rnto acrion for Ihe hrs,
:rme, its operating methods v,rere thoroughly
-:derstood ar all levels and the srandard ol
:raining had reached the pilch where things
;illowed carefi;lly rehearsed drills,
ShermanDDs
One of the flrst tenets of these drills was that
.-r:'rehicles with Lheir speciahzed tasks had Lo
rit the beaches in a sequence. In practice this
reant that the Duplex Drlve (DD) Shermans
raa to swim ashore from the landing craft and
lrrive at the same time as the combat en-
r-:leers ir rheir AVREs, Once ashore rhe DD
. rermans dropped their wadinq screens and
..,'ere then ready to use their marn 75-mm (2.95-
-:) guns to provide flre support for the AVREs,
re DD tank gunners had been 'rained to hc
pcint where their gunnery was up to firing at
.re gim embrasures of the German beach de-
r re weapons and hrlring rhem wirhin rheir
'-r..' 'ew shols This was no easy :ask espectally
as most ol the German beach delence em
:lacements did not iace out to sea. Instead thev
:-rnred along the beaches'/vilh the gun muz-
---s pro'ected behind concrere watls on the
sea-unrard srcie,Thus the gun tanks had to move
r.:rr,rrard and expose themselves to the enemy
,Jrunners belore they could even fire a shot. In
claces this meant that the AVREs had to qo rnto
^:-rc n as soon ds Lhey .l.nded lust to clear
icstacles on the path forward to where ihe
Shermans could make their firsi shot. Of course
in places the AVREs often used the Petard
spigot mortars to knock out delence emplace-
menis, but the Petard bombs, althouqh iarqe
and powerful, were not very accurate and it
usually 'ook a direcr hit on a gun barrel or
embrasure to knock out the enemy gun, hence
the need for tle 6sn r6p;s.
Flalltanks
On the beach the gun tanks usually took up a
posrtion to prov-de coverrng fire as the AVRts
and Crab flail tanks started their tasks, lt was
usually the Crabs that had to move forward first,
for every oeach and rts rmmediale htnLerland
was iiberally covered by mineflelds iaid by the
Cermans rn lhe monlhs and years before the
invasion. The Crabs usually operated in trocps
ol fo'rr or fivc tanks, and had he task of ctearLnq
tralhs through the mineielos on every oattaljon
lront, each battalion requrrinq at Ieast two clear
paths, The Crabs moved ibrward siowly to en-
able therr flatls lo deiona'e ev^rv mtnc encoun-
iered: this meanl speeds as low as 2.4 km/h
(l 5 mph) and, as the tanks n:oved their Jlails
krcked up debrrs and C::st :hat aiiracteci :he
enemy's attentlcns The-,' also picughed tne
ground up dreadiully, io ihe e:.tent that rhev
oiren had ro oe tollor,rel by AVRLs rvrrh mai-
laytng devrces to enable wheeled vehicles to
cross the churned terrarr.
The Crabs usually worked two or three
abreast rn dn eche lcrn lormat.on. fvery
minefield lhey crossed and c eared was ol
course covered bv some form of defence work
or obstacle such as anti-tank wa1ls, so coverinq
fire had to be provided lrom the gun tanks at all
times. On some beaches extra covering fire
was provideci by naval vessels offshore, fire
orders and corrections being provided by
Royal Artillery lorward observa' jon officers rn
qun tanks landed i: the wave 1ust bchrnl ,ne
assault engLneers so rhe 79 h Armou:eci Divr
sion dld not always have to rely upon its own
nre slrpport resources.
In a typical case the Crabs would ilai1 rjqht
up to the anti-tank wall and one would then flail
a path to one side of the poini vrhere the obsta- tr*
cle was Lo be cieared. The Crabs then colout of
the wav for the AVR.Es to move rn. Usualty only
one AVRL would approach rhe cbslacle
equipped with one of the various forms of car- l:
rying frame such as the Jones Onion on which a
heavy demolitron charge had been placed,
The irame would rhen be ser againsl Lhe obsla- H
Above: One way of crossing a wail, the Churchill
tank climbs a bridge laid by a second, brir)ge-
laying tank, and perches precariously on top. It
$ drops a bundle of fascines to the bottom, intending
to dr iv e ove r th e m. tr n the e ve nt. the fascines seem
to have rolled on, but the Churchill gets down
safelr anyway.
Le{t: The projeclile fired by the Petard spigot
mortar carried by the Churchill AVRE had a
diameter of 290 mm (l L4 in) and weighed IB.1 l<g
@A b). It was known to the tlaops as the'Flving
Dustbin', and it cauld he fired to a range af about
73 m(30yards).
 *,n,-i:
SpecialPurpose Tanks of Worlo I-
cle and the AVRE woui.ci retire to lhe cleared
area nearby. The charge r/ould be detonated
with a fearful ioar. and more Crabs anci A.VREs
rvould move iorward. If all was rve]l the charge ti
-n,ould have blown a hole rlqht thrcueth the
cbstacle but this was noi always possible, so
AVREs viith various forms of assault bridglng
.wouid be used to bridge the gap, ;.n some cases
cne or other of the various lorms of ARK wouid
be used
Sherman Crabs
The he.rch ir nor.r ol ine obs'ac e coulci g^1
rather crowded durtng this obstacle-b,usting
staqe, The Sherrnan Crabs, by the very nature ai:rr,_'L,'
',
cl ihelr task, were likely to irecome casualties it r .:l
at any stagre; so twc spare Crabs r,.rere usualiy fi ,i
held in reserve and they couid always be cal- rdl!,),lir.l;,
ied upon to use their guns for fire suppori or to
orovide iocal delence for the reserve AVREs
'hr' ,,err- also rnain.arneo. ro Lho 1-gr 6f 3n
, .:cn C:ce lhL obs'dclc JLcdLn l-. , ----
: acie lneiew:isaq. Lor il '. r'..:ery'-s - il- ?
-n
Sappers trainwith a Churchill AVRE {:arrying aGaatMarklll demo}itian device.TheGoat carrieci
-:,r..vard but this had to be done ith care lor ii B I6.5 kg ( I B0A Ib) of explosive on a stee! frcme. which was positioned against an obstacle (here ar.
-,':as
known, thanks to the careful aenal and anti-tankwaJJ) and f.hen reJeasert"The AVRE then backed aff and set af{ theGoatcharge by electrica:.:
::her reconnaissance, that the area behind the other means.
:each was the main German delence area co
.:ed rn -tl r rTSldrS Of ounrers. qun ernploce- In places the German bunkers were dlfficult most purposes 73 m iBO yards) w-as lr: :- - : ..
.nents and tank traps Thus ihe gun tariks once o l.;ro; kc-r' or gunhre .r Pe ald brnbs. Sone The flame couid be projected in one s:- -'
ncre provided the inrtial hre support as the were built very low on ihe ground and their oursls or -n I:nqer-oerrod burs.s o-.. ,
A,/REs and Crabs moved lorrrrard Bv ihis time weapon emtrrasures were cliffrcult even to cc.llC raproly persLdJe the occ:pan':
' ey wou J a.sc nave rnfen.ry suppor . ..oi a. spot, 1et aione to hit For ihese the 79rh bunker not to continue frghting,
:.cr1 as the beach was clear the Bulfaloes with Armoured Dr.risron had a nasty solution, lor the
:leir troop carqoes coulC drive rlght up the Crocoor.e Lolks "v^rtr brouqfrL -rp lo iea. .vi'n A ClLurchtll advances through the gap in an a:.:: .

,:leared paths and close the d-efended area,
: ,FEsr.rrrh lascines6e-rrd kc;sed'orir.s he
,ank ditcires and more assault bridging cculd
ce used to cross the water obstacles that the
Germans were fbnd olploviding alonq some oi
,he flatter beach hinterlands,
hen . i'he Ct:c.od,:-s we'c C". -'c1r-l t-r.l s
with a flame projector mounteci in place oi the
hull machine-gr.rn and fuel icr ihe plcjeclor rn a
trailer tolveci behrnri the lank The ilane prc-
jector cor:ld lire a let of flane r-ip lc L 1'.r n: ?120
yards) under favourable corLdi:rons but lcr
tank'wall made by the detonation of aGoat !r!a:
demojjilon cla rge. Although the concrete ias ':.
been aJmosf en lirelv blasted awav the steel
reinforcing rads tet into the conirete have
suryjyed, but as seefl lere tiey would soon be
crushed flat and would present no obstacle tc i
tank.
 The'Funnies'in-Acttan ', ' ," ""
-:. .:e iays lmrrrediaiely, after thelNormandy
. r-:,,js ri was the Crocodileslhat highlighted
r-r
,:: -: :ne 79th Armoured Divisionls. grdatesl
-.'::l:-,::iai problems; lhat of cOmmand and
:.:.'.2::, Althouqh t,he units of rthe 79th
-:,::---:;red Divisron were split up among all the
..=...'-r:-ln unrts ol the British and Canadian
:- ri--=-S. ihey were still under the command and
- -'-:::l cl ihe 79th's drvisionai staffs;;,The,prob:
.-::- -.', 1s ihat local Comrr.tandersdid,nol alwavs
.-: :..:.JS mal way and often looked upon the
: ..:-:-:es' as things that,they could use for their
- .'.-:- -::al purposes,'ln many cases this was no
: , : :-er:. ior the diyision was,there to orovide
. -: . ::.
=:rd the troopers were usually wii[ng
'- .,:--:, The problern was that-the-79th
-:-::,,: :red Drvision appreciated,the peCuliar
, ;'*:enents olits equipmentrwhile-othersdid
---
=
-:.',:REs were looked'upon as qun tanks
--:::-.= lhe hnitatrons oi theirPetard mortars
:, ,r. 3ttrr€ iccal commanders attempted to use
.=:. =ccordingly, The Crocodiles wgre
:: :'.:-.. s:urce of problems;,the ,flarne pfoied-
, :,. ,.:i a pressure system for their fuel; and
' .

