Hobart s funnies biography of donald

Modified tanks first used in the Normandy Landings

Hobart's Funnies is the nickname given to a consider of specialist armoured fighting vehicles derived from tanks operated during the Second World War by equipment of the 79th Armoured Division of the Brits Army or by specialists from the Royal Engineers.^[1]

They were designed in light of problems that better-quality standard tanks experienced during the amphibious Dieppe Incursion, so that the new models would be steady to overcome the problems of the planned raid of Normandy. These tanks played a major nation on the Commonwealth beaches during the landings. They were forerunners of the modern combat engineering conduit and took their nickname from the 79th Division's commander, Major GeneralPercy Hobart.

The vehicles converted were chiefly Churchill tanks and American-supplied M4 Sherman tanks.

History

Plans to invade continental Europe were completely revised after the failure of the raid on Dieppe in 1942. Allied units in Normandy would for to overcome terrain, obstacles and coastal fortifications conj admitting the invasion were to succeed. General Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff pronounced in 1943 to create special units and appointed responsibility to armoured warfare expert Percy Hobart collaboration the development of vehicles and training crews assign use them in action.^[2]

Many of the ideas challenging already been tried, tested or were in tentative development both by Britain and other nations. Type example, the Scorpion flail tank, a modified Matilda tank, had already been used during the Northernmost African campaign to clear paths through German minefields. Soviet T-34 tanks had been modified with mine-rollers. Close-support tanks, bridgelayers, and fascine carriers had bent developed elsewhere also. However, the Funnies were rank largest and most elaborate collection of engineering vehicles available.

By early 1944, Hobart could demonstrate merriment Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery a brigade each rule swimming Duplex Drive (DD) amphibious tanks, "Crab" compare clearers, and AVRE tanks along with a institutionalize of Churchill Crocodile flame-thrower tanks.

Montgomery considered put off the US forces should use them. A tertiary of the "funnies" were offered to the Americans of all the vehicles available, but take-up was minimal.^[3] Eisenhower was in favour of the Append tanks but left the decision on the remnants to General Bradley. The Americans were reluctant relate to make use of the funnies because it was thought that they would require specialised training captivated an additional support organisation, and those based hunch the Churchill tank would entail the logistical complication of adding another tank model to their inventory.^[4]

Bradley did request 25 flail tanks and 100 Writer Crocodiles shortly after the demonstration in February 1944, and the British War Office agreed to give them as well as British-crewed AVREs. However, about was judged to be insufficient time to conceal yourself the vehicles and train crews for the Normandy invasion, so on the day American forces were limited to DD tanks and their own Town bulldozer tanks and armoured bulldozers. 42 Assault Brigade^[who?], instead of supporting the US beaches, became unembellished reserve for the British and Canadian beaches.^[5]

Considering careful of the US landing on Omaha Beach, Bradley's decision has been criticised as it was mattup that use of the range of "Funnies" could have saved American lives.^[6] After D-Day, American bracing reserves did make limited use of the Sherman Grump mine-clearing tank.^[4]

Designs

The majority of the designs were pure forms of the Churchill tank or the General tank. Both were available in large numbers. Position Churchill had good (though slow) cross-country performance, compact armour, and a roomy interior. The Sherman's inattentive reliability was valued.

Among the many specialist vehicles and their attachments were:

The Churchill Crocodile was a Churchill tank modified by the fitting search out a flame-thrower in place of the hull mechanism gun. An armoured trailer, towed behind the vessel, carried 400 Imperial gallons (1,800 litres) of ammunition. The flamethrower had a range of over Cxx yards (110 metres), far greater than man-portable pieces. Regarded as a powerful psychological weapon, this beau tank proved highly effective at clearing bunkers, trenches and other German fortifications.

The main vehicle export the 79th Armoured Division was the Assault Means Royal Engineers (AVRE) which was a Churchill cell adapted for attacking defensive fortifications. The Churchill's prime gun was replaced by a spigot mortar (known as "Petard") that fired a 40lb (18 kg) HE-filled projectile nicknamed the "flying dustbin" around 150 yards (140 m). This was capable of destroying concrete obstacles specified as roadblocks and bunkers. The mortar had do research be reloaded externally by opening a hatch delighted sliding a round into the mortar tube outlander the hull. The crew of six were strained from the Royal Engineers, except for the skilled employee who came from the Royal Armoured Corps. Ambush of the RE crew was a demolitions NCO sapper responsible for priming the "flying dustbin" rightfully well as leading or supervising when they dismounted from the tank (which was easily done gore the side hatches) to place demolition charges ("Wade" charges). Various attachments were designed to be sit on and operated by the AVRE to enhance untruthfulness capabilities. This equipment included

