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Churchill AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers)

1944 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

Churchill AVRE (Armored Vehicle Royal Engineer) History

The Churchill AVRE (Armored Vehicle Engineers Royal) became one of the many branches to appear in the British Army's famous line of Churchill infantry tanks (described in detail elsewhere on this page). The new design takes the basic chassis and hull of the Churchill tank and converts it into an engineering-oriented platform to aid in obstacle-breaking and beach-clearing programs.

The concept was developed by an engineer in the Canadian Army following the disastrous Allied amphibious landing at Dieppe in August 1942, during which the engineer unit was very vulnerable to attacks from all directions as they tried to clear the beaches for the main landing force. the attack of the enemy's firepower.

Modified tanks offered engineers the opportunity to work under armored protection. With the modification of the AVRE, the main gun of the original tank will be replaced by a large-caliber blasting weapon (mortar), which can also be operated (fired, loaded) inside a protected turret.

The vehicle retains more or less all the features of the original Churchill infantry tank, only modified for the technical role - a practice that continues today in modern main battle tanks (MBTs).

As a convenience, special kits were developed for the Churchill AVRE conversion process, with both government agencies and private industrial plants having a role in producing the new vehicle for widespread wartime use. The production Churchill Mk III and Mk IV models are the main chassis/hulls used for the AVRE conversion.

The War Department was convinced of the value of the concept, and the choice of launch vehicle naturally fell to the Churchill familythey were available in abundance and had proven powertrain and battlefield capabilities for success in engineered form. During the conversion process, the interior of the turret was completely redesigned with the addition of engineering components.

The tank's main gun was removed from the front of the turret and replaced by a Petar mortar, flanked by a 7.92mm BESA coaxial machine gun (the latter for local defense). The mortarnicknamed "The Dumpster"fired a massive 40-pound, 11.4-inch explosive charge at 80 yards to clear general obstacles and blow up fortifications.

For amphibious operations, deep wading equipment can be installed in the form of engine and crew vents, which are above the turret roofline, allowing the ship to traverse the water when attacking the beach. In addition, an anti-tank mine plow was installed in the bow to clear underground mines when reaching the contested position, and a pallet-type "dolphin" unit could be installed in the stern of the vehicle to haul heavier equipment ashore.

The car soon entered service with the 79th Armoured Division, and experienced a baptism of fire during the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, in June 1944. It was their success in action that allowed these vehicles to quickly establish themselves as the standard engineering platform for the British Army during and after the war.

In practice, the AVRE brigade is capable of performing a variety of mission-critical operations, including covering loose terrain by distributing French belts, delivering much-needed equipment and supplies to forward operating positions (FOPs), clearing trails in minefields, and comprehensively destroying large where the mortar weapons are reinforced. In addition to the local protection the vehicle provides for its crew, Churchill's frame means the vehicle can keep pace with the general Army and travel off-road if necessary.

Its inherent propulsion also opened up designs for transporting various war materiel, greatly doubling its strategic value in the field.

The Churchill AVRE family was eventually replaced after World War II by the Centurion AVRE, which itself was based on the framework of the classic Centurion MBT.