::: i.. c:nstant maintenanceihjs was prone to

,:

-...: -- :: .uvas kept in use folitoo long br at too

.-..1:. 1 cressure, The T9th Armoured Division
,-:,=',',' .:i.s and devised, drillsand orocedures to
:. .--: r- Crocodiles Io come up to sleam'
. - . l:lcre they were needed. Locai com-
:..-:'- j::s could not appreciale this and attemp-
'--: ' <eep Crocodiles on hand at all trmes
.

-
'=.:.::..'::i.,;se at shorl notice, Theresult was lhat
.:ey were needed their systems had
- =:-. :::ken down or operated.at{oolow.a
-:'. .:.= 5a;,is rmmediately'affer the iandings
' -= :.::,s ci lhe T9th Armoured Division did
-:-: ::s. t: round up their scattered men and
--r-:t:-=:: and bring them-back under dr
-..,,'-- ::lirol. Thls was no easy task as many
:, -',:--=:iers had soon learned that vehicies
- . r:. :s .:e Crabs and the AVRES were invalu-
able on the battlefield, So well was this lesson
learned that after 1945 the 79lh Armoured Divi-
sion,somehow-managed to suwive ail the post-
war upheavals and reorganization so that its
skills survrved. Today rhe Brirish drmy sii_l has
armoured enqlneers, but therr strength is nor.o,'
down to a srngle three-squacirc:_ regtmen.
These still carry out an operaiiona] role very
similar ro lha' of rhe oli 79 h fumo;red Drvr
sion, but they are no ionger kno-,vn as the 'Fun-
nies'r today they are nicknamed the 'Armoured
Farmers'.
This odd-looking device was known as the
Bullshorn; itwas a mine plough device developed
by lhe 79 th Armoured Division to clear anti-tank
mines from the path of the carrier tank. Seen here
in the travelling pasition, theBullshornwas used
operationatly during the Norm andy landings and
after, but only in small numbeis.
This Sherman Crab has its fiail drum and chains in
the lowered positian teady to start. TheCrabwas
lhe standard British nine clearing vehigle;not onli
were its {Iails highly efficient, buttheywere so
arranged thalthe carrier Sherman tank could
retain its rnain75;mm (2.95-in) wn,
ffi bnurctrill AVRE
One ofthe hard lessons learned duringi
the Dieppe raid of 1942 was that the
Canadian enqineers were unable to
proceed with their obstacle demoli-
trons and general beach-cleanng be-
cause of a complete lack of cover from
enemy fire. In the period after the raid
a Canadian engineer officer put for-
ward the idea of using a tank con-
verted to the combat engdneer role
that could carry engineers to the point
at which they had to operate, and be
capable of carrying a healry demoli-
tion weapon, This would enable the
combat engineers to operate from
under armoured cover and would also
enable them to operate in close co-
operation with armoured formations.
The idea was accepted, and after
some deliberatron the Churchill tank
was selected as the basic vehicle for
conversion, The task consisted mainly
of completely strippinq out the interlor
of the Churchill tank and removinq the
main armament, The interior was com-
pletely reafianQled to provide stowage
for the various ilems combal engineers
have to use, such as demolition explo-
sives, specral tools, mines etc, The
main turret was retained but in place of
the normal gun a special device known
>K banat Defence Lisht
The devrce known under the cover
name Canal Defence Light was one
weapon' of World War II that was des-
trned never to be used. In essence it
was a simple idea, in which the normal
gun turret of a tank was replaced with
another houslng an rntense light to illu-
minate battleflelds at niqht, All manner
of tactical ploys were advocated for rts
use, ranging from srmply blinding an
enemy to providrng general target illu-
mlnation.
The idea of mountinq powerful
searchlights on tanks was flrst mooted
dwing the mid-i930s by a group of
interested civilians who 'sold' the idea
to the War Office in 1937, The War
Office carried out a serres of develop-
ment trials under conditions of Qrreat
secrecy, and by late ]939 a turret was
ready for production, The secrecy
continued with the project beinqr
known as the Canal Defence Light, or
CDL. The flrst turrets produced were
for the Matilda II infantry tank, and all
that the fltting of a CDL involved was
the removal of the normal turret and its
replacement by a new one, though
changes had to be made to the Matrl-
da's electrical systems as well. In the
turret the searchlight was posrtioned
behind a vertical slit in which was a
shutter, In use the searchlight was
switched on and the shutter was
opened and closed very rapidly to
provide a flickenng impression to an
observer in front, This flickering made
the rangie of the CDL light difficult to
as a Petard was fltted. This was
a spigrot
mortar that fired a 290-mm (1 1,4-in) de-
molition charge known to the troops
from its general shape as the 'Plyinq
Dustbin'. The Petard projectile
werghed 18, 14 ks (40 lb) and could be
fired to a range of 73 m (80 yards) to
demolish structures such as pillboxes,
bunkers and buildlngs, The Petard
could be reloaded from within the
vehicle,
The Churchill version was known as
the Churchill AVRE (Armoured Vehi-
cle Royal Engdneers) and it quickly be-
came the standard equipment of the
armoured engineers attached to
formatrons such as the 79th Armoured
Division and the assault brigades, RE.
As well as providingr protection for
combat enqneers, the AVRE was soon
in demand to carry all manner of spe-
cial equipment.
The Churchill versions used for the
AVRE were the Mk III and Mk IV,
Many of the conversions were carried
out using specially-produced kits,
some by industry and some by REME
workshops. The conversions rncluded
brackets and other attachment points
around the hull to which items of spe-
cialized equipment could be fixed. A
determine, and anyway the ltght was
so powerful that it was dlfficult to look
into the beam even at quite long
ranges,
Some 300 CDL turrets were ordered
to convert Matildas to the CDL role,
and one brigade of Matilda CDL vehi-
cles was based in the UK and another
in North Africa, The military planners
were determined to use the impact of
the CDL units to the full and constantly
awaited the chance to use them to
maximum effect. That chance some-
Special Purpose Tanks of World War II
hook at the rear was used to tow a
specral AVRE sledge for carryLng
combat stores
The AVREs were first used on
large scale durrng the Normandy land-
inqs ofJune 1944, where they excelled
themselves to such an extent that the
AVRE has been with the Royal En-
gineers ever since, the current in-
service version being the Centurion
Mk V AVRE. The Churchill AVRE re-
mained in service until the mid-1950s
and even later with some units, They
were used to 1ay fascines, lay mats
across soft grround, demolish strong-
points with their Petard mortars, brins
forward combat engineering stores,
place healry demolition charqes and
qtenerally make themselves useful.
Specification
ChurchillAVRE
Crew: 6
Weight:38 tons
Powerplant: one Bedford T\ryin-Srx
petrol engine developing 261 kW
(3s0 hp)
Dimensions: Ienglh 7,67 m (25 ft 2 in);
wldth 3,25 m ( 10 ft B in); heiqht 2.79 m
(9 ft 2 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
i
:
e:n Y
AChurchillAVRE rbseen rv:th deep
wadinggear over the side and rea:
engine airvents, and fittedwith a
Bullshorn anti-tankmine plough a;
the front and with a Porpoise skic
trailer at the rear. These tailers
could be used tocarry awide range
ofsupp/iessucfi as fuel and
ammunition.
a
TheChurchill AVRE Markll featurec
afixed turretmounting a dummy
gun.ltcould carry a front-mounted
dismountable jib crane or a rear jib
with a higher lift capacity. There was
also a powertul front-mounted winch
that could be used in conjunction
withthe jibs, and anearth anchor
was mounted at the rear.
24 9 km/h (15.5 mph); maxLrnum r: -,:
range 193 lcn (120 miles)
Armament: one Perard morlal, a-.1
one 7.92-mm 10.3 l2-in) Besa mac:--:-
gmn
The Grant CDL (Canal Defence
Light) was a special vehicle
mounting a turret in which wx
located a powerful searchlight that
was supposed to dazzle an enemy
during night operations or illumin a re
targets atnight.
Canal Defence Light (continued)

post-June 1944 campaigns. But once
agrain the chance to use the Grant CDL
in combat never arriled, lnstead the
CDLs were used for the relatively un-
excrting task of providing 'artiflcial
moonlight' to illuminate the crossLngs
of the Rhine and Elbe in early 1945,
Thus the CDL was carried throuqh-
out the war but never used, However,
the idea certainly attracted attention,
The US Army was most impressed by
what it saw of the CDL at various de- rcans awaited the rrght moment to use Dimensions: lengrth 5.61 m (18 ft 5 in);
monstrations and decided to adopt the theu hghts and the war ended before width 2,59 m (B ft 6 in); height 2.51 m
CDL for rtseli and thus produced 355 that could happen, (B fr 3 ln)
CDI: turrets for mounting on otherwise Performance: maximum road speed
obsolete M3 Lee tanks, These were Specification 24 kr/h (15 mph); maximumroad
used to equip six tank battalions for MatildaCDL range257 km (160 miles)
special operatlons in Europe, The cov- Crew: 3 or 4 Armament: one 7, 92-mm (0. 3 I 2-in)
er name Tl0 Shop Tractorwas used for Weight: 26 tons Besamachrne-gmn
US CDL vehicles, but once again the Powerplant: two Leyland E14B/E149
CDL was destined not to be used in d.iesel engines each developmg
combat. As with the British the Amer- 70 8 kw (9s hp)