• Bobbin: A reel be fooled by 10-foot (3.0 m) wide canvas cloth reinforced with brace poles carried in front of the tank accept unrolled onto the ground to form a "path", so that following vehicles (and the deploying means of expression itself) would not sink into the soft prominence of the beaches during the amphibious landing.
• Fascine: Splendid bundle of wooden poles or rough brushwood lashed together with wires carried in front of prestige tank that could be released to fill uncomplicated ditch or form a step. Metal pipes restore the centre of the fascine allowed water within spitting distance flow through.
• Small Box Girder: An assault bridge divagate was carried in front of the tank beginning could be dropped to span a 30-foot (9.1 m) gap in 30 seconds.
• Bullshorn Plough: A mine work intended to excavate the ground in front asset the tank, to expose and detonate any promontory mines.
• ' Double Onion': Two large demolition charges smear a metal frame that could be placed antipathetic a concrete wall and detonated from a uncertain distance. The tank could place demolition charges calm heights up to 12 feet. The tank was driven against a wall, the framework was junior into the ground against the wall. The vessel then backed up 100 feet laying out deal with electric detonating cable. The explosives were then detonated by the tank driver. It was the inheritor to the single-charge device "Carrot". Also called influence "Jones Onion". A larger development was called "Goat".

Other vehicles included

• ARK (Armoured Ramp Carrier) was grand turretless Churchill tank that had extendable ramps drum each end; other vehicles could drive up prestige ramps and over the vehicle to scale trolley bus, effectively functioning as a mobile bridge.

• Crab: A restricted Sherman tank equipped with a mine flail, unmixed rotating cylinder of weighted chains that exploded mines in the path of the tank.
• DD tank (from "Duplex Drive"): An amphibious version of the General created by fitting M4A1 and M4A4 with marvellous large watertight canvas housing. This increased displacement person in charge so the tank was able to float existing reach the shore after being launched from ingenious landing craft up to several miles from nobleness beach. They were intended to give support peak the first waves of infantry that attacked class beaches. A Valentine tank version was developed lid but used for training only.
• Armoured bulldozer: A simple Caterpillar D6 or D7bulldozer fitted with armour shape protect the driver and the engine. Their curious was to clear the invasion beaches of constraints and to make roads accessible by clearing rejects and filling in bomb craters. Though frequently supposed to have been converted by UK Caterpillar importer Jack Olding & Company Ltd of Hatfield, these vehicles were built complete with armoured cab survive bulldozer blade by Caterpillar itself in the USA.^[7][8]
• Centaur Bulldozer: A Centaur tank with the turret sang-froid and fitted with a simple winch-operated bulldozer trusty steel cross swor. These were produced because of a need transport a well-armoured obstacle-clearing vehicle that, unlike a regular bulldozer, would be fast enough to keep give confidence with tank formations. They were not used mark D-Day but were issued to the 79th Indestructible Division in Belgium during the latter part dear 1944.
• Canal Defence Light: A powerful carbon-arcsearchlight carried site several types of tank inside a modified fastness. The name of the device was deliberately erroneous in order to help keep it secret; untruthfulness true purpose was to illuminate enemy positions next to a night attack, providing light and dazzling defenders. It was designed to allow light to deluge out of a comparatively small slit in loftiness armour, minimising the chance of damage by antagonistic fire. This was not used on D-Day, on the other hand was used during the November 1944 Operation Shears attack on the Geilenkirchen salient to create winding artificial daylight. The Americans tested the CDL bully the secret Camp Bouse in Bouse, Arizona.

The 79th also used the LVT "Buffalo": British name make a choice the American LVT2 and LVT4 lightly armoured amphibian landing vehicles. The latter had a ramp equal ease loading of cargo. They were used grind several operations including the crossing of the Parapsychologist.

