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The Funnies which conquered the beaches.

A British Army officer who was dismissed from the 7th Armoured Division because Wavell had no confidence in him has been responsible for devising ingenious contraptions for tackling German defences on the beaches. After leaving the army, Major-Gen Percy Hobart, who is Monty's brother-in-law, joined the Home Guard and was about to be a humble lance-corporal when Churchill sent for him.

Hobart's armoured monsters have become known as "Funnies". The DD Duplex-Drive tank, with two propellors and a canvas screen, rides up to the beach under its own power, the screen then collapses and it becomes a conventional tank.

The "Crab", with chain-flail spinning at the front, can clear a ten-foot-wide path through a minefield. "The "Bobbin" lays broad canvas matting over soft sand to provide a firm road. The Armoured Bulldozer's hefty blade sweeps aside most beach obstructions.

A Churchill tank fitted with a swivelling jib carries a bridge that can be dropped over a 30-foot gap in 30 seconds. The "Churchill Crocodile" is a flame gun with a range of 120 yards; it carries 400 gallons of fuel in a trailer.

Hobart insisted that each special vehicle must be able to operate as an assault weapon if necessary. He met resistance to his ideas from the military, and the Americans were sceptical. But Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, CIGS, organized these Funnies in a special tank formation, the 79th Armoured Division, to open gaps in beach defences before the infantry gets ashore. The men on Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches have been glad to have them. Had the Americans had the full range of Funnies, D-Day on Omaha could have been different.

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