>K am
The ARK bridging tanks were only one ARK Mk IIs, but made them much sim- Another system, known as the Chur- A C hurchill ARK M k I is shown
type of armoured bridging vehicles pler by omittinq the trackways over chill Woodlark, was grenerally similar with its approach ramp
lsed by the Allies during World War the Churchill tank, the tank tracks and to the ARK Mk II but went rnto action raised. These vehicles were
IL The Brrtish army had for long had an the top of the body bernqr used as the with the ramps closed down: they supposed tobe drivenup
interest in producingr bridging tanks roadway instead. These versions were were meant to be opened up into posi- against anti-tankwalls as far
and actually produced rts flrst such known as the ARK Mk II (Italian Pat- tion by the use ofrockets on the end of as possi'bJe, to e nable o ther
equipment during the latter stages of tem). each ramp and more rockets were vehicles to be drivenup and
World War L In the years just before There were nurerous variations on used to soften the shock of the ramps over the roadway carried
Worid War 1l it carried out a great deal the basic ARK design, One was a hitting the ground. The type did not above their tracks.
cf experimental work and one of its raised ramp system carried on a Chur- pass the trials stage.
rnatn achievements was a sclssors- chill and known as the Churchill Great No data can be provided regarding
--lpe bridge carried on and laid by a Eastern, but that project was discon- these Churchill conversions but a
Covenanter tank. However, during the tinued, Some Shermans were con- Churchill ARK Mk II had a crew of four
early war years this work had to be put verted in ltaly to what was roughly the men and weiqhed 38,5 tons, Most con-
aside in favour of more pressing things equivalent of the ARK Mk II, but the versions were made using Churchill
.'.lrltil
the 1942 Dieppe landing empha- numbers involved were not large, Mk llls and Mk lVs.
szed the need for armowed bridging
-.'ehicles, not only to cross wet or dry
;raps, but to enable other vehicles to
cross obstacles such as sea walls,
It was the 79th Armoured Divisron
iat producedthe first ARK (Armoured
Ramp Carrier) in late 1943, Known as
re ARK Mk I, this was a conversion of
. Churchill tank with the turet re-
:rcved and a blanking plate (with an
access hatch in the centre) welded
:;er the turret apefiure, Over the
:racks were placed two timbered
:ackways carried on a new super-
srrcture and in front, in line with the
::ackways, were two ramps, each
- 3c m (3 ft 5,25 in) long, At the rear
'rieretwomoreramps, each 1.72 m(5 ft
: -n) long. In use the ARK I was driven
tr to an obstacle such as a sea wall and
p-hed up the obslacle as lar as possr-
:ie The front and rear ramps were
:::n lowered from.their travelling
:,:s.irons andothervehicles couldthen
the ARK to cross the obstacle, The
-<e could also be driven rnto a wet or
-:f..(
:-i; obstacle to act as a bridge,
lae ARK Mk I was soon sup-
p-:cented by the ARK Mk IL Again
-:,s i:sed a Churchrll tank as the basis,
--C re same superstructure/ramp lay-
::: ',';as used. But the Mk II used much
-::-ger ramps (3.8 m/12 ft 6 in) at both
::-:s. and the right-hand set of track-
;;4,,-s a-nd rarnps was half the width of
-:-: :3er (0.61 m/2 ft) as opposed to
- 2-:n (4ft), This enabled a much
:r-ier range of vehicles to use the
l-=fa Ln use the ramps were set up
:::-: aid rear and held in the travelling
::s-:.n by cables and chains con-
:-:-ed io front and rear kingposts,
,',::: i:e ARK came to a qap it drove
:-:: -: ald then released the cables to
:'-:-r, -ie ramps to drop, Other vehr
:-=; ::.:-ld then cross the ARK Bridge.
-:= 3-: Army rn Italy produced its own
Two AEK Mk I I s are used to allow
o*rcr vehicles to cross a deep ravine.
The fustARK was driven into the
ra'rine and the s econd ARK was then
i.r:-,"en onto it. after which its ramps
were joweredto form abridge. The
ra',-he',l;a.s formed by the River Senio
': I!ah'. ApriJ 1945.
ffi tascine and mat-laying devices
The fascine is an item of combat en- Right: This post-war Churchill AVRE
gineering equipment that dates back has an early Centurion-style turret
to ancient times, and for armoured equi p ped with s mo ke dis c h arger s.
warfare the type was resurrected dut- The cargo remains much as itwould
ing World War I to be dropped by have looked in I 944, or I 9 I 7 for that
tanks taking part in the Battle of Cam- matter, and the restrictions the
brai. At that trme they were used tradi- fascine places on the driver's field oI
tionally, being dropped into trenches vision are obvious.
to allow other tanks to cross, and they
were used for the same purpose dur-
ing World War IL The advantage of the
fascine for the combat enqrneer is that
he can make them on the spot when
they are required, The usual method
was 10 cut brushwood and tie it lnlo
large bundles 3.35 m (11 ft) long, Below: This Churchill AVRE is equipped with deep
These bundles were tied into rolls be- wading engine intakes at the side and rear and k
tween LB3 m (6 ft) and 2.44 m (B ft) in fitted with a Carpet-Layer Type C, which laid a
drameter and pulled onto wooden or hessian carpet to allow followingvehicles to cross
steel cradles on the front of the tank. areas ofsoff sand or other terrain.
They were then held rn place by
cables that could be released from
within the carder tank. The main drs-
advantaqe was that the fascines usually
restricted the driver's vision so that a
crew member had to position himself
to give drivrng instructions. Attempts
were made to use periscopes to over-
come this drawback but in the end the
solution was found by redesrgninq the
form of fascine cradle,
A type offascine could also be used
to make an assault roadway over soft or
rougrh ground. This was formed by roll
ing up lengths of chespaling joined
together by wire, rather like a ienqth of
fencing, A Churchill AVRE wouid car- \K-:
\ %.'
ry this roll into position, where one end
of the roll could be placed under the
\j&
front tracks. As the AVRE moved for-
ward it unrolled the mat and rolled
over it to allow other vehicles to use the
rough roadway so formed. Rolls of up width. Both were intended to cover were meant for short-term use oniy during amphrbious landinqs to cc', eI
to 30,5m (100ft) could be laid using wire obstacles to aliow foot soldiers or Prolonged use by heavy or tracked soft ground, lt was not unttl well ai::
this method, and more durable road- wheeled vehicles to cross and the first vehicles soon broke them up or simply World War II that flexible metal roa:-
ways could be produced by using a of them was used during the Dreppe tore them to pieces so they were usual- ways were developed to replace ::-:
similar arrangement involving logs raid of 1942. On all types the bobbin ly used for assault puposes only or earher devices,
tied together (Log Carpet) could be jettisoned once it was empty
These chespalinq or logt roadways oI m an emelgency,
were intended for heavy use, but for Most of these fascine- or mat-laying
assault purposes hessian mats were devices were carried on Churchill
also employed. These mats were car- AVREs, but Shermans were also used
rred in front of a Churchill AVRE on In fact a special fascine carrier, known
bobbins held by side arms or (on one as the Crib, was developed for the
model) above a Churchill AVRE Car- Sherman, Thrs was a special carrier
petlayer turret. There were two main frame that could be tilted forward to
types: the Bobbin Carpet unrolled a drop a fascine or a log mat. Some 'war
hessran mat reinforced by chespahng weary' Shermans even had their tur-
at intewals that was wide enouqh to rets removed to allow them to be used
cover the full width of a tank; the other as full-time fascine carrrers.
was only wide enough to cover a track It should be stressed that the mat-
laying devices, both hessian or timber,

A Churchill AVRE carries a

brushwood fascine at the front and
tows another fascine on an AVRE skid
trailer. The fascines were released
from their carrier frame by a quick
release device, and once in position
could enable most tanks or tracked
vehicles to cross with relative ease.

A Churchill AVRE operates a Carpet-Layer Type C, used to lay a continuous

hessian mat over rough or soft ground to enable other wheeled or tracked
vehicies to follow. These devices were used to cross the sand on some of the
Normandy beaches on 6 June I 944.
Churchill A/RE
wifhlog Carpet
Left: A Churchill AVRE leads another
carrying a large bundle of fascines
during pre - invas io n manoeuv res in
1944. Fascines tended toblockthe
driver's line of sight from the vehicle,
and herc the fascine-carrier has a
crewmanontop. Note the spare
track around the turret side of the
AVRE in theforeground.