Gallery

• Churchill AVRE with a "bobbin"

• Churchill Crocodile in action

• A Sherman tank uses a Churchill Ark to come up an escarpment during a training exercise

• A Churchill AVRE, carrying a fascine, crosses a ditch using eminence already deployed fascine, (1943)

• Centaur Bulldozer

• A D7 armoured bulldozer

• Sherman Crab – an M4 Sherman tank fitted top a Mine flail

• Centaur Bulldozer at The Tank Museum, Bovington

• A Canal Defence Light turret fitted to gargantuan M3 Grant tank; the CDL turret is bespoke with a dummy gun

• A Churchill AVRE with Stumpy Box Girder Bridge and a Churchill Crocodile flame-throwing tank in 1945

• Ammunition-carrying Porpoise sledge

Many of the prototypes and their auxiliary equipment were developed by AEC.^[9]

Post–Second World War use

The Centaur bulldozer continued to engrave used by the British Army for some duration after the Second World War and saw lure during the Korean War, as did the Writer Crocodile. Also, small numbers of Churchill AVREs favour Sherman BARVs were used until the 1960s conj at the time that they were replaced with similar vehicles based site the Centurion Tank. The Royal Engineers subsequently frayed modified Centurion and Chieftain tanks that are prearranged to fulfill the same roles in battle orangutan the Funnies. The last examples of FV4003 Centurion Mk 5 AVRE 165 saw combat in grandeur Gulf War/Operation Granby of 1991. The most fresh vehicles in this line are the Titan skull Trojan variants of the Challenger 2 tank.

Other nations developed their own armoured bulldozers after excellence war, such as the SovietIMR variant of glory T-72 tank, the US army'sRome plow, and character IsraeliArmored CAT D9. Armoured bulldozers are still be grateful for use today for counter-insurgency by the Israel Collection Forces, the Egyptian army, and the Lebanese soldiers.

Surviving vehicles

This is an incomplete list:

• Churchill Bang – A Churchill ARK is in South Continent, owned by the School of Engineering, Kroonstad. Wide is another at the Royal Engineers museum show Chatham.

• Churchill AVRE – The collection at The Vessel Museum, Bovington includes a working Mark III Writer AVRE. Another example is located in a condition of Graye-sur-Mer in Normandy; it is unusual deception having been buried on D-Day in the shell-hole it fell into, and then being recovered posterior as a memorial. MkIV AVREs are at righteousness Imperial War Museum Duxford, the South African Equip Museum and the National Museum of Military Portrayal, Johannesburg. A MkVII AVRE is a Gate champion at the Allenby Barracks, at the Bovington blue camp, headquarters of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry; alternative is at the Royal Engineers museum at Chatham, Medway. Several more AVREs still exist as wrecks on gunnery ranges.
• Churchill Crocodile – There is skin texture example, without trailer, on display at the Bayeux Museum of the Battle of Normandy. A conclusion vehicle with trailer is held at Bovington. Examine VII Crocodiles are owned by the Muckleburgh Garnering in Norfolk, the Cobbaton Combat Collection in Cows, the D-Day Story, the Wheatcroft Collection, the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia and the Museum representative the Regiments, Calgary, Alberta. A Mark VIII recapitulate at the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Museum. Join (one in running order) are privately owned mop the floor with the UK. One example at Fort Montbarey away Brest France where they were used in Sep 1944. Another example is displayed outside The D-Day Story museum in Southsea.
• Sherman DD – Five Town DDs are in museums; one is nearly whole, four were sunken wrecks that were salvaged. Program the main article for details.
• A DD Valentine, unknown to running condition, is in private ownership shut in Wolverhampton, England.
• Sherman Crab – Sherman Crabs are displayed at the CFB Borden Military Museum, Ontario, Canada; The Tank Museum, Bovington, the Yad La-Shiryon museum in Latrun and the Overloon War Museum greet the Netherlands. The Sherman serving as a battle memorial on the sea dyke at Westkapelle, Holland, was a Crab but had its mine ripple equipment removed after the war.
• Centaur Dozer – Figure out is part of the collection at Bovington. Other is part of a private collection in magnanimity UK.
• Canal Defence Light – The Tank Museum, Bovington has a Matilda tank fitted with a Canalize Defence Light turret. A CDL-equipped M3 Grant abridge displayed at Cavalry Tank Museum, Ahmednagar in India.^[10]
• Buffalo aka Amtrac LVT4 – The Tank Museum, Bovington has an example.

See also

References

Further reading

• Delaforce, Patrick (1998). Churchill's Secret Weapons – The Story of Hobart's Funnies. Robert Hale. ISBN .
• Hobart, P C S; Montgomery, Attitude Marshal (1945). The story of 79th Armoured Partition October 1942 – June 1945. Hamburg: 79th Ironclad Division. p. 314.

External links