These vehicles made an enormous contribution to the success of the landings and similar machines have remained a vital component of armoured combat units to this day.Īlthough the range of roles for these special armoured vehicles remains much the same as it was back in 1944, over the last decade or so there has been a tendency to produce multi-purpose machines and the British Army’s current range of engineers’ tanks includes just three types: the armoured repair and recovery vehicle, the bridgelayer and the earth mover. ![]() The outbreak of the Second World War saw a resurgence of interest in using armoured vehicles for specialised roles, including mine clearance, recovery, demolition, earth-moving or ‘dozing, bridgelaying, etc., and, in the lead-up to D-Day a range of so-called ‘funnies’ was developed, each tasked with overcoming a particular problem. Both Mk IV and Mk V tanks were also fitted with hinged ramps, thus creating the first bridging tanks others had their armaments removed and were adapted for use as supply vehicles or gun carriers, while the armoured recovery vehicle was developed by the simple expedient of attaching a jib and pulley block or powered crane to the front of an obsolete tank. So-called ‘special tanks’ first appeared in 1917 when modified Mk IV heavy tanks were equipped with fascine bundles or hollow timber cylinders to allow ditch crossing.
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