Below and right: The Churchill AWE (Armoured

Vehicle Royal Engineers) was one of the mostversatile
British armoured fighting vehicles. It carried a Petard
mortar that fired a demolition proj ectile known as the
'FlyingDustbin', but, moreimportantly, could carry a
wide range of special combat engineering
equipment. The AVRE shown here is carrying a Log
Carpet device, used to lay a rough roadway over soft
ground so that other vehicles could follow. The
roadwaywas laidunder the front tracks andwas
pulledfrom its carrying frameas theAVRE moved
forward. The AVRE could carry many other similar
deyjces sucft as assa u/f bndgreq demolition and mat
layingequipment, bundles of fascines tolay in ditches
or trenches, and various anti-mrne sysfems.
Special Purpose Tanks of World War II
>K ffi= ARV
To the frontline soldier every tank is a
';a-luable asset and any damaged or
itabled tank that can be grot back into
acuon is a viable weapon. Therefore
-:e recovery of damaged or broken-
ic,l-n tanks from a battlefield is an im-
!3nant aspect of armoured warfare,
:-r. very often these recovery opera-
.-:is have to be undertaken under
::emy fire. It therefore makes sense to
;:or''rde the recovery crews with their
:-,';n armoured vehicles and even
:-:re sense to provide these vehicles
';,-h mechanical handling devices,
-,',
-:ches and other special recovery
::ls. Thus World War 1l saw the first
-=:;e-scale use of recovery vehicles,
.:i on the Allled side there were
::-::,y drfferent types.
\early all Allied Armoured Recov-
ery Vehicle (ARV) types were conver-
.-::.s of existlng tanks, usually models
:,a:'.vere past their best and could be
:;ared for the role. Nearly every type
:- Allied tank was used for the ARV
:,-i: at some tlme or another but the
:,il tlpes involved on the British side
-.';:le Crusader, Covenanter, Centaur
l:-.-aiier, Cromwell, Ram and inevit-
..-. the Churchill. Most of these ARV
-^::-';ersions rnvolved the removal of
'.-.= -*net (along wrth the main arma-
:-::,) and rts replacement by either a
'_':i superstructure or an open com-
::r:nent for the crew, Winches were
:-s::rled and various forms ofjib crane
-: ::eerlegs were added. Many types
--.-: had the assistance of an earth
.;:ie to provide the winch with better
-rriase and thus extra pull. The Brit-
:'=::Go
made extensive use of turret-
,:ss Srermans for the ARV role.
:-e American ARVs were general-
-:- :-:re rnvolved vehicles, They too
,r-:: based on existrng tank chassis,
: -. .:-e conversions were often carried
- -: :: iactories rather than the base
.'.'-:<snops of the other Allied armies
:-:,.ding the British) and thus more
:=..' desren care could be lavished
-;::- .le filal product. A typical Amer-
ican product was the Tank Recovery
Vehicle M32, On this the tuffet was
fixed and a smoke-firrnq Bl-mm (3,2-
in) mortar was fitted, In the space nor-
mally taken up by the fighting com-
partment was placed a powerful
27216-kg (60,000-1b) capacity winch,
and an A-frame jib was mounted on the
forward hull, Extra stowage points for
special equipment were added all
over the hull, Several sub-variants of
the M32 were produced. The M3
medium tank series was also used to
produce the Tank Recovery Vehicle
M3l wlth a jib crane over the rear of
the hull. The British also made their
own conversion of the M3 Grant by
removing all the amament and install-
ing a winch in the main compartment,
The American ARVs were pro-
duced in larqe numbers, so large in
fact that some of the M32s could be
converted as artillery tractors. But one
factor that both Britrsh and American
ARVs had in common and that was that
none of them matched the powerof the
German Bergepanther. The Berge-
panther remained the most powerful
ARV of World War II as far as oper-
ational models were concerned, but
the Allied ARVs could still tackle most
recovery tasks without drlficulty, for
they did not have to cope with the Ti-
qers and Panthers of the German
army.
AChurchillARV (ArmouredRecoveryVehicle) Mkl has its front jib erected
and twin 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Bren machine-guns mounted in the hull. This
Specification vehiclehad acrew of three and carried specialtools andwelding equiment
Churchill ARV Mk II for the recovery role. Thevehiclewas basically a turretless ChurchillMklV.
Crew: 5 or 6
Weight: 40 tons
Powerplant: one Bedford Twin-Six
petrol engine developing 26 I kW
(350 hp)
Dimensions: Ienqth B,2B m (27 ft 2 in);
wrdth 3.35 m ( 1 I ft); heisht 3,02 m (9 ft
11 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
24.9 km/h (15 5 mph); maximumroad
range 193 km (120 miles)
Armament: one or two machine-gmns
A Cromwell ARV (Armoured Recovery Vehicle) is used to tow a captured
German PzKPfw IV tank out of the way of other vehicles. The Cromwell ARV
was a turretless conversion of an early mark of Cromwell tank that could be
fittedwith a jib crane and other gear.
A Sherman ARV Mkl tows a Sherman gun tank during the campaign in
Normandy, June/July I 944. This ARV was a British conversion of a Sherman
tank that involved removing the turret and fitting a front-mounted jib crane
and other equipment.
>K
late
%
1943 plans
llnit**n BARV
for the amphibious TheShermanBARV featured a high
Special Purpose Tanks of World War II

-i-r
,andings in northern France had box - type super structur e th at
:eached the stage where it was de- allowed theBARV to be driveninto
:rCed to have deep-wading recovery deep water to recover stranded
','ehicles on hand at the beaches to vehicles. At the front it mounted a
:ssist any vehicles that got bogged or nudging nose to push vehicles out of
::oken down while still in the water, It trouble, but failing that it could be
',"as decided to convert Churchill and used as a sfrar'grh tforward recovery
Snerman tanks for the role but the tractor. I t did not have a winch.
}urchill conversion did not qet past
-:e prototype staqe and all work con-
:=ntrated on the Sherman.
The result was known as the Sher-
nan Beach Armoured Recovery Vehi-
cle (Sherman BARV), It was ltttle more
:-:-r an ordinary Sherman with the tur-
::: replaced by a tall superstructure.
-:-s superstructure was open at the
:; and had plates that sloped to a boat
::-; profile at the front. The turret
:;emng was closed off and all air in-
-:s and cowls were extended up-
.'.
=:rs. Waterprooflng was exlenslve
=:-i a bilgre pump was added to the
:--h.
lhe first BARV was ready for trials in
lecember 1943 and these trials
:::ved to be so successful that a re-
::est for 50 conversions (later in-
::3ased to 66) was made tmmediately,
:.'.-rire time the D-Day landings were
::-rje in Normandy there were 52
:,r-P,Vs ready to hand, and one of them
':.'- actually the flrst armoured vehicle
- .cuch down on the beaches. They
:-:i plenty to do for the weather on
--)ay was rough, to the extent that
-:-1ny armoured and other vehicles
tr::re swamped as they made their
from the landrnq craft to the safety
:.,-:_, were frequently worn The BARVs
,: :ie beaches, The BARV was thus were a REME responsibiltty as theY
-.,-C as a towinq vehicle to were primarily recovery vehicles, The
QIet them
==:-cre. It could tow only, for in the REME even had a hand in their pro-
,=e to produce the BARVs it was de- duction, for this corps supervrsed
: red to omit the usual winches, In BARV production in two small Ministry
:---=: place some measure of assist- of Supply workshops.
-,:. to stranded vehicles could be The BARVs went on to a lonq Post-
:::',rded by nudging them with baulks war service career dwing which they
-- --rnber secured to the BARV nose. acqurred the name Sea Lion, TheY
-,:-:se nudeters could be used not only were eventually replaced bY the
,-:-,'ehicles but with small landing craft Centurion BARV which closely fol-
---=- got themselves stuck on the lowed the general outlines ofthe Sher-
- ,, ^L^^ man BARV, Over the years the Sher-
-:e BARVs could operate in up to man BARVs were qradually updated
: -: :l (10 ft) of water, dependinq on with better radios and such refine-
:'=:rer conditions, and often took on a ments as ropes to soften the impact of
--=-.:cal air enhanced by the use of th€ir 'nudgers', but they never ac- The Sherman BARV (Beach Arnoured RecoveryVehicle) was developed
fixed around the upper super- quired wlnches or any form of earth during 1943 to tow bogged-downvehicles from deep water during
-=--:es
:--.:iure, Many BARV crews included spade to enable increased-capacity amphibious operations.ltwas a tractor device only, andthe crew usually
- - ;er rn their number and life jackets pulls to be made, included a trained diver to secure towing cables to strandedvehicles fortott'g

