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The Churchill AVRE was a Hobart’s Funnies tank developed after the disastrous Dieppe Raid of August 19th, 1942. These vehicles would allow crew to carry out their objectives, but remain protected. the Churchill entered service with the British Armoured Forces in 1941. Though it was slow and heavy, the Churchill made a name for itself as being one of the best cross-country tanks ever built and could climb higher gradients or cross harder obstacles impassible to most other tanks then in service. Development started on modifying the Churchill in October 1942. It was decided not only to make the vehicle a kind of armored personnel carrier but also give the Engineers the ability to project a large high-explosive charge, giving the crew the ability to destroy targets without having to dismount the tank. The Churchill normally needed a 5 man crew, commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver, co-driver/machine gunner. The AVRE versions of the tank often had a sixth crew member to manage the additional engineering equipment. It was armed with a 290mm Petard Spigot Mortar intended for demolition work. I was also fitted a hull mounted Besa Machine gun. A disadvantage to the Petard,was the fact that the loader would have to be exposed when reloading the mortar. AVREs would also carry various other pieces of equipment to assist their comrades on the battlefield. Vehicles would have a wooden fascines, a small box girder bridge, carpet layer and a mine plow. This Churchill Mk IV AVRE called Avenger belonging to the British 26th Engineer Squadron was lost during the landing on Juno Beach on 6 June 1944. It slipped in a crater filled with water, the crew bailed out 4 members of its 6 man crew were killed by German machinegun and rifle fire. Bill Hawkins, the demolitions NCO in the AVRE, George Dunn, its driver survived. A bridge element was placed on the roof of the tank, and gradually the crater was filled and later covered with concrete. The tank was found in November 1976, buried under the sand and recovered. It was then restored by the French army workshops in Caen and put on display on a concrete plinth by the beach exit road, on 15 October 1977. During that time it was visited by RE veterans including Bill Hawkins,and George Dunn. When Bill Dunn died in 2014 in accordance with his last wishes his ashes were scattered next to his tank, One Charlie on 8th November 2014. ■ So want to help keep me and the channel going? Please consider buying a cup of coffee! supporting me on Patreon and Buymeacoffee will get you access to extra content for three channels in total. ■ Support me on my Patreon ■ Or buy me a Coffee on ■ Store: ■ Information obtained from several sites. ■ Wikipedia ■ tanks-encyclopedia ■ ■ preservedtanks ■ ■ ■ Some music is from the YouTube Audio Library. ■ Music used: Copyright fair use notice All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders.
