Hobart\' S Funnies

The Hobart' S Funnies were an small group of tanks especially modified by the 79e British armor-plated division and specialists in the Royal Engineers at the time of the Second world war.

They had been conceived after the lesson of the bad experiment of the Débarquement of Dieppe ^,. The Opération Torch of the November 8th 1942 in North Africa made it possible to collect information on the best way of proceeding to the unloading.

The Hobart' S Funnies especially were useful on the beaches where the soldiers of the the Commonwealth unloaded, launched at sea in the case of tanks DD amphibious so that it arrive at the same time as the first men unloaded, or deposited for the others after the first waves of assault by Landing kraft tank (LCT).

They are regarded as the precursors of the specialized modern Véhicule S of military Engineering.

Historical context

See also: Battle of Normandy

The creation of a series of armored vehicles of seat to carry out the attack on the robust ones and various German defenses of the Atlantic Wall disseminated on the beaches of the French coast became a tactical need. Defenses were made up of many Blockhaus, artillery stations with guns of 88 mm able to take the beaches in row or to aim at possible boats to broad, cement walls, piles anti-tank, anti-tank ditches, fields of landmines or naval, anti-aircraft batteries and stations Radar. The Atlantic Wall was supervised by Erwin Rommel which had applied its doctrines to it envisaging to destroy the army of invasion before even as it touches ground, in spite of the diametrically opposed opinion of its hierarchically superior Gerd von Rundstedt. In March 1943, the unit was close to dissolution fault to resources but the Field Marshall Alan Brooke, including/understanding the advantage of such tanks, taken the decision to create these new units.

The command of division, the construction of the vehicles and the training of the crews were entrusted to old the Général - major Percy Hobart pioneer experienced of the armoured tanks of genius in the years 1930 or the “ funnies ” then baptized starting from the name of its initiator.

Several of the ideas applied already had been tested, examined or were under development as well with the the United Kingdom as in other nations. For example, the tank Scorpion (based on a tank Matilda Mark II) with plague had been used already during the war in North Africa to cut through paths released through the German minefields. The Soviet tanks T-34 had been also modified with plagues anti-mine. Moreover, tanks of support brought closer, creative of bridges and carrying roofs had been developed elsewhere. However, the Funnies were largest and the most complete collection of vehicles of military Engineering of the time.

Beginning 1944, Hobart could make the demonstration with Eisenhower and Montgomery of a Brigade of amphibious tanks DD , Crab to plague anti-mine, and of AVRE with a group of tanks Lance-flame Crocodile .

Montgomery was quickly convinced that they would be necessary to the American forces and “offered to them” half of all the vehicles available. Eisenhower was for the use of the amphibious tanks but left the decision of the other versions to the General Omar Bradley who, itself, delegated it to his officers. The latter did not retain any of the other concepts because they thought that they would require a complementary specialized formation and more support.

Centaur Bulldozer

The Centaur Bulldozer was a Char Cromwell deprived of turret, equipped with a blade of Bulldozer actuated by a winch.

This type of tank was produced because of a need for armored vehicle which, unlike a Armoured Bulldozer , was to be also enough fast to follow formations of tanks.

The tanks of this type were not used the D-day but were used by the 79e division armor-plated in Belgium towards the end 1944.

The Centaur continued to be used by the British Armed forces even after the Second world war, mainly during the Guerre of Korea. Moreover, a small number of tanks Churchill AVRE and Sherman BARV were employed until the Années 1960 where these tanks were replaced by similar vehicles based on the Char Centurion.

After this unloading

The Hobart' S Funnies were used at the time of the Opération Anvil Dragoon in Provence of August 1944.

Nowadays, the Royal Engineers continue to use the modified tanks Centurion and Chieftain .

Percy Hobart was distinguished by the American military decoration Legion off Merit and was made Sir by the British crown.

See too

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