>K % EEl ffiililbearinsrollers

...= ::-ne-clearing roller was one of
-,':ry flrst anti-land mtne dences
-=
.=: -,vith tanks and in theory rollers
:j- :llonq the simplest to use. They
- -:-sr of a set of heavy rollers pushed
-::j of the tank, their weight and
;r-:s-rrie alone belnq sufficient to des-
r--,- .ne mines by setting them off in
: : -=,. :i the tank, Translating this theory
--,.: lractice should also have been
l::-:-e but was not. The main Problem
- -. -.::e weight and bulk of the rollers
--. :ad to be used: rn order to make
:= r:-1ers hearry enough they had also
, := iargre, and this made them verY
- -::.
loads to handle using the aver-
.;= :.:k of the period. ln fact some of
--=r:- -,','ere so iarge and awkward to
: .:- rat lt sometimes took two tanks
' = :mer tank plus another behind it
:::-lde extra 'push') to move them
'r-::.--i This two{ank arangement
;''- :-el necessary when rollers had
to be pushed over soft or rough
qrround.
The British were probably the first to
develop anti-mine rollers, and ex-
perimented with them in the years be-
fore World War II fltted to vehicles
such as the Covenanter, They knew
their first models as the Fowler Roller
or the Anti-Mine Roiier Attachment
(AMRA) From these were develoPed
the Anti-Mine Reconnaissance Castor
Roller (AMRCR) system that was fitted
to Churchills and British Shermans,
These rollers used leafsprings to keep
The Lulu roller device did not
detonate mines hy pressure, as the
front rollers were only light wooden
containers carrying electrical sensor
devices to denote the presence of
buried metal objects suci as mines.
Although itworked, the Luluwas too
fragile for operational use.
Mine-clearing rollers (continued)

but again this was devised for use by

one vehicle only, in this case the M32
Tank Recovery Vehicle, For use wrth
the M4 Shermans came the Mine Ex-
ploder TlE3 (later the Mine Exploder
MI) which was generally known as the
Aunt Jemima, This used two very largre
sets of roller discs mounted on side
arms in front of the carrier, and the
system was used in action desptte its
grreat bulk and awkwardness. It
proved to be successful enouqh, and
was even developed into an MIAI
version whrch was even heavter.
The Americans developed a whole
stdng of other types of mine roller, few
of which got past the experimental
stage, Perhaps the oddest of them was
the Mine Exploder Tl0 on which the
rollers became the road wheels for an Vehicle Tl5. Thrs was an M4 tank fltted Rollers were an app ar ently ohviou s
M4 tank body, complete with gun tur- with extra body and belly armour and solution to a minefield, but it proved
ret. T\ro rollers were mounted forward intended to set off mines by simply exceedingly difficult to detonate
and another set of roller discs was at driving over them, relying on its extra enough mines by the rollers' weight
the rear with the tank body slung be- protection for survlal, None of these alone. Solutions included rollers so
tween them, Thls device got no further vehicles was ready for use by the time heavy that it took several vehicles to
than trials, and neither did the series of the war ended, and work on the type move them, andplough androller
vehicles known as the Mine Resistant then ceased. comhinations.

>K €= 6u" tractors

was the High-Speed Tractor M4 and
the other the High-Speed Tractor M5,
The M4 used components of the M2Al
Lee tank allied to a new boxtype body
that could house the crew and a quantt-
ty of ammunition. Compared to other
types of tractor the gnrn crew could
travel in comfort as the cab was weath-
erproof and fltted with such luxuries as
heaters, and yet there was still plenty
of room for stowage, The M5 tractor
was smaller and used components
from the M3 light tank series, The crew
accommodation was more open than
that of the M4 but the tractor strll had
plenty of space and was equipped
with such handy items as winches, The
M4 was used to tow artillery up to
155 m (6. 1 in) in calibre, and the M5
was used for artillery up to 203 mm
(B in) in calibre. Both types were pro-
duced in consrderable numbers and
many of both are in use to this day
Largre numbers were handed out by
the Americans to the Allied armed
forces, and a few were used by the
British before the war ended.
Specification
Hiqh-Speed Tractor M5
Crew:9
weisht: 12837 kq(28,300 lb)
Powerplant: one Continental R-6572
petrol engine developinq 175.2 kW
(235 hp)
Dimensions:length4,B5 m(i5 ft 11 in);
wrdth 2,54 m (B ft 4 in); heiqht 2,64 m
(B ft B in)
Performance: maximum towing speed
56,3 krr/h(35 mph); maximumroad
range24). km (150 miles)
Armament: none
The M35 FullTrack Prime Moverwas
a turretless conversion of the M1041
tank destroyer for use as a tractor for
heavy artillery.This example is
towing the barrel of a 203-mm (8-in)
Gun M I towards Germany in
February I 945 ; the C arriage M 2
would havebeen towed separately.
Overthe lvlinefield
Perhaps the toughest combat engineer task of all is clearance
of aminefie\d. During World W ar I I all manner of devices were
tried out, from explosive projectors to brutally simple
machines like flails and rollers. Despite their inability to
guarantee safe passage through the mines, no better solutions
have been found in the four decades since 1945.
-re land mine in lts modern form was first used during World War l, and almost
:s soon as the first tanks appeared on the battlefield the Germans were
::signing the first anti-tank mines. Between the wars the land mine was
.':dually developed to the point where it could be handled and used by.almost
-. ery sdldier in anv army but in most armies the engineers were given the task
-' aying large-scale mrnefieids.
r brrioured warfare the main type of mine encountered is the anti-tank mine;
-: much smaller and lighter anti-personnel mine can cause linle damage to
=.:r the lightest tanks. The main obiective when laying antitank. minef ields is
-:: primarrly to damage enemy tanks (although that is always a bonus) but to
-' ct delay6 on advaniing armoured forces. By inflicting delay the all-important
': -.',,ard momentum of an armoured advance is lost and with it the shock ettect
'- makes the tank such a potent weapon. Of course, an advancing force can
=.
- - cly travel around a minefield, but if the minefield has been properly laid and
: '^nedthisisnotpossible,fortheminefield'sflanksshouldbebasedeitheron
. -:rgly-held posiiions or on natural obstacles such as water barriers Under
,-,: iiicumsiances the enemy has to try to clear a path through the minefield
,- :
again, if the minef ield has been correctly positioned clearance is not easy lt
. : re-of the basic rules of warfare that an obstacle not covered by f ire ls useless
. r ihat goes for minefields as well, so the enemy normally has the prospect of
- again variations in qround contours often meant that mines could be n ss::
-.. ro to-clear the offendino minefield while under fire from the defenders.
I eiring land mines takes"time, and it is the task of the combat engineer to
'-:,ce that time to a minimum. He has several clearance methods available to
- -'- His problem is that the safest and most certain clearance method is also the
-:sr time-consuming. a fact just as certain during World War ll as it is today:
-- s s the lengthy and rather hazardous process of searching for the mrnes by
- - :, using prods and shovels. in a well-laid out minef ield this can be made even
=
-:-etme--consumingbyscatteringant-personnel minesatvarrable ntervals. lt
. :"e method least suitable for use during armoured warfare so the combat
-- l neer has recourse to other methods that can clear mines but are much less
.=i: n of complete clearance.
R.ollers andploughs
-: the beginning of World War ll the combat englneer had only two non-
-- . - ral metiiods open to him : the roller and the plough. The rollers were pushed
- '':nt of a tank by means of a frame, but the early forms of roller had several
..- .s that were only appreciated once they were actually used to clear mines
-: was that the rollers had to follow the contours of the ground surface very
-
: if they rolled above small dips or gullies they might miss rnines that the
'. -..1y:
-.:racks would f ind to their cost. The other fault was that the rollers were not
'.:,.'s heavy enough. Most anti-tank mines only detonated when a pressure of
'. about 120 kg 1265 lb) was applied, and infantry could cross an anti-tank
-' ='
-.'ield in relative safety unless the usual practice of 'sowing'anti-personnel
-' -=s had been followed. Thus the rollers had to be really heavy, and lf they
--: neavy they became a prodigious load to push in front of a tank, to say
- -- not until well after World
"g of ihe dlfficulties of steering control. lt was were
ihat the problems associated with mine rollers f inally eradlcated by
'"
.':',i design and the use of articulated arms.
-- s gavelise to the mine plough. The British were quite early in developing-
, --^ :evices and carried out a whole series of trials with varrous torms oi
.,- -- iural plough to determine exactly what form a mine plough should take
t:- ^- lhese
ear-ly trials came several forms of special plough mounted on
-r--:s, some being designed to fit onto mine roller frames ln the interests of
. - --cnality. All oithese ploughs were intended to be pushed in front of the
:. --'lank tracks and dig down into the ground. As they did so they were
-: : )laiJda Scorpion rotary mine flai| was developed in North Africa during
i- - seen-here oper ating east of the Mareth Line in I 94 3' T he flail drum
a-: d js
z- : ::.ains were rotated by two engines, one each side of the huLL' and were
^ : : : ective at detonating mines, but the chains often gave trouble-
=::
TheJeffries (or MDI) plough was one type of mine plough used for trials by the
T9thArmoured Division. The plough shares were carried on the ends of arms
that couldbefolded upwardswhen not inuse, butthe type did notget past he
experimental stage as the Bullshorn ploughwas preferred.
supposed to lift out any mines they came across and push them to one s i: :-
of the way. They had the advantage of clearly rndicating to following tro.c: :'
vehicles exactly what path had been cleared, bul once again there were r'3 , . -
backs. One was that the plough was not a 100 per cent clearance method C -:=
The other drawback was encountered in rocky ground. At the best of trn-es .-:
under perfect soft soil conditions the early mine ploughs were difficult:c :,.-
and usually involved the pusher tank having to crawl forward at high revo:-: : -.
and in bottom gear. On rocky ground it became almost impossible to c-s- .
plough, and if it struck a rock or tree root something usually had to give, nc.-.
the ploughshare or a fixing bracket.
It was left to a South African engineer officer to invent what becar::-=
almost universaily accepted method of clearance in use during Word \',;'
This was the mine flail, which rn theory should have been simple. lt was a s.- =:
of chains around a drum rotated by some power source carned on the c:=:'-:
tank, usually the tank's main engine via a power take off or an auxrl;ary e'; -=
After early experience in North Africa the flall became w dely acceptec :. --
British army, and was even taken over by the US Army. But early exper;e::: -:
usual highlighted the drawbacks as well. One of these involved the c-: -.
which had a tendency to tangle up with one another or to break up nto p
The chains also showed a propensity to beat the ground in uneven patte'-:=:-- .-:
sometimes left patches of ground unbeaten, and when they did nol bea::-:
ground there was always a chance that a mlne might have been missed. --:-=
and other problems involved the Bntish army in a great deal of trials wor< ,', - : -
evolved a method of using flail chains that not only detonated mines bv s -: .
hitting them with the end of the chain but also dug up the ground and ex: -:: -::
the mines to be broken up byfurther beating. ln time the Crab flail beca-: -.
standard model.
At the same time as the flail tanks were being evolved, the use oi exc : s . =.
was also being developed. Bangalore Torpedoes were a time honou rec r --.' -:
of clearing mines and they reached a high point of eff iciency with mass .: .-:
awkward devices such as the Snake. More sophisticated were the va'o,s -:::
devrces that were somehow emplaced across a mrnefield. These noses :: - :
either be fired across the minefield by a rocket or dragged across bv a'. :' '
f lailtank. Once in position theywere filled with liquid explosive (as n Cc^!:- - -
had their explosive payloads already in place (as in Tapeworm). ln e the'::.: .-.
resultant explosion was virtually certarn to detonate any m nes in the r: - ::'
vicinrty by blast alone. However, it was str lonly about 97 per cenl .--: - ---
produce a clear path and rn combat the remaining three per ceni r:: :-
.:
accepted.
The Bullshorn ploughwas amine plough device developed $/ithr:-:e l-::r
Armoured Division.ltwas more usually fitted to the Churchill A|/F.l a:.= :::
the Shermantank shown here, althoughitwas developed to be use: :;' :::-
the Churchill and the Sherman.
Storming fhe Aflanfic Wall
The Germans extensively fortified the coast of Europe, with the intention of making
an amphibious invasion impossible. Beaches were choked with underwater
obstacles, sowed with mines and overlooked by a network of concrete
emplacements. The vital task assigned to the 79th Armoured Division was to
spearhead the British assaultand punch ahole in theAtlanticWall.

-r\rhen
the first waves of the special vehicles of AChurchill carrying the device
ire 79th Armoured Drvisron swept ashore on known as J ones O nion cr ashes
ie Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944, it was through a breached seawall to place
its explosive charge against the next
Jre hrghpoint of a long process of trarning and
waLL.It then reverses and defonales
preparation that had in some cases been going
the ex plosive e lectric ally.
:n for years, In the event it was in most cases a
practical demonstration of the old military max-
-n 'train hard, fight easy', for the men and
:nachines of the 79th Armoured Division had
been working up to the invasion througth a long
series of exercises, tactical analysis and indi-
-.rdual trarning sessions,
The 79th Armoured Division was formed in
September 1942, and at that time it was ex-
!ected that it would be a conventional
armoured formation. But by early I943 its role
rad been altered, This was a direct result of the
:ealzation that the only way Germany was to
be beaten in Europe was by means of land
:perations preceded by a iarge amphrbious
:peration to get armres ashore. By early 1943
re shape and form of Hitler's Atlantic Wall was
:ecoming known, and it was realized that the
:rr1y way to get through the mass of obstacles,
l3ncrete defences and weapon emplace-
nents was by means of speciai armoured vehi'
:les and the use of specialized tactics. Exactly calm waters, moved by twrn propellers at the assault regiments of the lst Assault Brigade.
;,-hat form these vehicles and tactics might take rear, Then there was the need for an armoured The 27th Armoured Brigade took over the DD
-i,-asthen unknown, The 79th Armoured Drvi- vehicle type to provide combat engineers with tanks and the 3lst Tank Brrgade assumed re-
s-cn was given the job of discovering them, some form oiprotection while they carrred out sponsibility for a miscellany of vehicles includ,
preparing to use them, and actually carrying their myriad tasks, and in time the Armoured ing the flamethrowers.
r'ni the role on the day of the rnvasion, Vehrcle Royal Engineers (AVRE) was born, The flamethrowers are not mentioned else-
Minefields would be an obvious obstacle, and where in this study, but were an important
Hobart mine-clearing tanks with their various forms of component of the 79th Armoured Division,
So the 79th Armoured Division had to start attachment or flarl systems had to be de- Most of the equrpments involved were known
:cmpletely from scratch, but it had a major veloped. All manner of special equlpment had as Crocodiles based on the Churchill tank ahd
aivaniage rn that it was commanded by Major- to be devrsed, from assault bridging to obstacle using flame prolectors fed from armoured trail-
Seneral Sir Percy Hobart, one of the most re- demolition charges, ers towed behind each tank, They were in-
rarkable officers in a remarkable generation Then men had to be found from a manpower tended to be used against bunkers and similar
:: army offlcers. His drive, organization and pool that was even by 1943 beginning to run strongpoints, but therr use in actton proved one
:;erall direction enabled the untrained and dry. Men were needed everywhere and the of the more specralized skrlls that the 79th
;:rprepared 79th Armoured Drvision to be- 79th Armoured Division, despite its import- Armoured Division had to learn. Another useful
same one of the most successful armoured ance, had to take what was available, Fortu
:crmations of World War II, but it was to be a nately they got some of the best and the divr
On 6 August 1944 a Churchill AVRE moves up
-:ng and arduous slog, sion began to take shape, The 35th Tank Brr
gade was given the task of looking after the through the village of Oudenfontein in Normandy.
On the equipment side there was virtually Once the AVREs had shownwhatthey could do
loihing to hand. World War I had seen the use CDLs, and when the mineclearing equipment during the Normandy campaign they became an
:: some specialized armour, but the end of the had been decided upon the 30th Armoured estab/rshedpa rt of the British armoured
-"',
ar and years of treasury cost-cutting had en- Brrgade were qiven Sherman Crabs, The formations, andwere constantly in demand for all
sured that little had survlved the inter-war AVREs became the responsibilrty of the three manner of combat engineer tasks.
_,'ears, Some experimental work had been car-
ried out in the UK in the years just before 1939,
cut the results were few and were not rea1ly
-ntended for the sort of warfare the 79th
Armoured Division was contemplating. Special
equipment had to be developed from the
Crawrng board onwards, but ready to hand
','rere the Canal Defence Lights (CDLs) which
became an early component of the 79th
Armoured Divisron's inventory. Since they
played littIe part in the invasion plot they can
be left out of the rest of this account.
One piece of equipment was the swimming
:ank. It was appreciated that tanks would have
:o move ashore in the early assault waves, and
as rt might not be possible to land them directly
:n a beach they would have to swim ashore
scmehow, From thls came the Duplex Drive
.DD) tanks, usually Shermans, with their high
:ollars that enabled them to float in relatively

-,-ehicle was the Buffalo, a large tracked amphr-
lian that could carry anythrng from men to
supphes, whose main atiraction for the 79th
-\rmoured Drvision was that it couid drive
straight out of landing craft and swim its way
=shore to cross over the beach.
Tanktraining
Out of all these various units, each with a
:riferent type of equipment and with dtffering
.=ctical purposes the 79th Armoured Divislon
..ad to produce a cohesive fighting formation. It
:roved no easy task, for everything had to be
:arried out with virtually no background on
.', rlch to work. It was decided to form instruc-
-' nal wingis within the division and use these to
,rnulate workinq methods, drills and all the
- .ier operational requirements. The flrst of
:,:se wings was formed at the delightfully-
:--red Fritton Decoy near Lowestoft, where
: drvision learned how to operaie DD tanks
landlng craft and worked out safety drills
-,rj the general handhng of DD tanks in water,
-.
. .:: only specialized training was carried out,
: nany ol the men allocated to the 79th
::::,oured Divrsion were hardly out of the re-
- - ': training stage and had to be taught all the
--.'.-l military skilis rn addition to their iask
., -s One form of training that was greatly
-,-=-;nasized was tank gunnery, for it was real-
=
j .hat in the rnitial stages of the assauit on the
-.:hes the tanks themselves would have to
iheir ownfire support and that they
:-: -'.-rde
, 'C
have to knock out the many beach de
::,re weapons that rt was known the Germans
-.: emplaced along the Atlantic Wall, The
.'.'-jard of gmnnery was such that gunners
=:.: expected to be able to hit German gun
.- ::1s with their opening shots,
:-.- :he summer of 1943 the 79th Armoured
- , -s-:n carried out its first large-scale training
= =::.ses at Linney Head in Wales, and for the
--,: -ne the dlvlsion worked together as a
. ..--::-\re whole, It was at thrs time that the
' :. iual unrts realized that each of rhem de-
:-r ost spect acu lar of the' F unnies' : a S herm an
3 ri?
::z-c pouids its way up the beach, detonating
l::=ar mines with ils flail. The Crabs were also
.t:"a n provide fire support against
"pii
3e':ran emplicements with their 75-mm (2.95'in)
:-"-:s. atmament,
?-
-*'
Special Purpose Tanks of World War II
pended on the other for combat success, and
from thrs realization came yet more lessons that
had to be worked into the division's operating
methods and dnlls, After Linney Head the divt-
sion once more separated for yet more train-
ing some of it carried out in Stokes Bay tn the
Solent. By the end of 1943 the first Crabs were
issued to the divisron, and training with these
took up more time,
Timingthe landing
By then it was apparent that the actual inva-
sion day was not far dlstant, and information
regarding the invasion beaches was pouring
into the division's planning staffs. The Royal Air
Force provtded a constant stream of iow-level
photographs, and daring rards by commando
teams produced actual dimensions of the types
of beach and other obstacles that the division
would have to face. Replicas of these obstacles AChurchill AVRE carries a brushwood f asc:r'e ::
were built on a training range at Orford be dumped into a trench or ditch to allow the i.',?.j
1n
and other vehicies lo cross. When these fasc.:.e:
Suffoik and were used to determine exactly
how they could be tackled. In this way the were being carried neither the driver nar lhe
commander could see very much, so the
division began to lay out exactly what equip- commander usually had to travel on top ol rte
ment such as bridging would be required, and fascine and give the driver intercom commards
even qot down to the task of determtntng whtch
vehicles would be rn any particular landtng
craft at each stage ol the landings. The actual
timings of the landrngs was evolved for the first
time it being appreciated that not everything
could be landed all at the same time. For va-
rious reasons the DD tanks had io be launched
some \ /ay out to sea while the division assault
teams were landed much farther in yet the two
had to reach the beach at about the same time +
lor mutual support,
All thrs plannrnq work was carried out during
=:)
::li i
the early months of i944, At the same time the
:.E* l':
training had reached a stagte where rehearsals
could be carried out again at places like Siokes '-i
1. 6
Bay, or across beaches in Norfolk, The rehear-
sals in Norfolk were of particular importance,
for it was there that a particuiar type of clay was
to be found This was the same as that suddenly t.
discovered on some of the Normandy beaches
-c\
l*..
t,
\
. .*:_'.€
.',]- F:: :
Storming the Atlantic Wall
--;::la:flalssance teams from ihe commando A Churchill ARK lays its ramp over a ditch to
-.:-s -j,= clay was of a particularly soft con- enahle its accompanying Churchill to cross over.
:-s.3:-t a:.rd it was feared that it would not take The ARKs were also used to place their ramps
:-= r, ji:
cf a tank, a fact shown to be correct against vertical obstacles such as sea walls.
:,':-=:- =:a
:a:x promptly sank rnto it while attemp-
-j-l: :: cross the similar clay on the Norfolk
i::::es. It was time for a rapid improvisation,
-,: Clirchrll AVREs were hurriedly f,tted
."--: :arpet-laying devices that would enabie
-,':: :-es io cross the clay belts, The hessian
:-.- rrd their dispenser bobbins were pro-
: '.:ed n the division's REME workshops, but in
:-= e'.-ent they were not really needed, On
--la-,- ihe clay belts had been covered by
s,--i churned up by the rough weather,
Across the Channel
l--nng early June 1944 the 79th Armoured
l--;sron took its turn in the long lines of traffic
:-a:::roved to the invasion ports along the south
:::si of England, The 79th Armoured Division
:-:l :o disperse ltself quite wldely, ior by the
-,':r"- nature of its operational task lt had to land
:: e1'ery beach on which British and A]lied
:::ps would be usrng, The 79th Armoured
l:-,-sron was thus divided among three drvi-
:-::s. On the west the British 50th Divlsion
;;:';ld be landing on Jig'and'King' beaches, in
i:e centre the 3rd Canadian Division would be
-=irng on 'Mike'and 'Nan' beaches, while in
-:-e east the British 3rd Drvision would be land-
':j cn a brrgade front on 'Queen' beach, The
: lC thrrg was that the highly specialized 79th
i::noured Division was the only formation of its
-<:-d lo be landing on the invaslon day, The US Tactics were rapidly evolved to overcome the
-::ny had decided not to employ specialzed defences at the same trme as the obstacles
.-encles other than DD tanks, and relied entire- were cleared, and the Crab Shermans proved
-,, :rpon their ordinary divisional resources, In invaluable with thelr 75-mm guns, in the cen-
pari this was due to the fact that many of the tre, some of the minefields proved to be parti-
:eaches they were to use were backed by cularly difficult to clear and the mine-clearing
:',frs or other terrain where armour of any sort teams suffered heavy casualties in men and
-,",-:u-ld
be dlfflcuit to use, but in places special- equipment before they won through with the
'-ed armour would have proved invaluable, close support provlded by accompanying
Canadian rnfantry,
Roughsea By niqhtfall some Allied troops were nearly
In due course the vehrcles of the 79th I0 km (6 miles) inland and much of this adv-
l-rmoured Division made their way onto their ance was due to the success of the 79th
-a:drng craft and the men then had to simply Armoured Divisron in clearing paths across
se:le down and wait. They had to wait longer and from the beaches, In contrast the Amer-
-:an expected, for on 4 June the weather turned icans to the west were at best only 5 km (3
::-:.i and the Channel was too rough for the miles) rnland and they had suffered prop-
-a:drng craft involved, and certarnly too rough ortionally far greater casualties, Thrs alone pro- A Churchill tanknegrofiafes a sea wall built at
-:r 'rhe DD tanks which could not operate in vides a yardstick of the success of the 79th Orford in Suffolk to simulate the types of wall likely
Armoured Divisron, but it should not be forgot- to be encountered by the 79th Armoured Division
=rl-hmg more than sea state 5, Thus the inva- in northern France. The Churchill is climbing over
srln was postponed for one whole day until, ten that much of therr success was due to the
aChurchill ARK Mk I that has been driven against
lradually, the weather abated and the fleet set fact that therr preparation had been so thor- thewall.
s,:rr. ough that the rnvasion came easy,
On the morning of 6 June all the traintng
lame to fruition. On almost every beach the
:arefully rehearsed drills were used and
lrcved entirely successful, Of course things
-i go n rong in places, especially on the west-
beaches where the sea was so rough that it
=r:
prcved impossible to launch the DD tanks and
iie assault teams had to provide their own fire
sxpport, Not surprisingiy, the carefully-laid
pi.a:rs were set aside and improvisation and
3.rrrmon
. sense had to be used. It was here that
. ']re trainrnq was shown to be fu1ly justlfied,

Soft sandwas always one of the specialisttanks'

most-feared terrain, and what could happen when
crossrrg sucft terrain is clearly shown in this
photogiraph of a bogged-down Sherman Crab.
Note the deepwadinggear fitted to the engine
mtakes at fierear and theflails inthe raised
posrfuon.
 GERMANY

Bergepanther
During the early war years the Ger-
man army used the l8{onne SdKfz 9/1
and 9/2 for recoverrng broken-down or
damaged tanks, but mth the arrival of
the healry tanks such as the Tiger and
Panther these vehicles were no longer
able to recover the weights involved.
The only way they could be used
effectively was in complicated tandem
or other afianQlements with one vehr
c1e's crane acting in combination with
rhe olher and rl was not always possi-
ble to get two of these larqe halftracks
io some locations, even supposing two
ivere on hand. The only solutron to the
problem oflarqe vehicle recovery was
-he development of a new heauy re-
:overy vehicle. Some of the early Ti-
;er units converted their machines to
-ake winches in the turret in place of
re main gun for recovery purposes,
aut thrs was a waste of a valuable gmn
.ank and Tigers were always in short
-.rpply, In the end it was decided to
-:e the Panther tank as the basis for the
:-:w vehicle.
The new vehicle became known as
:-e SdKfz I79 Bergepanther, or Berge-
panzer Panther, The first of these
=ppeared dwinq 1943, and they were
:::rversions of early models of Panther
ljn tanks, On the conversion the turet
fighting compartments were com-
=C
-:-etely removed and replaced by an
-!en superstructure housinq a Iarge
rC powerful winch, To increase the
::-1i' of this winch the vehrcle had at
-,: rear a larqe earth spade. In use this
was lowered to the ground and
:-: vehicle was reversed, the spade
=ade
,:,:s being dug down into the grround to
act as a stable anchor when the winch
was in use with lhe cable running out
over the vehicle rear. The combination
of spade and wrnch enabled the
Bergepanther to recover even the
heaviest vehicles, and it also carried
all manner of orher recovery equip-
ment, including a light crane jib on the
Ieft hand sjde for use when carrying
out running repairs,
It was spring 1944 before the first
Bergepanthers reached the troops, the
conversions beingr carried out by DE-
MAG in Berlin, By the time the war
ended 297 had been produced, but not
all of them were fully equipped, For
supply reasons some vehicles were
issued without the rear-mounted
spade which reduced them to little
more than towingt vehicles; they were
of such limitedutility that many of these
incomplete vehicles had their winches
removed to enable them to be em-
ployed as supply and ammunition car-
riers, The full standard Bergtepanthers
Special Purpose Tanks of World Wa-r I
proved to be invaluable and not surpri-
singly they were concentrated tn
Panther, Tiger and Konigstrger forma-
tions. In sewice they had a crew of five,
and most retained their front hull 7.92-
mm (0,312-in) machtne-gun, Many
were also armed with a 2-cm cannon
carried just forward of the open super-
structure on a mount that allowed it to
bb used either in the anti-aircraft or
qround target role.
When they were first introduced the
Bergepanthers were well in advance
of other contemporary recovery vehl-
cles, Although it was a conversion ofan
extsting tank, its combrnation of wrnch,
earth spade and overall layout meant
that it was quite smply the best recov-
ery vehicle produced during World
War IL
Specification
Bergeparther
Crew: 5
Weight:42 tons
The Bergepanther was the best-
armoured recovery vehicle proo'ucec
inWorldWar II. Only 297 were
completed by the end of the wat. a:::
they were generally concentraiec ::
the heavy tank battalions.

lhe German Bergepanthet was

;ased on the Panther tank hull and
:uspensrbn, and could be used for
:e recovery of even the heaviest
Serman tanks. Shown here in its

tatth anchor at the rear to improve

w-,ttchpuII.

GERMANY

Karl ammunition carriers

'',:-=:l
the design teams that produced
-,-,: ::-asslve Karl sieqe howitzer were
::r'.',:ng up their plans they at flrst
' =:--oked one item: lhe masslve
.:--::-barrelled howrtzers they were
---r:r-.3rng were mounted on largte
:=:<: chassis to provide some mea-
--:= :i mobility (even thougth this
: :---:y was strictly limited by the
.---. =d weights involved), but they
: - :=:' 'le matter of ammunrrion supp-
- -:-s oversrght was soon realized
--,::.ans were made to provide spe-
- -,',':anmunrtion carriers that couid
. .. - :c wherever the Karls might be
= -:-::ed, and these carriers had to
:= :::ked as well They also had to be
-:;:= ior the Karls fired a huge con-
,:= :-bustinEr projectile that weiqhed
- .=ss than 2170 kq (4 784 lb) and with
. - =Jre of 60 cm (23,62 in); later ver-
: :-: :ad a calibre of 54 cm (21,26 in)
:-- r i:e projectile weighed 1250 kg suspensron and other components Above left: theMunitionpanzer IV Above: AMunitionpanzer IV Ausf F ts
- -:a rb) thouqh in place ofthe usual turret there Ausf F was used to carry the heavy shown in its travelling confiWrattor.
-:-: vehicle selected to be the was a platform that covered the entire projectiles for the 60-cm (23.62-in) with the jibfolded andwith thesieJ
::':,-:rtioncarrter for the Karls was top of the hull At the front of the plat- Karl self-propelled mortar, and is lifting grab stowed on the front oi *,e
' - i:(pfw IV Ausf F. These vehicles form was a crane with a capacity of seen herewith its lifting jibraised huLL. Eachof these ammunitson
; :-ot conversions, but were built 3000 kg (6,614 1b), offset to the left and ready for use. The jib could traverse carriers could carry three 60-czn
r =:=
r- :-e,v- usingr the basic tank hull, with the swlvelling jib normally stowed through 360 degrees. (2 3. 6 2 - in ) pr oj ec tile s.
Karl ammunition cariers (continued)
:atr-nq to the rear. The marn platform
-,'.-- used as the carryingr area for the
p::;ectiles, with space for two or three
s::11s. Small metal side walls were
=:-=ci. but these were often removed in
:e field.
Much of the movement of the Karl
:q.rpments had to be caried out on
:J-ways, and the train that carried the
::mponents of Karl also had a couple
:- lat-cars to cafiy Munitionpanzer or
Munitionschlepper ammunition car-
::ers. Once close to the flrinq posrtlon
Karls were assembled and they
=e
:::o-red off to the exact firing position.
?r:lectiles for the weapons were
:a<en from the train box-cars either by
:-. erhead gantry or by usrnq the crane
:-runted on the carriers. The carriers
:::en moved to the firing position and
':loaded their projectiles by parking
:-ext to the Karl breech and Iftrng the
anmunition directly to the breech
-oadinq tray with ihe crane. Special
ammunltion handling grabs were used
:: the crane itsell Once their load had
been fired the carriers trundled off for
::lore.
Not all Karl moves were made by
raLl. There was an arrangement
.,';hereby a Karl could be broken down
-::to relatively small loads for road trac-
:on, but it was a long and arduous pro-
:e*s to assemble the weapon on site.
iVhen this occurred rhe carriers were
EI ilr"i""r Panzerbefehlswagen
]rce the German army had accepted
-:e concept of the Panzer diviston with
.:s large tank component rl was
appreciated that the larqe mass of
:arks wou.ld carry with it considerable
:cmmand and control problems Tank
-:mation commanders would have to
:::cve forward with the tanks and maln-
:an contact with them at ail times, and
1: first lt seemed that the best way of
i:ing this was to have the comman-
:ers travelling rn tanks. But it was also
:ppreclated that commanders would
:-are to carry with them all manner of
siecial equipment and extra person-
:el to transmit orders and generally
:ssst the commandet in his task, Thus
s:ne form of dedicated command tank
-r::ld be needed.
h typrcally thorough style the Ger-
::-a:: designers came up with an
=:-sr;er as early as 1938. They decided
-: :3nvert the little PzKpfw I training
:-:k for the command role, and the
::sli was the SdKfz 265 kleiner Pan-
zerbefehlswagen (small armoured
:::::nand vehicle), The command
;=:-cle was a relatively straightfor-
r;::i
-r::-::
conversionof the basic tank in
ihe rotating tank turret was re-
;-::eC by a box-like superstructure to
;::;-ie
-r
extra rnternal space. The
lr:-J, lncreased from the two of the
as
::-< ::-Juee, in the form of the driver,
:-: ::r:"malder and a siQlnaller/gener-
.- .q<*{ant. The extra internal space
-,r
-:akenup with items such as a small
.::-e ::r Lne commander to work on,
:-=; j,splay boards, stowage for more
::::ps other paperwork and two
:rj-:s -d
:re for communicatinq with the
:.:'c li the other to provide a link to
:-;:-e: ccmmand ievels. These radtos
::l_--l3d the provisron of extra dyna-
::: :alaciry to power them and keep
.:=-r associated batteries fully
::--;=i For armament a 7.92-mm
- :-2--:) MG34 machine-gun was
towed on special wheeled trailers
towed by large halftracks, The usual
allotment of carriers to a sinqle Karl
was two. Also rncluded in each Karl
lrain' were two trucks, two light staff
cars and at least one l2{on halftrack
carry the Karl crew,
The Karl howitzers were amonq the
most specialized of all German artil-
lery weapons. They were designed as
fortification smashers, and durinqt
World War II were not much in de-
mand, But they and their PzKpfim IV-
based ammunition carriers did see use
mounted in the front plate.
There were three variations of this
command vehicle, one with a small
rotatinq tufiet set onto the superstruc-
ture, This latter feature was soon dis-
continued as it took up too much of the
limited rnternal space and was soon
found to be unnecessary. The other
two vanants drffered only in detail, In
all of them the small size of the vehicle
inflicted space lmitations, and with
two men attemptinq to work within the
close confines ofthe body things could
qet very cramped. But the concept
worked very well and about 200 con-
versions from the PzKpfiru I tank were
made. The first of them saw action dur-
ing ihe Polish campaign of 1939 and
more were used in France during May
and June 1940, Later they equipped
the Afrika Korps, One of these North
African campaign examples was cap-
tured by the British army and taken
back to the United Kingdom. There tt
was closely examined by tank experts
who produced a larete report on the
vehicle, whrch can now be seen in the
Bovington Tank Musem,
Despite their relative success in the
command role the little PzKpfw I tank
conversions were really too small and
cramped for efficrency and in time
during the sieqe of Sevastopol, and rn
1944 sawmore action dudng the Battle
of Warsaw against the unfortunate Pol-
ish home army
to Specification
Munitionpanzer
Crew:4
Weight: 25 tonnes
Powerplant: one Maybach HL 120
TRM petrol engnne developing
223,7 kW (300 hp)
Dimensions: length 5,41 m (17 ft 9 in);
width 2,883 m (9 ft 5.5 in); height not
they were replaced by conversions of
larger tank models,
Specification
kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen I
Crew:3
Weight:5.Btons
Powerplant: one Maybach NL 38 TR
petrol engine developing 74,6 kW
T he M unitionp an zer IV Au sf F
carried shells for the Karl self-
propelled mortar on a platform over
the hull.Theywere lifted onto the
Karl loading tray by a front-mounted
jib crane, seen here folded over the
shellplatform.
recorded
Performance: maximum road speed
39.9 km/h (24 B mph); maxrmum road
rangre 209 km ( 130 miles)
Armament:none
T he kleiner P anz er befeh lsw agen
was a command version of the
PzKpfw I light tank. I t had a crew of
three and the fixed superstructure
containedtwo radios, a map table
and extra electrical equipment. The
vehicles were widely used, as they
allowed commanders to keep up
with arm oured form ations.
Below:Just how cramped the PzKpfw
I command tank was can be gauged
from this photograph ofthe basic
model PzKpfw I. About 200
conversions were made but they
proved too small for the task, and
they were replaced by moditied
versions of later tanks.
(100 hp)
Dimensions:lenglh4.445 m (14 ft 7 in);
width2,0B m(6 ft9,9 in); heiqht 1,72 m
(5 ft 7.7 in)
Performance: maxrmum road speed
40 krn/h (25 mph); maximum road
ranqe 290 kn (lB0 miles)
Armament: one 7,92-mm (0,31Z-in)
machrne-gun